Q: When installing new lamps, should we wipe them with plain water or polish and buff them with a soft cloth? Or, do they come with a protective coating that may be reduced by using a wet solution and should possibly just be buffed before installation?
A: New fluorescent
lamps are lightly coated with silicone before final packing at the manufacturing
plant. This is to improve reliable starting in difficult circumstances that
are not present in a tanning bed or booth. The silicone coating is not visible
alone. It is not necessary to clean new lamps before installing them unless
they are somehow in need of it due to small amounts of dust or phosphors
(harmless) picked up during manufacture.
Cleaning with a damp cloth is all you should need to do. I say “damp” instead
of “wet” because a wet cloth will leave water spots that may attract dust
deposits or appear as a blemish when dry. If you get the lamp wet, dry it
with cloth or a paper towel. Low-pressure sunlamps are easy to clean, but
be careful to avoid bumping them on anything hard enough to cause a crack
or break during the wipe-down.
Q: How often should I change my acrylic shields?
A: Acrylic
shields should be replaced according to manufacturer guidelines. Many salon
operators retain acrylics past their useful life because they “look okay”.
It is difficult to visually observe acrylic deterioration – a handheld UVB
meter, however, will aid in this determination. Measure UVB output with,
then without the acrylic in place from the same place and distance; divide
the “with” results by the “without” results to get the percentage of degradation
in the acrylic’s transmissivity (8/9 = .888, or 89%). Even new, an acrylic
will seldom allow for 100 percent UV transmission.
Acrylics that show stress lines, cracks, and/or discoloration (yellowing)
may block as much as 30-50 percent of UV light transmission, resulting in
complaints from your tanners, or worse, they take their business to the
competition.
Q: What other equipment maintenance should I perform regularly?
A: Keep lamps, reflectors
and acrylics clean. Not only does this aid in removing heat from the lamp
chamber, it will increase the output of your system even if the accumulated
dirt you remove is not visible. Replace glow-bottle starters at every other
lamp change, or at least every 1,500 hours of use – a bad starter can quickly
destroy a good lamp.
Check all your cooling fans to be sure they are clean and running properly,
and maintain proper tanning room temperatures with adequate air conditioning
and ventilation. Higher temperatures can shorten lamp life and affect equipment
performance.
Cheri Mullenix A veteran member of the Wolff
System Technology Corp. Sales & Marketing team, Cheri Mullenix also
trains hundreds of salon professionals on Wolff sunlamp products each year.