3 replies to this topic

[ultrainfra]

I have these blacklight bulbs, BlueX UV Black CFL 24 watt is the particular kind. They're just your typical, spiral shaped, black bulbs that produce UV-A.

However, when using one of the bulbs in a lamp to take some UVIF photos of a cool rock, I noticed a particular scent. I'm not sure if it's ozone exactly. I've smelled ozone before, albeit many many years ago. It was more like the smell something really hot has, if that makes sense. Am I likely just smelling dust being heated up by the bulb, or is it possible for a blacklight to leak UV-C to produce ozone?

I hope this isn't a dumb question, as I realize it's probably very unlikely to be the case. Nevertheless, wanted to know if anyone has had a similar experience and knows the cause just to put my mind at ease that I wasn't blasting my face with UV-C.

And yes, I was wearing sunglasses for eye protection at least :)

[colinbm]

Is there a simple way to detect Ozone ?

[Cadmium]

If it is new, if they are both new, and only one smells, and it isn't much trouble to take it back and exchange it for another one, then I would do that.
You are not smelling ozone, you are smelling an electrical smell or a burning smell, not a good sign.
Get another bulb. They are not suppose to smell.

[dabateman]

You might have a short inside the ballast of the bulb. If you can return it. If not don't use it. It could pop, bursting the Mercury bulb as the ballast fully shots out.
Older linear (long tube fluorescent lights) would burn at one end of the bulb or blacken when the ballast would start to fail. But the new self ballasted compact fluorescent bulbs can actually explode as they can't distribute the energy out fast enough.