Tamar

We have a Sonnenbraun Prizma that is approximately 3 years old that is starting to have lamp holder problems. We have replaced several because they are melting on to the pins of the lamp. I read somewhere about older Prizmas having a potential to catch on fire? Any truth to this and could I be the proud owner of one of these beds? I love the performance of this bed but I am growing distrustful of it. We inherited this from a previous owner that did little maintenance.

Thanks for your help.

TB

what's your voltage? using a buck booster? sounds like excess voltage therefore excess heat...

tb

Chippp

is the bed designed with cooling for the lamp ends and sockets? this is a problem for most beds...not enough cooling for the lamps.

Tamar

There is a buck booster, could it be malfunctioning, and if so how would I check it? Is this something better left for a technician to verify? Thanks for the responses, I was beginning to think I needed to yell FIRE!

TB

your buck booster may be fine, but you may have had an increase in voltage from your power company. have an electrician (or someone that knows how to use a voltage meter properly) check the actual voltage coming to the unit BEFORE it goes through the buck booster. then have him see how the buck booster is wired (plus or minus 12, 16, 24, or 32 volts).

a buck booster doesn't "regulate" voltage...it only increases or decreases. for example, if your actual voltage is 208, and you purchase a buck booster and have it wired to +12, that "boosts" the voltage going to the unit to 220, which is right about the correct voltage for that unit. however, if your power has increased from your power company, say, to 234, your buck booster is still wired to boost it 12 more volts, putting you at 246, which is a little too high. the above is just an example, but i'm sure you are following what i am saying. it may not be the case in your situation, but its worth checking out.

go to www.fsparts.com. there is a helpful FAQ section on buck boosters under the buck booster index page. give me a call or email me at teri@fstanning.com if you need help.

thanks

tb

JOHN @ URI

If the unit is Bipin, the sockets tend to bend out on most bipin units.Therefor causing a bad connection, When the bed is turned on the socket is arcing, then causing the socket to melt. I would replace all sockets at once and check all sockets for loose wiring. Most sockets are rated for 600volts so I do not believe this to be a problem with the buck boost but with old worn out sockets. Hope this helps.

Tamar

Thanks for all of the replies, will be addressing this tomorrow by replacing filters first (think the ones we used were not porous enough - started happening soon after replacement).

Since this is the only bed with a problem I don't think it is increased voltage from power company, but will keep this in mind.

Replacing all of the lamp holders is not something I look forward to, but it would make sense that it may be time to do just that. This would be next on my list.

I'm still curious about the fire potential, has anyone heard of problems with these beds that were manufactured 3 years or so ago? My years spent in the auto industry gives me pause with situations like this (dealt with recalls quite a bit).

Thanks again

Brian Oshman

The problem is cooling. The obstruction from the air filters are causing a restriction. The problems with some of the Sonenbraune beds catching fire is with the plug connectors. They would use only one pin on the connector for the common wire and this would not handle the current and the plug connectors would overheat and hold flame. Additional wiring can be employed or another type of connector that has a higher current rating can be substituted. A tip is when you do your periodic maintenance on your beds unplug and replug your connectors on the bed along with the main power cord (if it is not hard wired) to allow the contacts to scrape and self clean themselves to clean off any corrosion they may have acumulated. This will eliminate the potential of reduced current capacity from corrosion from moisture in the air. Since the bed is never unpluged like some appliances this can occur. If upon inspection of the connectors you find any melting or overheating (the metal contact will look tarnished and not bright and shiny) do not use the bed and replace any defective plug and socket at the same time. If the main power cord looks bad then replace the plug and the wall socket at the same time or the plug and or socket will fail again shortly from poor connection.[ This Message was edited by: Brian Oshman on 2002-01-01 20:56 ]