Wattage
is primarily a measure of power consumption, not necessarily irradiance
(output). Wattage is also a measure of heat. One watt = 3.412 BTUs.
British Thermal Units are a heat value standard, and you see this term
commonly used in air conditioning. Total wattage of your equipment at
actual input voltage, including fans and other onboard electrical
devices, tells you the BTUs of air conditioning required to deal with
the heat load. This is something to keep in mind if you are ‘upgrading’
a few smaller beds to larger beds with more lamps/wattage/BTUs… your
HVAC guy should be consulted to be certain your air conditioning is
adequately sized.
In
our industry there is a move to higher wattage sunlamps versus the
standards of 100W and 160W. The standard sunlamp envelope is
F71/T12/Bi-Pin. In its 100W iteration, the internal environment of the
lamp is tough; at 160W it is almost hostile. Increasing wattage further
magnifies this effect, thus the shorter service life to be expected
with increasing wattage due to amplified phosphor degradation and, to
some extent, physical wear & tear. Increasing wattage will increase
output of the lamps, but not in a linear sense. Increasing wattage (and
heat) past optimal lamp design by 10% yields about 5% greater
irradiance and 10% higher power use. Keep in mind that in each of these
scenarios, the lamp is the same size, you’re just demanding more out of
it.
So
the answer to the question is: All other things equal, increasing
fluorescent sunlamp wattage results in increased output and power
consumption. That is not to say that it is wise to put 100W lamps in
160W equipment… cathode and mount designs are very different for these
two lamp styles, and this kind of misapplication will certainly
disappoint you. Whether a sunlamp is a reflector or full-coat, the
wattage does not change due to the reflector… radiant heat is directed
differently by reflector lamps, but there is not more of it.
Since
tanning equipment of any size (or wattage, or UV source) can only
deliver a maximum session equaling a dose of 4 MEDs, there are reasons
for higher wattage:
- For
aesthetic reasons, greater lamp irradiance allows for longer exposure
distances so the unit can look the way the designer wants (or just be
bigger)
- Economically
speaking, greater irradiance allows for shorter maximum session times
in like-sized equipment, thus higher tanner throughput and revenue at
the salon
- Also,
in same size equipment with the longer exposure time, higher
wattage/output lamps allows fewer lamps and other components, resulting
in lower manufacturing costs and a lower sales price for the equipment.
If you have questions, please send an email to
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or call us at 800-959-6533.
