Mercury Vapour Globes - questions.

[falconboy]

I've never understood these Mercury Vapour globes - they are 100 or 160 w flood style lamps (I assume like those big outdoor spot globes) but you cannot use them with a thermostat. 100/160w sounds hot, but you can't control temps? It sounds like you need to build an enclosure and its surrounds to suit the globe and not vice versa....????? Or do they not put out as much heat as one would think? Can someone explain? How much heat do they put out compared to a 40w or 60w phiips reflector globe - as that is what I am using at the moment even in a 4ft glass enclosure.

Thanks

[spongebob]

They are generally used in large well ventilated set ups. If a smaller halogen type lamp could be developed (say for small dragons) then a lot of people would be very happy!

[falconboy]

Thanks Bob.

So for something like monitors in a large melamine enclosure with lots of drilled ventilation holes?

[hallie]

Hey there,

Im an electrician so ill tell you what i know about lamps.
Mercury vapour lamps contain gas and metal which react
to emit light and are designed to light up larger areas.
They take a little while to reach full brightness and are made to
stay on for long periods of time They arent designed to
be continually turned on and off with a thermostat, so i think they whould burn out
frequently. You also need extra gear such as a ballast and a ignighter to fire the lamp.
They do get hot but not sure if they would suit an enclosure..

Your average incandecent lamp simply has an element that current passes through
and creates instant heat. You cold try a QI lamp for heat(The ones they
use in bain maries to keep food warm) They go down to as low as 150w and are around
8cms long.
sorry for the long post. Hopefully this helps ya

[Bushfire]

I suppose it comes down to what you keep. Im using MV globes in a 4ft tank and found them excellent. I went for the 100w as I too was worried about overheating as I use the globes as basking lights I dont worry about air temps too much but if your air temp gets too high have more air vents on the cool side its pretty stable once you get that balance right. As for basking temps the height the globe is over the site controls this. The apeal to MV over reflector for me is the UV, way more than any fluro.

[hallie]

Good point,

UV from a MV will probably travel further than a fluro too. uv travel from a fluro im told is around 30cms.

[Jungletrans]

Mercury Vapour lamps are good for factories , big sheds and growing dope .

[hallie]

Well said

[falconboy]

Originally Posted by Jungletrans

and growing dope .

Bugger, you're onto me.

[Bushfire]

The majority of my cages are 4ft X 2ft. Ive used MV globes in top opening and side opening cages and they work well. The globes do get hot but I havent had a lizard try and reach it even with my monitors the globes are only 15 - 20cm from them. I dont use my MV globes with snakes for a few reasons but have regularly seen it used for them too.

[falconboy]

Thanks all. I think I might give it a miss. I'm a bit pedantic about fire (as we all should be of course), so I don't like the thought of having such a hot globe unregulated, especially if I'm out for the day working.