Anyone who has ever owned a lamp has faced this problem before. You're lying there, enjoying the heat and the light, when you hear a noise and suddenly, the light is dim! The bulb has gone out. The solution should be simple - all you need to do is replace the bulb and you can get back to your relaxing quality time with your lamp. But for tanning bulbs, it's somewhat more complicated. When something like this happens, the question is: how do you know which tanning bulbs you need, and where do you get it?

It is of course possible to go to the store, rattle off the name of the model and have them provide you with the appropriate tanning bulbs. But it is also possible to do it yourself.

The type of lamp is always important. Most of the time your lamp will be a 100 watt F71 type, with bi-pin connectors on both ends. When measured from cap to cap it is around 70 inches long. This is the most common replacement lamp and has many manufacturers and models to choose from. As long as they are 100 watt, your device should be back working again in no time. Simply drive to the nearest hardware store, buy the appropriate tanning bulbs and you're set. Not everyone has the lamp described above. Some have an F72 lamp instead, which has a regular connector at the end rather than two pins. The difference is easy to see.

Even if your lamp isn't broken, it's a good idea to change your starters once every two years. You'll know that it's time when your bulb begins to be sluggish while starting up. It might be an added cost, but keeping your starters working properly means you will pay much less for repair when they break and disrupt something else with them.

Bulb replacement is recommended when the output is 60% of the original value. This is around 800 hours of using. It is possible to keep using them until they are down to 30%, but this is not recommended as the quality of your tan will be affected.

If you're using the tanning bed in a salon and would like to accurately know when it is time to change the tanning bulbs, invest in an UV light meter. This device will measure lamp output and clearly show you when it is declining. Make sure to measure at least once when the bulbs are new so you can see the difference easily.