Lightbulb Lifespan

[hiero]

Try saying that when you're drunk...

Just wondering amongst others who use a red heat lamp in their set-up, what kind of lifespan you usually get on the bulb?? I have mine on a dimmer stat as I was led to believe that one of the various advantages of these is that they wear the bulb out slower, but I came home from work to find it blown and Zillah sitting in a corner looking pee'd off.

She's much better having spent the evening in my hoody pocket, but I thought I'd get more than three months out of it - anyone any experience?

[The Roach Hut]

is it just plugged into the mains? or extention? run it through a surge protector it may have blown if the weather was bad due to a surge

[carpetman]

I normally say to people expect to go through 2-4 infra-reds a year, even on a dimmer stat, even tho it is being dimmed on and off it is still going off upto 100 or so times a day, compare that a normal household usage of a bulb and that is months worth in a day!

Use a cermaic on a pulse stat! they last forever! quite literally!

[hiero]

Thanks all; I will put it on an extension from now on. I guess the rate of 2-4 would fit in with it blowing if there wasn't an electrical fault either.

I would like to change her to a ceramic though; the viv came pre-built with a normal light fitting, is it difficult to replace with the right type? I don't have Handyman Skillz