Old uvb lights

[Ramrod]

What can uvb lights be used for when they stop producing the numbers needed? Would they still be useful for plants or lighting in general? Would hate to trash them when it's still putting out light. Anyone use them for anything other than providing uvb in the enclosure?

 

[Beman]

@nightanole might know.

 

[nightanole]

They can still be used as normal 6500k bulbs. And you can also move them down to the next lower UVB critter. So once your 12% is no longer fit for your beardy, you can move them over to the cham cages. And the Cham 6% can be moved over to the leopard geckos etc. At some point after 10's of thousands of hours the bulb will just fail to start and its garbage.

 

[Ramrod]

They can still be used as normal 6500k bulbs. And you can also move them down to the next lower UVB critter. So once your 12% is no longer fit for your beardy, you can move them over to the cham cages. And the Cham 6% can be moved over to the leopard geckos etc. At some point after 10's of thousands of hours the bulb will just fail to start and its garbage.

Thanks for the reply. I just hate to trash anything I could get some additional use out of. How about roach colonies? Heard that they can benefit from some uvb but unsure of the numbers and they are mostly night owls anyway. Maybe @jamest0o0 could shed a little light on that?( No pun intended)?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

They can still be used as normal 6500k bulbs.

I like the idea of squeezing more use out of them (since they contain mercury, and often just go into landfills) but I'm a bit skeptable [sic] they can kick out 6500K. IIRC, not the same phosphors(?)

 

[nightanole]

I like the idea of squeezing more use out of them (since they contain mercury, and often just go into landfills) but I'm a bit skeptable [sic] they can kick out 6500K. IIRC, not the same phosphors(?)

UVB bulbs are 6500k bulbs with 1 extra UVB phosphors. The zoomed reptisun 10.0/5.0 use the same phosphors as the ultrasuns. Red phosphors last FOREVER. As you get closer to blue and ultraviolet, their lifetime drops dramatically. So yes an old UVB bulb might not be exacty 6500k, but its going to be pretty darn close.

 

[Tinydino]

I've been using my old t5 tubes to help my seedlings in the spring. (They are also in the window.) Instead of tall spindly seedlings I get sturdy robust plants to transfer into the garden when it finally warms up. I hate tossing out things that still work as well.