160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? - tanTALK

tanbuns · 01-24-2006, 04:56 PM

i know you guys have probably been asked this a million times but i am new here so maybe someone can take the time to answer my question. i have an older sca wolf bed with 100 watt ballasts and 100 watt lamps. my common sense tells me that 160 watt lamps will not generate their full potential in the bed but i know people that are doing this and they seem to think they have upgraded their bed. someone please clarify this for me. thanks so much

caribbean tan man · 01-24-2006, 05:29 PM

your common sense is correct! the ballast power the lamps so its not a upgrade its a waste of money.

and if you were to put 100 watt lamps on a 160 ballast the lamp would burn out quicker and run to hot.

body tan · 01-24-2006, 05:47 PM

What ctm said!!!!!!

clubtan1 · 01-24-2006, 06:01 PM

and if you're in a regulated state, that's enough to get a fine.
Assuming the voltage is 120v, each 100 watt bulb would draw about .85 amperes. A 160 watt bulb at the same voltage will draw about 1.35 amperes. Doesn't sound like a big deal however, lets assume it's a 30 bulb bed. With 30, 100 watt bulbs, the amperes will be about 25.5 which the bed is wired for and you would be fine with a 30 amp circuit breaker. 30, 160 watt bulb will draw about 40.5 amperes. To make that work, you'd have to use at least a 40 amp circuit breaker. The problem is that the bed wiring is probably not sized heavy enough to handle that big of a load. Risk of fire.

caribbean tan man · 01-24-2006, 06:21 PM

clubby i love the technical **** but as far as regs go its a bed for home use!

clubtan1 · 01-24-2006, 06:51 PM

Seems I missed that. Good pick up caribbean tan man. Point is, if the bed wire to the wall outlet is not at least #10 gauge, it will probably melt over time.

Sheila in Minnesota · 01-24-2006, 09:52 PM

Uffffdah!!!!

Pleeeeeeese don't kluck around with your bed like this!!!

The bed you have is a WORK HORSE..... and you can use lamps in it that will perform awesome.... but what you are thinking of doing is dangerous!

You need to consider that the 100watt compatible lamp was designed for the 20 minute session.... by increasing the percentage of UVB output you can decrease the session time a tad ~ but the lamp that this bed came with was a 5.0 uvb (correct me guys if I'm wrong on that).... so the MOST you would want to do is stay with a 100 watt - - - and tweak the UVB up / tan time down.

I've used lamps by Wolff / ETS and LSI lamps.... 7.0 to 7.5 is getting shakey.

another thing to NOT DO is fall for some yahoo telling you to put a REFLECTOR Lamp in this unit..... the lamps are spaced tooooo far apart and will provide the most STRAIGHT lines on your body ~ ~ very un kewl.

Make sure you hand polish the beds reflectors/base..... blow out any ****za near the lamp sockets..... keep the interior of the unit dust free ~ ~ it will be on this earth for the second coming I'm sure!

tanbuns · 01-24-2006, 11:54 PM

thanks bunches all.....but just to clarify---i was not going to do this to my bed BUT i know someone who has. i have plenty of extra lamps to supply my bed for personal home use for at least the next 5 years and i am perfectly happy with it. i just wanted the knowledge to share with my not so knowledgable friend. i just bought my sca wolf series ll bed for $200 bucks with new bellarium plus lamps in it and then i found a person who was giving away a bed just like mine so i jumped on it. the free bed came with a bunch of bellarium s lamps and a set of new velocity lamps in it---so i'm all set and happy as a clam. i will be sharing all your info with my friend though. thanks

tanbuns · 01-25-2006, 12:18 AM

wow, never even thought about a reflector lamp in this bed but i am glad to know NOT to do it. definatly don't want lines.....i will have this bed for an eternity considering all the spare parts i have from the extra free bed and after making my husband pack it out of a basement with the most narrow stares a person has ever seen, he may just use it as my coughin when i die. so when i say an eternity i mean it. LOL, oh man, he and his friend where cusin me big time! the guy gave it away because his wife made him pack it down into the basement and he swore he would never pack it out. they are moving now and he gave it away rather than pack it back up those stairs. LUCKY ME--but oohhh my poor husband...he,he,he

mr belvedere · 01-25-2006, 03:09 AM

Yes, your friend is dismally wrong. But let her believe she is right. This shall be your victory. Revenge is a dish best served cold, but knowing the Jonse's just spent a bunch more money on lamps than you did is priceless. Tell the rest of the neighbors, but not that twit. Happy caucasioness. -Belvy

01-24-2006, 04:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
tanbuns Join Date: Jan 24 2006 Location: oregon coast Posts: 5 Rep Power: 0	160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? i know you guys have probably been asked this a million times but i am new here so maybe someone can take the time to answer my question. i have an older sca wolf bed with 100 watt ballasts and 100 watt lamps. my common sense tells me that 160 watt lamps will not generate their full potential in the bed but i know people that are doing this and they seem to think they have upgraded their bed. someone please clarify this for me. thanks so much

01-24-2006, 05:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
caribbean tan man DERFTALK FBI AGENT Join Date: Jul 29 2003 Location: northeast Age: 48 Posts: 3,632 Rep Power: 46	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? your common sense is correct! the ballast power the lamps so its not a upgrade its a waste of money. and if you were to put 100 watt lamps on a 160 ballast the lamp would burn out quicker and run to hot. __________________ someone PM me when a good tanning topic is posted. :lol:

01-24-2006, 05:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
body tan I'm Banned Join Date: Feb 9 2005 Location: Georgia Age: 52 Posts: 352 Rep Power: 0	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? What ctm said!!!!!!

01-24-2006, 06:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
clubtan1 Join Date: Jan 31 2005 Posts: 2,114 Rep Power: 57	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? and if you're in a regulated state, that's enough to get a fine. Assuming the voltage is 120v, each 100 watt bulb would draw about .85 amperes. A 160 watt bulb at the same voltage will draw about 1.35 amperes. Doesn't sound like a big deal however, lets assume it's a 30 bulb bed. With 30, 100 watt bulbs, the amperes will be about 25.5 which the bed is wired for and you would be fine with a 30 amp circuit breaker. 30, 160 watt bulb will draw about 40.5 amperes. To make that work, you'd have to use at least a 40 amp circuit breaker. The problem is that the bed wiring is probably not sized heavy enough to handle that big of a load. Risk of fire.

01-24-2006, 06:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
caribbean tan man DERFTALK FBI AGENT Join Date: Jul 29 2003 Location: northeast Age: 48 Posts: 3,632 Rep Power: 46	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? clubby i love the technical **** but as far as regs go its a bed for home use! __________________ someone PM me when a good tanning topic is posted. :lol:

01-24-2006, 06:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
clubtan1 Join Date: Jan 31 2005 Posts: 2,114 Rep Power: 57	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? Seems I missed that. Good pick up caribbean tan man. Point is, if the bed wire to the wall outlet is not at least #10 gauge, it will probably melt over time.

01-24-2006, 09:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
Sheila in Minnesota Join Date: Jan 3 2002 Location: USA Posts: 1,686 Rep Power: 23	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? Uffffdah!!!! Pleeeeeeese don't kluck around with your bed like this!!! The bed you have is a WORK HORSE..... and you can use lamps in it that will perform awesome.... but what you are thinking of doing is dangerous! You need to consider that the 100watt compatible lamp was designed for the 20 minute session.... by increasing the percentage of UVB output you can decrease the session time a tad ~ but the lamp that this bed came with was a 5.0 uvb (correct me guys if I'm wrong on that).... so the MOST you would want to do is stay with a 100 watt - - - and tweak the UVB up / tan time down. I've used lamps by Wolff / ETS and LSI lamps.... 7.0 to 7.5 is getting shakey. another thing to NOT DO is fall for some yahoo telling you to put a REFLECTOR Lamp in this unit..... the lamps are spaced tooooo far apart and will provide the most STRAIGHT lines on your body ~ ~ very un kewl. Make sure you hand polish the beds reflectors/base..... blow out any ****za near the lamp sockets..... keep the interior of the unit dust free ~ ~ it will be on this earth for the second coming I'm sure!

01-24-2006, 11:54 PM	#8 (permalink)
tanbuns Join Date: Jan 24 2006 Location: oregon coast Posts: 5 Rep Power: 0	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? thanks bunches all.....but just to clarify---i was not going to do this to my bed BUT i know someone who has. i have plenty of extra lamps to supply my bed for personal home use for at least the next 5 years and i am perfectly happy with it. i just wanted the knowledge to share with my not so knowledgable friend. i just bought my sca wolf series ll bed for $200 bucks with new bellarium plus lamps in it and then i found a person who was giving away a bed just like mine so i jumped on it. the free bed came with a bunch of bellarium s lamps and a set of new velocity lamps in it---so i'm all set and happy as a clam. i will be sharing all your info with my friend though. thanks

01-25-2006, 12:18 AM	#9 (permalink)
tanbuns Join Date: Jan 24 2006 Location: oregon coast Posts: 5 Rep Power: 0	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? wow, never even thought about a reflector lamp in this bed but i am glad to know NOT to do it. definatly don't want lines.....i will have this bed for an eternity considering all the spare parts i have from the extra free bed and after making my husband pack it out of a basement with the most narrow stares a person has ever seen, he may just use it as my coughin when i die. so when i say an eternity i mean it. LOL, oh man, he and his friend where cusin me big time! the guy gave it away because his wife made him pack it down into the basement and he swore he would never pack it out. they are moving now and he gave it away rather than pack it back up those stairs. LUCKY ME--but oohhh my poor husband...he,he,he

01-25-2006, 03:09 AM	#10 (permalink)
mr belvedere Mr. b Join Date: May 10 2005 Age: 54 Posts: 7,247 Rep Power: 68	Re: 160 watt in 100 watt bed?????? Yes, your friend is dismally wrong. But let her believe she is right. This shall be your victory. Revenge is a dish best served cold, but knowing the Jonse's just spent a bunch more money on lamps than you did is priceless. Tell the rest of the neighbors, but not that twit. Happy caucasioness. -Belvy __________________ "A dusty bible leads to a dirty life ..." -Synonymous

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