For some time now, I have had shop lite fixtures with those Sunshine-Stix,
4' tubes, hanging over my ferret cages - and on a timer.  Last week, both
lights in one fixture burned out - not on the same day.
 
Today, went and bought replacement tubes - installed them - and still no
lights.  When I bought the tubes, also had bought a new fixture to hang
over my workbench - so took down the fixture over my Slink and Squirm's
cage and replaced with the new fixture.  Put the tubes in ... cool - they
both came on.  Was standing back admiring my handiwork - and I would say
after about 3-5 minutes or so, one of the tubes in this new fixture
exploded - with a very large bang - and glass shooting everywhere.
 
Fortunately Slink and Squirm were both in one of those square enclosed
hammocks - the one with two holes on each side.  I grabbed them as quickly
as I could and put them in another room.  Then noticed that glass had shot
into the other two ferret cages as well - and all over the room ... in all
the food dishes - litter boxes ... just everywhere.  It has taken me nearly
5 hours to deal with all of this glass, and I'm still fearful I have missed
a piece somewhere ... though emptied all food dishes, water dishes, litter
boxes, well ... completely vacuumed and scrubbed down all the cages and
vacumed their room, and vacumed and vacumed and vacumed.  Some of this
glass was even out in the hallway - some distance away.  Kinda scary ...
 
So down came the standard shop lites - and will do without lighting
until I can find some that hang and also have a covering around the
tubes themselves.  I just couldn't believe the power in which this tube
exploded ... and I feel very fortunate that I was home when it happened,
and even more fortunate that myself and kids were not hit with any of the
glass.
 
Just a heads up here ... have had fluorescent type lighting in several
places in my home for a very long time, and have never had this kind of
thing happen.  I don't know if this problem was the fixture, or the tube ...
really doesn't matter to me which it was - will now use fixtures that have
a protective guard between the lights and my kids - and their room!
 
Carol
[Posted in FML issue 2911]