UV glass...

[prosnow]

is UV glass needed for a Dual ended bulb? i think i read somewhere that it was...

[AndyL]

UV glass is needed for all DE bulbs - Best source for inexpensive glass is the inexpensive (>20$) Halogen flood lights available at rona/homedespots/etc.

Andy

[prosnow]

thanks, thats what i thought

[Winters]

Originally Posted by AndyL

UV glass is needed for all DE bulbs - Best source for inexpensive glass is the inexpensive (>20$) Halogen flood lights available at rona/homedespots/etc.

Andy

I was under the impression that ALL glass is UV shielded so I was planning to go to my local glass shop and get a piece cut to place under my DEs. Is this not correct?

If not, how does one get this UV glass from Home Depot? You mean I need to go buy a halogen light there and somehow extract the glass from it, rendering this new light useless, so I can put this glass into my DE pendant? How will I find the right size/thickness of this UV glass at Home Depot? All the halogen lamps I've seen there are small desk lamps with tiny little UV shields on them.

Help!!

[vanreefer]

Any glass will do just make sure it's thick enough to deal with the heat of the MH bulbs... The halogen flood lights are what people are refering to you just remove the guts (bulb and fixture) and replace it with your MH fixture and bulb the glass clips to the bottom of the housing... I am re-engineering a new canopy that will have these home-made pendants in it

[AndyL]

Basically, the glass in those halogen lights is UV coated, tempered, approximately the right size for DE bulbs and thick enough for the heat produced by the DE lights. Yes one could get a piece of glass cut, but generally the cost for that is more than just the halogen light fixture itself.

Take the glass, toss the rest - or retrofit the DE bulb into the fixture, your choice...

One doesn't necessarily need UV coated glass, as standard 1/4" will filter out enough.

[midgetwaiter]

Regular old plate glass will block dangerous UV wavelengths. 100% of UVC, 99% of UVB and about 60% of UVA. In this case, longer wavelengths penetrate better. I know this is runs contrary to the what most people have to say but I spent a few years working in an industry that relies on UV light (indoor tanning) so I have some detailed experience.

So unless you do something odd like stare at it for 20 minutes that much UVA is not going to hurt you and will be blocked at the water's surface, protecting your animals.

The one thing you might get from a specialized glass is the ability to handle the heat better. A Laminated glass may be the thing to use here, it might still crack if splashed but wouldn't explode like plate glass.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasc.../chem00539.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet