I think I need a lower wattage light bulb for my Jacksons Chameleon

[Kamran_k]

So today my Jackson Chameleons Basking spot was a bit hot (84.9 F) and he is just a juvenile and was gaping so I think I need to lower the wattage of my light bulb. Right now I have a 45 w Flood Light from Home Depot I was thinking of reducing it to a 40 w or a 35, and switching back to the 45 W when he gets a little older, in his old cage I had a light stand I could use to raise his light but since I have a bigger cage and improved my husbandry since then I was wondering what you guys think. Thanks for all the help

 

[GoodKarma19]

My knowledge of Jackson's isn't great, but lowering the wattage so your basking is closer to 80 makes sense to me. @JacksJill, thoughts?

 

[Brodybreaux25]

You can accomplish the same thing by just raising the lamp up a inch or two. I’d try before spending the money, even if it is just a couple bucks...

 

[Ruthless]

I use a dimmable flood light like this here
53-Watt Equivalent Halogen PAR30S Dimmable Floodlight Bulb
https://www.homedepot.com/p/203528711
And a dimmable lamp by fluker
https://flukerfarms.com/repta-clamp-lamp-ceramic-w-dimmer-switch/
You can make adjustments as needed.

 

[nightanole]

I use a dimmable flood light like this here
53-Watt Equivalent Halogen PAR30S Dimmable Floodlight Bulb
https://www.homedepot.com/p/203528711
And a dimmable lamp by fluker
https://flukerfarms.com/repta-clamp-lamp-ceramic-w-dimmer-switch/
You can make adjustments as needed.

Slightly off topic, what black magic is used to make a dimmable halogen??? if you dim a halogen, it gets too cool to complete the halogen cycle, and you end up with the inner bulb glass covered in black, instead of it renewing the filament.

 

[nightanole]

http://www.jacksonschameleoncaresheet.com/

While i know nothing about jacksons, I always trust my breeders that are not trying to sell me "kits". If they say keep the "cool" and the guy trying to sell me lights says keep them "hot", im keeping them cool.

 

[KRGEE21]

Just a standard incandescent house bulb should be used for basking bulb for Jackson's. 40 watt or so depending on the ambient temperature in the room.
You can use in line halogen puck lights on dimmer switches to make a small basking area. I have them set on on my carpet enclosures.

 

[Ruthless]

Slightly off topic, what black magic is used to make a dimmable halogen??? if you dim a halogen, it gets too cool to complete the halogen cycle, and you end up with the inner bulb glass covered in black, instead of it renewing the filament.

I’m not sure what type of black magic you are referring to or maybe it can be just old technology that your talking about. Here is my halogen light after 7 months no black what so ever. With a basking temperature of around 84 degrees. So is it old technology you are referring to? If not can you explain?

 

[nightanole]

I’m not sure what type of black magic you are referring to or maybe it can be just old technology that your talking about. Here is my halogen light after 7 months no black what so ever. With a basking temperature of around 84 degrees. So is it old technology you are referring to? If not can you explain? View attachment 238213

No problem.

http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/rbf/CVonline/LOCAL_COPIES/RUSK/HalogenCycle.html

This about the most non technical version i can find. But to really dumb it down, in order for halogen bulb to work, they need to be incredibly hot(which is why the bulbs are no wider than your pinky but use 75-150 watts), else the filament disintegrates like if you turned the the power up way too high on a normal house bulb. But if you run a halogen with too low of a wattage in, it gets too cool, and the filament doesnt "heal", and just pops pretty quickly.

So your dimable halogen must have some secret way of keeping the bulb hot while it is dimming.



When the lamp is on(normal or halogen), tungsten molecules evaporate from the glowing tungsten wire. These are then deposited on the cooler inner wall of the bulb. The result is the typical bulb blackening on standard incandescent lamps of increasing age. Part of the generated light is retained by the bulb blackening. Thus the amount of light emitted by an incandescent lamp falls over time. Classic incandescent lamps thus have a large bulb in order to keep the light loss as low as possible. This means that the tungsten particles can be spread over a larger area and the quantity of deposited tungsten molecules stays low on each surface unit.

Before the evaporating tungsten particles can reach the inner side of the bulb, the tungsten and halogen molecules combine to form tungsten halogenides. These gaseous tungsten halogenides do not form a coating on the bulb, but due to the thermal convection, move freely in the bulb until they reach the incandescent coil again.


Due to the high temperature, the tungsten halogenides split back into the halogen and tungsten upon reaching the coil. The tungsten particles are not redeposited on the hot coil again but on the cooler parts of the coil, such as the "coil leg". Then the halogens are available again for the halogen cycle. This means that the tungsten atoms have no opportunity to be deposited on the inside of the glass bulb, turning it black. And so even the smallest halogen lamp bulb will always remain clear. The result is that the unavoidable reduction in light flux, as is seen on standard incandescent lamps, is completely avoided throughout the service life.

