UVB light fixture problem...

[Adam]

Last night was the first night I put both Camille's basking lamp, and UVB tubes on timers...I set it up after she was all ready asleep, and the lights were off. This morning, I went in shortly after 8 AM when they should have been just coming on...the basking lamp came on, but the UVB didn't. I messed with it, and now have a fixture that won't turn on at all...tried it in tons of outlets all over the house, and nothing.

The tubes aren't even a whole 2 weeks old yet, so I doubt their burnt out or anything...One thing I thought of...both of the light are within 2 feet of the humidifier. Did it get too humid for the fixture? I don't know if that would make it shut off, or in my case, not even turn on.

And if that's the case, will the fixture dry itself over today if I leave it outside the room, or do I need to get another fixture? I hope it will dry out and go back to working fine. I'd hate to spend more money on another fixture...this weekend is costly for me all ready because of other things going on. Please reply and let me know if I need to just let it dry out, or if I should make a stop by Ace Hardware tonight after work to pick up another fixture.

For now, Camille is looking around wondering why there's only onew light on. Thanks for any advice/info you can give.

[IguanaKing]

Adam,

Do you maybe have the basking lamp and UVB fixture right next to each other? If so, is the basking lamp on for a while before the UVB gets turned on? The reason I ask is that some starters in the ballasts of fluorescent tube fixtures are sensitive to heat. Now, this won't cause it to shut off when it gets hot, but it may prevent it from turning on if its already hot. I doubt that humidity will cause a problem with the fixture, I haven't had problems like that so far. If the fixture is at room temperature when you're trying to start it, if it doesn't come on, most likely the fixture needs to be replaced. The tubes are a possibility, but not very likely.

[Adam]

That might have been an issue, but since then, I have moved the flourescent fixture into another room, which is room temperature, and tried turning it on numerous times over the past hour or so...it still won't turn on...I've only had the fixture 2 weeks...I don't get it.

[prism_wolf]

So take the old fixture back and get a new one. Moving it away from the excessive humidity may be a factor. 2' is not a large distance, but unless the water is showing abvious signs of settling on the fixture anywhere then you may just have some faulty wiring that just decided to go "poof".

[Cyndi]

My son and I both have the same flourescent fixtures, with the same bulbs. Mine comes on immediately, but his takes 20 - 30 minutes to "warm up".

Weird.

[SurvivorSteph]

Adam said:

That might have been an issue, but since then, I have moved the flourescent fixture into another room, which is room temperature, and tried turning it on numerous times over the past hour or so...it still won't turn on...I've only had the fixture 2 weeks...I don't get it.

I'm sure you've already dealt with this, but I just thought I'd add a thought: double check that your tube is properly seated in the fixture! I thought I had a light burn out, but it simply rocked loose because I was moving things around.

My hubby's an electrician, and I can't tell you how many times he's been called on jobs because of "faulty" sockets or wiring, when it's really a burned out bulb or something just not plugged in!