Exploding heat bulbs. Cheap options that aren't Exo-Terra

[Rex888]

The other day I notice my temps weren't quite getting up there. My room suffers from a terrible chill because the radiator doesn't work. I had bought an Exo Terra 75W red bulb to heat up the tank just that little bit more, it had the side effect of a wicked temperature gradient that was far too unreliable for my tastes with my cold end being 21C and my hot end being 32C on average.
I had moved the lamp further away in an attempt to gain more controllable temps and it had worked, earlier today I was misting down the tank (95x45x45 Exo terra vivarium) when I must have accidentally caught the bulb in the spray and the light bulb exploded!
doing some more research I've discovered lots have people have had issues with Exo terra bulbs exploding and Zoo Med bulbs being unreliable.
Does anyone have any suggestions for bulbs I could pick up for a reasonable price in England, preferably under £10 because I don't really want to spend much more on a bulb .

[Sonny1318]

I've personally have no problems with the zoo med nightlight red bulbs, I use 40 watt ones. Maybe had one or two that didn't seem to last long. I believe the problem stems from turning them on and off to much. I leave mine on constantly. But I can totally see how accidentally misting one might cause problems. I mail order mine and get them for half of what they go for locally. Good luck.

[bcr229]

I would run two UTH's - one at 82*F the other at 90*F - and put a hide over each and make a cover for the enclosure. It'll be much cheaper in the long run than buying and running bulbs.

[Timelugia]

I was going to say All Living Things, but I don't know if they have those in England... They've worked fairly well for me and they're pretty cheap

[KMG]

No matter the bulb used spraying it with water while its hot is going to have the same effect. I have never had a bulb explode.

Maybe you should check into a che. Im sure you can find them over there. They are expensive compared to bulbs but they can last forever. I have one that is still good that was plugged in and running full blast for over 2.5 years. Much cheaper than bulbs in the long run.

This is what I am talking about.
http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Cerami...c+heat+emitter

Make sure you use the correct style fixture for them. Failing to do so can cause the che unit to cook itself and go out. I personally used the wire cage fixtures with great success.

[Reinz]

As KMG said, it's not the brand of the bulb.

The reason most of us have not had any popping bulbs is that the mist drys or heats up to a similar temperature as the bulb by the time it touches it, thus it does not pop. (It takes enough cold water on any hot bulb to pop it)

When I was a mischievous youngster, me and my buddies would throw water on light bulbs in public places just to watch them pop.

Its just science.

[jclaiborne]

if you are stuck on using bulbs you could looking into outdoor halogen flood bulbs as they are weather resistant, or you could look into "grow" bulbs used in hydroponic setups.

[LightningPython]

I have a ceramic bulb which I use for mine. I think I got mine off eBay for about £10.
http://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/ Swell Reptiles also have a good selection of products also

Always check Amazon and eBay. Usually you can find them brand new and going quite cheaply there also

[Rex888]

But that doesn't provide me with a heat gradient :/

[Rex888]

I've personally have no problems with the zoo med nightlight red bulbs, I use 40 watt ones. Maybe had one or two that didn't seem to last long. I believe the problem stems from turning them on and off to much. I leave mine on constantly. But I can totally see how accidentally misting one might cause problems. I mail order mine and get them for half of what they go for locally. Good luck.

Does that apply to 75W too?
Id simply forgotten to take the lamp of before I misted... I think I may have actually sprayed the whole lamp, felt like an idiot afterwards and jumped sky high :/ my Alice was fine thank goodness and she's eaten perfectly tonight so no worries there.
because she's kept in my bedroom the light gets turned off at night, would that effect the bulb's lifespan at all?