Is my uv bulb working or not?

[TamiW]

To fight a nasty dinoflagellate bloom, I just got a new uv bulb for my tetratech 5. I hooked everything back up, and thought it was working. A few days later, I didn't notice the tell tale glow around the outflow hosing, and was quite ****ed off because, well, I just got the damn bulb. I took it appart today, the bulb fire outside the case. Huh. So I put it all back together and I'm not seeing the glow.

Is that glow something you just see during the break in period when the light is new? Or is it not firing once I put it back together? How can I tell?

 

[WY_REEFER]

All the ones I have seen glow.
If you touch the bulb the oils on your hands can damage them.

 

[TamiW]

I made sure when i installed it I used a microfiber cloth to wipe it clean. But what explains it firing outside the case?

 

[WY_REEFER]

The only thing I can think of would be a bad electrical conection somewhere.
Did you check where the bulb plugs in? maybee on of the tabs needs tweeked.

 

[TamiW]

I checked it again at night with ALL the lights out. It does glow, but so dimly that at first I thought I wasn't actually seeing anything. Now, is this a sign that the bulb is bad? Or is it possibly emitting light in a range my eye can't really see?

 

[PowderBlue518]

Please don't be looking directly at a UV light! No Noo Nooo!..
I can tell that my UV bulb is on my a filtered plastic cap at end glows blue/purple.

 

[PowderBlue518]

By the filtered plastic cap at the end that glows blue/purple. Sorry its late-can't type.