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I need a new E-14 fluorescent bulb of 9W for my aquarium since previous was 15W and got burned. People recommended to drill holes in aquarium's lid to allow convection but since former bulb was 15W, overheat probably caused it to burn.

Now i am considering if to buy bulb with 3-year warranty or without since the latter is cheaper. Do you think buying with 3-year warranty one would be better than without warranty for examining how it will work without drilling any holes first? The worst case is that bulb is burned and i got a replacement and know that i will need to drill holes for stable operation?

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What is the lamp life of the bulbs, how many cheaper lamps can you buy for the price of the more expensive bulb, how long do you run that lamp per day and does this total up for more than 3 years? Also have you ever heard of the brands? Warranties does not mean better, especially if they are fly by night brands. Remember watts is a also a measurement of heat and the 15 watt is 40% hotter than the 9 watt. – lqlarry Dec 7 '11 at 2:31

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If I'm understanding correctly, E14 is the bulb base size (14 millimeter, right?). That means that the bulb is about $10. Which means that the cost in your time and energy to make good on the warranty (not to mention storing and then finding the original receipt again) is probably more than just buying another bulb.

That's not to say that you shouldn't buy the more expensive bulb, if you think it's better made go for it, but I doubt that you'll ever make good on the warranty.

As to why they burn out: How long did the 15W last? And what is the hood rated for (they usually have a sticker inside somewhere that lists maximum bulb size)? I'd put the 9W in, run it for a few hours and see how hot it seems to be by touching the outside of the hood. If it's really hot, then drill it out for airflow, if it's not, then leave it.

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I don't see bulb's size but it is supposed to be 9W, 10,000K. Dealer replaced my burned 15W with 11W which is more than 9W by 2W. I have tested 11W and while plastic cover is warm, the bulb and ballast especially were hot when i touched them. I usually leave bulb switched for 5 hours and not everyday and even so, the 15W old bulb burned after 1 month. If only i knew maximum operating temperature of such bulbs... I could place digital thermometer which has silver capsule at its end into bulb's compartment and hence determine temperature. – sparkubullet Dec 24 '11 at 18:09

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