ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Floods and electrical storms can wreak havoc on your equipment. One strike of lightning or an intense power surge and your tanning beds could be down for days, if not permanently. The good news is you can protect yourself.

What To Do

During storm season or on days when forecasters are calling for heavy rains and lightning, shut down your equipment at night by flipping the breaker or killing power at your disconnect switch, if you have one. Not only will this protect you from electrical spikes, it will reduce the risk of electrocution in the event of flooding.

Remember, each bed uses 220v of power and electrical current can travel through water – meaning standing water after a leak or flood can be extremely dangerous.

Today’s post is all about the three most useful and handy tips that every T-Max owner should have. If I had my way, these nuggets of advice would be stamped on the front cover of the owner’s manual or at least stapled to every bill of sale. Here goes:

Keep Your Bypass Plugs Handy

Instead of storing your bypass plug in a hard-to-find place, keep it taped to the back of the tanning bed or to the top of the ballast tray. If something goes wrong with a T-Max system or a tanning bed, the Bypass Plug is the first thing you’ll need to troubleshoot the unit, so keep it close and handy.

Save Time with “999”

Instead of turning the unit off and on again every time you need to rescan the T-Max system (after re-addressing beds or working on the system), you can simply input “999” and hit enter. This code tells the T-Max unit to rescan the beds without having to restart the system.

Eventually, you’ll need to replace the bulbs in your face tanner lamps. In order to make the switch properly and protect your investment, keep reading for some crucial tips.

Wear Gloves

The oil on your fingertips can easily transfer to the delicate lamp bulbs. This creates what’s called a “hotspot” which can then overheat and cause the bulb to either burst or burn out much faster. The slightest touch can cause a bulb to burn out faster and this will cost you money.

Wearing rubber or cotton gloves will protect the bulb, but avoid using any gloves that may have other cleaning products or oils on them. For added protection, keep a clean cloth on hand to wipe down each bulb after you put it in.

When something goes wrong with one of your tanning beds or your T-max timer, you typically call the technical support number. Once you’re on the phone they start asking you questions about the bed, or asking you to open up compartments or even disconnect the unit from the T-max chain.

So, what happens if you don’t have the tools, knowledge or trained staff to do that?

Instead of waiting for an emergency to happen, keep your tech support calls simple and effective by making your own SOS Service Kit and keeping it on hand. Here’s a packing list of essentials:

Keeping your tanning beds clean is about more than adhering to health codes - it’s about impressing your clients with an environment that’s welcoming, upholding quality standards and keeping your equipment running at full efficiency. And cleaning your beds goes beyond a simple acrylic wipe-down after every use. For the sake of your beds and your business, you have to maintain regular monthly cleanings (or more if you have high-traffic beds).

So, commit to giving your beds a thorough cleaning, from top to bottom, at least once a month. Here’s how: