# PAR38's



## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

How good are par38 bulbs for heat? And do they contain any uva? I know some household spotlights have uva?
How hot would a 80W par38 be? How many would I need to get a 120f basking spot?


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## buddylouis (Apr 28, 2011)

Depends on viv size, they are a big bulb, i use them in very large viv's, and temp depends on distance, they do give off a larger area of heat in comparason to a normal spot light.


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## 12843 (Nov 16, 2007)

buddylouis said:


> Depends on viv size, they are a big bulb, i use them in very large viv's, and temp depends on distance, they do give off a larger area of heat in comparason to a normal spot light.


This ^^, they are quite widely available as full spectrum bulbs, so it will be of benefit to any diurnal rep, though UVB will still be a must.


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## Tombo46 (Aug 5, 2010)

I use them in my Tegu's viv. Give off a nice broad basking spot and a lovely yellow light. Depending on the size of the viv, You could go for a 120w bulb to give a really wide hot basking spot. Thats providing you have enough height etc though. 

Only downside to them is they are a lot dearer than R80's etc...


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

Its for a 5x2x2 viv for a bosc, need a 120f basking. And the face of the bulb will be about 1ft and a few inches from the basking slate.
Also my local B&Q and home sell 60w par38's for £6 odd...


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## daz30347 (Aug 30, 2007)

xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> Its for a 5x2x2 viv for a bosc, need a 120f basking. And the face of the bulb will be about 1ft and a few inches from the basking slate.
> Also my local B&Q and home sell 60w par38's for £6 odd...


120-135/140 is fine for a bosc, :2thumb:


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## monitor mad (Jun 16, 2008)

xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> Its for a 5x2x2 viv for a bosc, need a 120f basking. And the face of the bulb will be about 1ft and a few inches from the basking slate.
> Also my local B&Q and home sell 60w par38's for £6 odd...


Apart from the wattage the distance from your basking area should give you the temps your after :2thumb:


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## daz30347 (Aug 30, 2007)

monitor mad said:


> Apart from the wattage the distance from your basking area should give you the temps your after :2thumb:


Yep, i usually get a BIG bulb, then adjust it from the basking spot, rather then get a bulb which can just about give off the temps needed, that way i don't have to worry about it being too close :2thumb:


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## ShaneLuvsMonitors (Sep 27, 2008)

also if you slope the basking spot you can give them a range of temps steves basking spot slopes slightly from 150f to 125f... he tens to stay around the 150f spot... not surprised really he proberly needs the extra heat to eat me out of house and home :lol2:


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

So would a 60w par38 at 14" from basking give me a good basking for a bosc, 120f-135/140f? Or would I need a higher/lower wattage?


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## daz30347 (Aug 30, 2007)

xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> So would a 60w par38 at 14" from basking give me a good basking for a bosc, 120f-135/140f? Or would I need a higher/lower wattage?


their are too many variables for us to be able to accurately predict a temperature i'm afraid : victory:


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

im glad you actually started this topic as I was looking for something thats going to give me a better basking spot and is not such a high wattage.

Are u going to buy one and try it? I noticed they do a 80w and a 120w...im guessing the 120w would be ideal...

Are these generally sturdy and stick around awhile? I dont want another bulb exploding on me cos it hates the viv being misted!


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

anothernoob said:


> im glad you actually started this topic as I was looking for something thats going to give me a better basking spot and is not such a high wattage.
> 
> Are u going to buy one and try it? I noticed they do a 80w and a 120w...im guessing the 120w would be ideal...
> 
> Are these generally sturdy and stick around awhile? I dont want another bulb exploding on me cos it hates the viv being misted!


They are a spot light type bulb that is commonly used in shower rooms and bathrooms so moisture isn't too much of a big deal.


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

anothernoob said:


> im glad you actually started this topic as I was looking for something thats going to give me a better basking spot and is not such a high wattage.
> 
> Are u going to buy one and try it? I noticed they do a 80w and a 120w...im guessing the 120w would be ideal...
> 
> Are these generally sturdy and stick around awhile? I dont want another bulb exploding on me cos it hates the viv being misted!


i think im going to get a par 38 today and try it out


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

Whosthedaddy said:


> They are a spot light type bulb that is commonly used in shower rooms and bathrooms so moisture isn't too much of a big deal.


Ohh is that so...I guess thats just poifect then :2thumb: provided it can hit some nice temps!




xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> i think im going to get a par 38 today and try it out


I think you should do just that then tell me whether I should save my money or not :lol2:


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

I got my par38, GREAT pie of kit!! Deffo worth the 6quid! Keeps my bosc basking at a steady 120.3f!! Perfect, wish I got one sooner!