 

[Highway61]

No problem.

http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/rbf/CVonline/LOCAL_COPIES/RUSK/HalogenCycle.html

This about the most non technical version i can find. But to really dumb it down, in order for halogen bulb to work, they need to be incredibly hot(which is why the bulbs are no wider than your pinky but use 75-150 watts), else the filament disintegrates like if you turned the the power up way too high on a normal house bulb. But if you run a halogen with too low of a wattage in, it gets too cool, and the filament doesnt "heal", and just pops pretty quickly.

So your dimable halogen must have some secret way of keeping the bulb hot while it is dimming.



When the lamp is on(normal or halogen), tungsten molecules evaporate from the glowing tungsten wire. These are then deposited on the cooler inner wall of the bulb. The result is the typical bulb blackening on standard incandescent lamps of increasing age. Part of the generated light is retained by the bulb blackening. Thus the amount of light emitted by an incandescent lamp falls over time. Classic incandescent lamps thus have a large bulb in order to keep the light loss as low as possible. This means that the tungsten particles can be spread over a larger area and the quantity of deposited tungsten molecules stays low on each surface unit.

Before the evaporating tungsten particles can reach the inner side of the bulb, the tungsten and halogen molecules combine to form tungsten halogenides. These gaseous tungsten halogenides do not form a coating on the bulb, but due to the thermal convection, move freely in the bulb until they reach the incandescent coil again.


Due to the high temperature, the tungsten halogenides split back into the halogen and tungsten upon reaching the coil. The tungsten particles are not redeposited on the hot coil again but on the cooler parts of the coil, such as the "coil leg". Then the halogens are available again for the halogen cycle. This means that the tungsten atoms have no opportunity to be deposited on the inside of the glass bulb, turning it black. And so even the smallest halogen lamp bulb will always remain clear. The result is that the unavoidable reduction in light flux, as is seen on standard incandescent lamps, is completely avoided throughout the service life.

Thanks for the explaination nightanole. I googled "can halogen light be dimmed" and found this:

http://blog.fabby.com/2013/03/01/can-halogen-led-and-fluorescent-bulbs-be-dimmed/

All halogen bulbs can be dimmed, and finding a dimmer for halogen bulbs should be easy. Most dimmers are compatible with halogen bulbs. As long as the light and the dimmer are compatible, the bulb will be able to dim to most frequencies — but at the cost of a shorter life. You will have to replace a dimmable halogen bulb more often, so keep that additional maintenance in mind.

 

[JacksJill]

I'm so low tech on lighting. I can only tell you what I do. I use 40 Watt bulbs during the summer months and for my juveniles most of the year. I mickey mouse things out of wire or metal to raise them up and tilt them at ~15˚ angle to get my basking range. I also have them on low tech analog timers, the ones with the piano key things, and have the basking bulb off when the mister comes on. If heat is a problem I will have them come on and off in 30 minute intervals during the afternoons.

 

[Kamran_k]

Okay forsure, I am going to go to Home Depot to get a new light for him, but before im gonna look around my house in case I have one laying around. I live in LA so its getting pretty warm lol.

 

[Rlc1994]

No problem.

http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/rbf/CVonline/LOCAL_COPIES/RUSK/HalogenCycle.html

This about the most non technical version i can find. But to really dumb it down, in order for halogen bulb to work, they need to be incredibly hot(which is why the bulbs are no wider than your pinky but use 75-150 watts), else the filament disintegrates like if you turned the the power up way too high on a normal house bulb. But if you run a halogen with too low of a wattage in, it gets too cool, and the filament doesnt "heal", and just pops pretty quickly.

So your dimable halogen must have some secret way of keeping the bulb hot while it is dimming.



When the lamp is on(normal or halogen), tungsten molecules evaporate from the glowing tungsten wire. These are then deposited on the cooler inner wall of the bulb. The result is the typical bulb blackening on standard incandescent lamps of increasing age. Part of the generated light is retained by the bulb blackening. Thus the amount of light emitted by an incandescent lamp falls over time. Classic incandescent lamps thus have a large bulb in order to keep the light loss as low as possible. This means that the tungsten particles can be spread over a larger area and the quantity of deposited tungsten molecules stays low on each surface unit.

Before the evaporating tungsten particles can reach the inner side of the bulb, the tungsten and halogen molecules combine to form tungsten halogenides. These gaseous tungsten halogenides do not form a coating on the bulb, but due to the thermal convection, move freely in the bulb until they reach the incandescent coil again.


Due to the high temperature, the tungsten halogenides split back into the halogen and tungsten upon reaching the coil. The tungsten particles are not redeposited on the hot coil again but on the cooler parts of the coil, such as the "coil leg". Then the halogens are available again for the halogen cycle. This means that the tungsten atoms have no opportunity to be deposited on the inside of the glass bulb, turning it black. And so even the smallest halogen lamp bulb will always remain clear. The result is that the unavoidable reduction in light flux, as is seen on standard incandescent lamps, is completely avoided throughout the service life.

Good god my mind is spinning after trying to read and understand that lol. Very descriptive explanation though

 

[Highway61]

Good god my mind is spinning after trying to read and understand that lol. Very descriptive explanation though

And that was after it was dumbed down for us