I did some searching on the internet today and wow, did I find a bunch of misinformation about buckboost transformers. The reality is, they are extremely simple yet the majority of people who actually SELL them still don’t understand them. Ok people, lets get the facts straight about what a buckboost transformer is and is not.

1. A buckboost transformer (also spelled “buck boost” or “buck/boost”) is a transformer, that is all. It is NOT a voltage regulator. It is not a conditioner. It is not a way to compensate for voltage flux, spikes or variations. It simply takes voltage and changes it to another voltage, and nothing else. If the incoming voltage increases by 5%, then the output voltage will increase by 5% as well. It is a fixed transformer.

2. Buckboost transformers are designed for single locations only. This means if you move, you might not be able to use it at your new location. They are not “one size fits all”. If the power at the new location is the same as the old location (+/- 3 to 5 volts) then it is usually ok to use the same buckboost transformer. Otherwise, it won’t work.

3. The reason you use a buckboost transformer is simply to get the power coming into your home or business within the tolorances of the tanning bed. The reason that you need one is two fold: Most businesses have 208V service while most homes have 240V service. Most tanning bed ballasts are made in Europe where 220V-230V is the norm. 120V beds never need buckboost transformers.

4. Although many transformers are rated as “+16 volts” or “-8 volts”, they really don’t work that way. They work by raising or lowering the incoming voltage by a fixed percent. Rating them by the rise or drop in voltage is just an easy way to tell you the average amount of voltage drop/rise you can expect. The image below shows how it works.

So it is called a “+16 volt” transformer because the average rise if used on a typical 208V circuit is 16 volts. Keep in mind, your voltage is not the same when the bed is on and when off. When you start the bed, you can expect to see 2V to 3V drop in the incoming voltage. This is called the “loaded voltage” for the bed. To tell what kind of buckboost transformer you need, you should measure the voltage using a digital volt meter, then subtract 3 volts, and use this as a guide. Here is a basic table to help you figure what kind of transformer you need.

It is always best to have someone familiar with electricity (and using a digital meter) to measure your voltage before selecting a buckboost transformer.

There are two basic kinds of buckboost transformers you can buy, fixed ratio and variable. The fixed type are the easiest and thus the best choice for most people. The variable type do not have a cord, a plug and must be manually wired. This requires an electrician (usually) to tie off about 4 wires inside the unit, and hardwire the buckboost transformer to the power and the bed. These are usually reserved for larger beds that need 40 amps or more of incoming power. These types are usually not rated as “20 amp +16V” and are instead rated at kVa and the amount of potential step up and down.

Finally, not all beds need buckboost transformers. Beds that use European choke style ballasts often do, but beds that have a 4 wire 240V hookup actually use 120V electronics, and using the 240V incoming power to simply split off two 120V circuits (this is why they need the 4th wire, a Neutral). This includes magnetic, electronic (most) and other solid state ballasts. Ask your vendor before assuming, and if all else fails, drop me an email if you have more questions.

Just received a call today from a woman who has called several tanning bed distributors looking for a replacement timer for her tanning bed, but no one can help her. The bed is a SunCraze, and the distributor is out of business. Since they were only in business in a couple of years, I am not familiar with them, or know which parts will or won’t work. The main problem is that the timer is a digital setup, NOT an analog windknob style. You can only use the original part to make it work, or modify the bed to use a analog timer. I will try to outline the basics of how to do this here.

WARNING: You need to know what you are doing when it comes to electricity or you can get electrocuted, resulting in injury or death. Get an electrician to do this! This conversion is simple in theory, but not so simple in practice unless the electrician is familiar with ELECTRONICS as well as electricity.

Keep in mind, a tanning bed is just a fancy light fixture. To turn it on, you are just supplying electricity to the ballasts, and disconnecting them to turn it off. The timer is just a device to turn it on, wait a while, then turn it off. On small home beds, this is as simple as TWO WIRES. When they are connected, the bed is on, when disconnected, the bed is off. The timer is just a switch to connect and disconnect them.

