Delta Kits UV Light

[HBCC]

Hi guys,
I bought one of these.

http://www.deltakits.com/shopping/ultra ... watt-40-13

It comes with a sheet of paper with operation / maintenance and limited warranty written on it.

I used it 4 times in my car which has a 12v battery with no problems. On the 5th time It made a loud popping sound and smoke came out of it. I turned it off immediately and inspected it and no damage was visible. I called the Deltakits supplier where I purchased this from and was told not to put it into a car cigarette lighter, it needs to go into a 12v rated battery pack as a car does not have a fuse between the battery and lighter port and the light can blow due to fluctuations in the batteries charge. For an unknown reason the light still works and the supplier has agreed to fix it.

In the operation section of the manual that comes with the light it states:
Plug the light into any standard cigar style 12 volt receptacle.

I have ordered a second light and had it delivered while I send the popped one back for repairs and have bought an extension cable with a 12v fuse to prevent this happening again and if the light fails I have a replacement to continue working.

Both of the lights tinkle when I shake them like something is floating around inside both of them, anyone elses light do this or should I contact my supplier ?
Also, should my original light be covered under warranty seeing as the instructions indicate using a lighter style 12 volt receptacle is perfectly fine ?

It took a little convincing on my part for the supplier to have a look and have my light repaired. Im hoping he actually does have it looked at and does not just turn it on, see it lights up and sends it back

[t4k]

Sorry to hear about the issue with the UV light. The UV light is designed to operate from a 12 volt power source so you should be able to plug the light into any standard cigar lighter style 12 volt receptacle.

The UV light is guaranteed to be free from all defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase.

I know you didn't purchase the light directly from us but we stand behind all of our products. I emailed you a couple of options to get you back on the right track.

[HBCC]

Thanks Korey,
My supplier seems happy to help me solve this issue now that we have spoken at length.

[Dr.Chipster]

Hi guys,
I bought one of these.

http://www.deltakits.com/shopping/ultra ... watt-40-13

It comes with a sheet of paper with operation / maintenance and limited warranty written on it.

I used it 4 times in my car which has a 12v battery with no problems. On the 5th time It made a loud popping sound and smoke came out of it. I turned it off immediately and inspected it and no damage was visible. I called the Deltakits supplier where I purchased this from and was told not to put it into a car cigarette lighter, it needs to go into a 12v rated battery pack as a car does not have a fuse between the battery and lighter port and the light can blow due to fluctuations in the batteries charge. For an unknown reason the light still works and the supplier has agreed to fix it.

In the operation section of the manual that comes with the light it states:
Plug the light into any standard cigar style 12 volt receptacle.

I have ordered a second light and had it delivered while I send the popped one back for repairs and have bought an extension cable with a 12v fuse to prevent this happening again and if the light fails I have a replacement to continue working.

Both of the lights tinkle when I shake them like something is floating around inside both of them, anyone elses light do this or should I contact my supplier ?
Also, should my original light be covered under warranty seeing as the instructions indicate using a lighter style 12 volt receptacle is perfectly fine ?

It took a little convincing on my part for the supplier to have a look and have my light repaired. Im hoping he actually does have it looked at and does not just turn it on, see it lights up and sends it back

I had the very same thing happen to me the other day. The problem was at the connection where it plugs into the UV lamp. I am guessing that over time the wire had worn down and may have touched causing it to arch. The wire smoked and crackled at that connection and was hot to the touch. I thought it may have ruined the light but it didn't. I installed batteries and it works fine. I believe the 12 volt cord is just not durable enough. I was always careful to put it away properly. I may or may not order another power cord. On the bright side, I got to use it more than 5 times.

[MichaelSmedley]

Hi HBCC,

When we spoke about the UV Lamp and it failing, as you can appreciate we have to ask questions to clarify what you are using as a power source, as these Lamps are 12v ONLY.

During our conversation I was pointing out that not all sockets in vehicles are 12v and some may not be fused correctly, or at all. Many vehicles such as trucks have sockets that exceed this voltage. My suggestion to purchase a Delta Battery Pack, or like would be a safer, more reliable option. Just because the plug fits the hole, does not mean its 12v, although many are.

I don't remember having to be persuaded to fix the problem. After we spoke about what happened I agreed to fix this matter regardless and give the benefit of the doubt. I agreed we would repair the lamp.

After receiving the Lamp it appears it has blow a Capacitor. For the record this Capacitor is rated at 16v, however, it could be faulty, or the board may have other offending parts on it, who knows? With this in mind we sent a brand new Lamp as you will have already received last week. We did not want to risk the Lamp blowing again if it turned out it was a faulty product and we have kept the offending Lamp to test further. As Korey mentioned, Delta stands behind it's products.

I am not sure about the particles floating around in the UV Bulbs perhaps Korey could offer some technical information here. However, if it works then its likely there is no problem. I do know that light bulbs are sensitive and are not supposed to be shaken.

Thanks

Michael Smedley

[HBCC]

Hi Michael,
Don't get me wrong, your customer service in all matters I have had with you has been great and by saying "after some persuasion" I was trying to be nice instead of saying that at every single turn you were accusing me of using the unit incorrectly by placing it into a 12 volt lighter socket which it clearly explains on the operations manual is absolutely fine to do. Go ahead and read it for yourself, you should have one on hand.
It is not your fault that the manual states this at all and the blame lies solely on Delta Kits for not stating to use some form 12 volt fuse with their product to protect it from a 12 volt battery inside of a car.

I also if you have not realised I purchased another UV light from you a day or two after our conversation as a backup BECAUSE of your willingness to help me in this manner.
Keep up the good work, you have a repeat customer, just don't let a few words on a forum get your knickers in a knot.

Regards
Paul.

[Nomad]

A fully charged normal 12 volt battery will put out 12.8 volts. If it goes to 12.0 volts it is a dead battery, or nearly so. With the engine running and alternator charging the voltage will go up to 13.8 or so, sometimes 14.4 or more. I have seen them go to 15 volts when engine is running. It depends on how the voltage regulator is set, if it's working properly, how low the battery is before charging, and sometimes it can depend on what kind of batteries you have. In RVs you can have standard flooded batteries, absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries or gel batteries. Each one of these use different charging parameters and cut off points. I would say that if this light is sensitive to voltage variations that you do not run your engine with the light plugged into the socket.

I expect most portable power units put out 12.8 or so when fully charged too. I may be wrong on this but the ones that you can start a car with wouldn't start it with 12.0 volts.

[Brent Deines]

Thank you Nomad, you beat me to it. We have very few problems with this model and when we do 99% of the time it is from outside the USA. The same can be said for all of our 12V UV lights and moisture evaporators. I have not been able to determine why this is but I agree with HBCC that we should recommend using a fused adapter for all of our 12V products to protect the circuitry, especially when used outside the USA.

Not to make excuses but we have had so few complaints that it really hasn't been a priority. We will make it one now however! I apologize to both MichaelSmedley and HBCC for the inconvenience.

As for the rattling inside the bulb. Nearly all florescent lights will have a little rattle sound to them if you shake them. This can be a tiny bit of mercury, or solder, or flakes of phosphor coating. It does not effect the performance or longevity of the bulb.

[HBCC]

Thanks Michael, Nomad and Brent for your help and input

[EZglass]

HBCC

Wondering where did you get this extenuation with 12v fuse?