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> I got my par38, GREAT pie of kit!! Deffo worth the 6quid! Keeps my bosc basking at a steady 120.3f!! Perfect, wish I got one sooner!


Yeah? :gasp: I think I will have to give this a go! :notworthy: Im alittle fed up of exo 150w spots as the bump up the ambients too much!

What were u using before?


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

Yeah  the one I have is only 80w and heats up to 120.3f from about a foot and a bit away


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

80w?! Thats pretty impressive! I was thinking you were on the 120w! This I will deffo try!! Ill nip up tomorrow and get one! Im about 12" from the basking spot so hopefully should be perfect! What a great saving on the old leccy bill if it does work!


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

oh and thanks for reporting back  :no1:


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

anothernoob said:


> oh and thanks for reporting back  :no1:


no problem, it is a big bulb mind so i have my angled at the baskingspot rather then pointing straight down, so i also get a gradient on the basking spot too


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

thats an interesting idea....Although I have a nice big slab in my viv so the outskirts is usually abit cooler...speaking of which...does it give off a wide basking spot? or is it sort of like the tight beam bulbs? Sorry for all the questions I just need to make sure it fits my purpose.


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

If you have it directly above your slab it would be a tight beam, but you could angle it and make it a more flood type beam


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

well thats perfect!  I just done some googling and forgot to check one other place and came across this

PAR 38 80W ES - Halogen Bulbs - Light Bulbs -Decorating & Interiors - Wickes

looks like a clear bulb compared to the bnq one but this may not be the case...

Ill go to wickes and get one of these and report back on it so atleast we know what both places has to offer! They only an 80w bulb so ill let you know what figures I get with it.


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

Sounds like a plan


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> Sounds like a plan


Hello mate! 

As promised I went down to wickes and got me a par38! :2thumb:

Turned out to be a philips brand which is great! You werent kidding about them being big bulbs lol its huge compared to a regular spot! 

But despite this it did give off a nice tight beam like you said! Although the pics on the site are deceiving its the same design on the bulb as it is on the ones b&q sell! 

Basking spots...got my basking spot up to 140f within minutes :lol2: had to turn the dimmerstat down as I was use to having it slighly higher cos of the ET sun glo's! 

Anyways all in all a fantastic bulb and wish I came across this soon :notworthy:

Also weather and waterproof so I think this makes for an ideal bulb for our use!!! :no1:

Thanks for your help! Hopefully others will also read this thread and benefit from it aswell! : victory:


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

anothernoob said:


> Hello mate!
> 
> As promised I went down to wickes and got me a par38! :2thumb:
> 
> ...



yeah they are great, iv just noticed one slight problem though, it heats the basking spot to a toast 120f, but when i put my hand about 3" from the bulb, its moderately warm... and i can hold it there for ages, until it gets tired and not feel the same kind of heat id get out of mt 150w ceramic, also if i hold my hand about 3" above the basking spot, where my boscs back would be, it doesnt seem too hot either... is this just me reading into it too much???


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

xDEADFAMOUSx said:


> yeah they are great, iv just noticed one slight problem though, it heats the basking spot to a toast 120f, but when i put my hand about 3" from the bulb, its moderately warm... and i can hold it there for ages, until it gets tired and not feel the same kind of heat id get out of mt 150w ceramic, also if i hold my hand about 3" above the basking spot, where my boscs back would be, it doesnt seem too hot either... is this just me reading into it too much???


Well the difference (in my opinion)...and the experts can correct...is that a ceramic bulb only heats up the air around it and not actually the basking spot especially compared to a spot bulb or a floodlight which would use light and physically heat the actual surface as compared to the air aswell...for me this means a sweet basking spot without the bulb giving off any excess heat that would bump up the ambients too much....in a bigger viv this makes no difference really.

physically touch your basking spot and does it feel hot? I could almost cook eggs over mine :lol2:

I think when some of the guys on here talk about basking spots im pretty sure they mean the actual surface and hence why they so particular about using an infrared temp gun? I could be wrong here too :lol2:

my spot right now is 52c and ive had to lower the slab to the ground to get it more reasonable otherwise it was 60c+ :gasp:


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## xDEADFAMOUSx (Jul 15, 2011)

yeah, but isnt a hot basking spot then like a heat rock, as "lizards cant feel heat from below"?


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

Yeah I see your point...

And I know what u mean even when i put my hand below the lamp it doesnt seem that hot but its obviously heating the spot so its doing its job I suppose?

Maybe we should refer the question about basking spots on the monitor thread and see their input? Would clear it up for us so we know where we stand.


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