Glass in MH bulb

[reefman]

any1 know if this is normal? i just brought a new XM SE bulb n it has a few small pieces of glass inside the bulb.

 

[zahner]

i don't think there should be bits of glass in there. something inside may have cracked. i wouldn't fire it and would return it

 

[pecan2phat]

I've seen little pieces of either mercury or solder inside the bulbs but never glass shards.

 

[meschaefer]

I've seen little pieces of either mercury or solder inside the bulbs but never glass shards.

the mercury is normal, and is actually important to the bulb.

i have never seen glass peices in the bulb, but I would fire it up and see what happens.

 

[Tim]

I`ve had this in my bulbs and it has never affected their performance....

 

[Pseudo]

I would send it back and not fire it up.

Kasei

 

[zahner]

it's damaged merchandise. better safe than sorry, you don't want your next thread to be "look what happened to my hood after MH bulb failed catastrophically"

 

[DonCisco]

Don't fire them up, in the manufacturing process, a UV glass shield is normally placed around the plasma chamber. But there should not be any shards rolling around. That definitely qualifies as manufacturing issue.
MH burn at such a high temperature that I would NOT play with them.
In order to create such an intense light, a metal/gas mixture is superheated to the point of becoming a plasma (over 5000 degrees F), if that ruptures it is not a nice sight. Just imagine a few ounces of plasma flying around...
So, err on the side of caution, and return it for an undamaged one.

 

[Deanos]

Hamilton Technology Corporation

Excerpt: Check bulb for internal damage, a small amount of broken glass is normal inside the outer glass.

 

[cali_reef]

I have seen and used a XM bulb with similar small pieces of glass, it didn't affect the light bulb's performance or life.