bulb burning metal screen

[bjfoste1]

If you put a 75 watt bulb directly on a cage will it melt the metal screen. The lady at petco says it will not and she said she puts 150 watt bulbs on her metal screen. But i just want to make sure....

[AT6CL]

I've had a 75w CHE right on top of my screen for over 6 months now. So far, so good...

[PythonWallace]

No, if a bulb was hot enough to melt metal, it definately wouldn't be safe to have a reptile chilling 10" under it.

[amarin.astarte]

I could see it melting maybe a fiberglass screen top, but not a metal one. That would be one hot bulb, and one real danger to your snake!

[bjfoste1]

why do they give you a clamp for the light then..is that just personal preference. The reason i ask this is becasue someone else said that anything above 60 will melt a metal screen. But she must have been a dumbass.

[AT6CL]

I think the weight of the lamp might eventually warp the mesh screen. FWIW, mine is on a stand. It also looks neater than having the lamp resting on the screen.

[Argentra]

Nothing but the most intense Mercury Vapor high watt bulb could MELT those metal tank screens. Warp, yes. Heat up, yes. But melt, no way.

And I agree that the neatest, most simple and accident free way of using lamps is to use that clamp and attach them to a stand, post, or shelf. Oftentimes I will install a single nice shelf above my tank that can have the lamp clamped on and something nice as decoration or just supplies. For places where that isn't possible (such as my corn tank under the window...and yes I do mean below out of the influences) I made a lamp stand out of pvc. MUCH cheaper than buying one of those stands made for the lamps i.e. stand = @$25 + shipping, pvc stand = @$8.