If you have invested in a home sunbed or own a salon and want to save some money on labor, knowing how to change tanning bed bulbs is an essential part of maintenance.
When it comes to how to change tanning bed bulbs it’s a simple process of unplugging, removing the acrylic shield, replacing the bulbs, and replacing the shield. It will seem daunting the first time but will become second nature after a few goes.
Let’s break down these steps and look at what to do at each stage in more detail.
The following step-by-step guide on how to replace tanning bed bulbs can be used for most popular sunbed models, including Wolff tanning beds and their top seller, the SunQuest Pro 16se.
The first step is to unplug your tanning bed. Just like when changing a normal light bulb, it is essential to remove the electricity current, to avoid electric shocks. Before you do anything, turn off and unplug your tanning bed. Safety first!
Secondly bulbs in sunbeds are protected by a plastic or acrylic shield. You need to remove these in order to access the bulbs to change them. But how do you remove acrylic from a tanning bed?
There should be a safety clamp somewhere that will release the shields. Do not try to force them off as this can break them. If you can’t see a safety clamp, take a look in the user manual of your sunbed and it should be easy enough to identify.
Release the safety clamp and gently pull the shield away from the bulbs. Make sure to make a note of which way up the shield is attached or leave it in the same position near the sunbed whilst you change the bulbs. It will need to go back on the same way that it came off.
During this step is important to be gentle because tanning bed bulbs are incredibly delicate and will smash if handled with force.
Turn the bulbs slightly to release them and they should lift out easily. Again, it is a good idea to lay the bulbs on the floor in the order you remove them, so you have a guideline for putting in the new ones.
To insert the new bulbs, gently slot the prongs into the socket and turn the bulbs in the opposite direction to secure.
There is often some writing on the bulbs to help you with directions – the writing should always be facing up, towards the acrylic shield that will be placed on top.
In the same order you removed the shields, and making sure they are facing the same direction, slot the shields back into the sunbed.
Make sure you remember to close the safety clamp again to hold them in place!
Now for the best part! Power up your sunbed and reward your hard work with a relaxing tanning session. The new bulbs should last 500 hours.
If the bulbs don’t light up, start the process again – unplug the sunbed, remove the acrylic shield, and check the bulbs. It is possible that they are not properly secured and if so the current may be disrupted.
If you can’t identify the problem and the bulbs seem to all be in place, it might be time to have someone come and look at the overall function of the sunbed. Perhaps it wasn’t the bulbs that needed changing after all, but rather, a fault in the system.
To find replacement bulbs for tanning beds, you can look online, or go to a retailer that stocks your model of sunbed.
It is important to make sure that the bulbs are compatible with your model. This should be listed clearly on the product description or packaging.
This bulb kit is compatible with the Wolff SunQuest Pro 16e.
Amazon carry bulbs that are compatible with Wolff, Solar Rayz and Sunfit beds.
Standard tanning bed bulbs run well for 500 hours. Tracking every tanning session might seem like a burden but is a sure-fire way to know when to change the bulbs.
To take an average, if you use your sunbed for 10 minutes at a time twice a week, you will need to change the bulbs roughly every six months.
If you can’t keep track of the amount of time the bulbs have been used for, there are some signs to look out for in bulbs that need changing.
The first and most obvious is that the bulbs go out or appear dimmer or start to flicker.
However, tanning bed bulbs can still light up without producing the same potency of UV light. A bulb might stay lit for 1000 hours, but the quality of light reduces after 500. So, keeping a track of the time is the best solution for staying on top of your changing routine.
Sometimes red phosphor is added to tanning bed bulbs to give them a pink glow when switched on. This is for cosmetic reasons, as warm pink light can feel more relaxing than the natural blue/white light of tanning bed bulbs.
