Tanning Bulb Information
Tanning bulb manufacturers utilize their own set of nomenclature to indicate the features and specifications of their bulbs. When you are looking to replace bulbs in your own home tanning bed, or are looking to understand your tanning salons' beds better, it is helpful to know what the long string of letters and numbers printed on the bulbs mean. Does this Spark an idea?
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Lamp model numbers.
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Tanning bulbs often are marked with a long string of numbers and text that, when decoded, offer information about the bulb. Here is an example model number: FR59HO
The first two letters refer to the fact that the lamp is a florescent bulb (the F) and the R indicates that the bulb has a built-in reflector. Bulbs without a reflector will not have the R.
The next two numbers are the length category of the bulb. Thus, the example bulb is approximately 59 inches long.
The HO stands for "high output," which indicates that the lamp operates at 100 watts. The alternative to this is VHO or "very high output" which typically indicates an operating wattage between 140 and 200.
Common bulb types.
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Bronzer bulb: a bulb that produces lower levels of UV-B radiation thus takes longer to produce a tan; however, it produces a darker, longer-lasting tan in the process.
Hot bulb: a bulb that produces higher levels of UV-B radiation; typically above 5 percent. These bulbs produce faster results at the expense of tan quality.
Plus bulb: a bulb that is halfway between bronzing and hot bulbs.
Two-color bulb: a bulb that produces higher levels of UV-B radiation at one end. These are used to create darker tan regions, such as on the face, mimicking a more natural tan distribution.
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UV-Percentage Rating
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Tanning bulbs use a percentage number to indicate the amount of each type of UV radiation produced. This single number is an indicator of how much UV-B radiation is produced. From this single number you can then infer the amount of UV-A radiation produced. So for a 5-percent lamp you can deduce that the lamp produces 5 percent UV-B radiation and 95 percent UV-A radiation.
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References
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