If your digital timer connects to a relay/contactor that uses a 120VAC coil, then retrofitting is super easy. If it has a 24VDC coil, it is still fairly easy, but requires a 120VAC to 24VDC converter (a transformer and bridge rectifier combination, just like the “wall wart” transformers that most electronics use). It may be easier to just replace the relay with one that uses a 120V coil.

You would use a MECHANICAL timer, not electricial. This is what we call a “clicker” timer, and just uses two posts. It simply connects and disconnects the two posts to turn the bed on and off. Deihl is a good example, and they run around $25 plus shipping. If you need to swap out the relay, I suggest the one they use on SunMaster beds. They are sealed, easy to connect, inexpensive, handle 25 amps and are extremely reliable. You can get all these parts at 1-800-274-1744. (This is where I work, and I normally don’t like to plug us, but in this case, we really are the best bet as most parts sellers will not help you make this conversion or sell these parts.)

We can NOT help you install these, all we can do is supply the parts and give you the basics on how this is done. (Liability issues…) The hardest part is usually punching a hole to mount the timer in, and firmly attaching the timer. If your bed already has a 120V coil relay, or you are going to run the whole load through the timer (16 lamp beds) then the retrofit will take about 1 to 3 hours, depending on the bed. If you have to add a new relay, then the time may be as much as 30 to 60 minutes longer. Your time will vary, as I can’t know every possible bed, the skill level of every electrician, and many other factors. It ain’t cheap, but it is cheaper than throwing a tanning bed away. Here is a support image to help your electrician:

To turn the bed on, ANY timer system can be retrofitted to an analog system. The goal is to simply connect the hot incoming wire to the coil (assuming it is a 120V coil). 24VAC coils may require transformer/rectifier or change out to a 120V relay. In this example, when A1 and L1 are connected, the bed comes on. When disconnected, the bed is off. Be sure to check voltage rating on the relay coil before assuming anything.

Now, with this basic information, and experienced technician should be able to convert your digital system to an analog system without too much trouble.

Johanna recently emailed me with a very good question. Here is the condensed version and answer:
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Dear TanningBeds.org,

I went in to use the ’superbed’ (more powerful bed of the 5 they have) and while I was in there for my designated 10 minutes started getting a really uncomfortable feeling. When I got out of the bed I checked and could see that there was a large crack in the surface of the acrylic sheet I was lying on. There were also sections underneath that had broken away.

Quite a few several inch long sections of these ’support beams’ had fallen through and were gone completely or cracked. I asked why the receptionist hadn’t made me aware the bed was damaged and was told that there was no danger or potential danger in using the bed. I was also told that the owner hadn’t been planning on replacing the acrylic any time soon but they were sure he could have a new acrylic installed within a few weeks – something that also concerned me.

Can you tell me: Should the bed have been used with that extent of cracking happening to it, both on the surface and underneath? How safe or, contrarily, dangerous was it to use at that time?
Johanna
(email address not shown here)
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Here is what I emailed back to her:

Dear Johanna,

Where the crack is is what is important, but if I am paying extra for a superbed/megabed/upgrade bed, I think I would expect it not to be a safety concern. In many states, it is actually illegal to allow customers to use a bed with a cracked acrylic.

I would recommend just using a different bed, and if they won’t repair defective equipment, then switching to a different salon once the minutes are used up. Two weeks, unfortunately, is typical to get acrylics sometimes, and big beds don’t use the same acrylics in the top and bottom like home systems.

Personally, I think the salon owner shouldn’t let people use the bed if it is as bad as you describe. You probably can’t get your money back from this salon and there is likely no legal recourse since there was no damages (I am not a lawyer), but I wouldn’t keep giving a salon money if they won’t fix potential safety issues.

Best advise: Talk to the owner, politely and calmly ask about the problem. If they don’t seem concerned, go some place else. It’s your money, vote with your dollars.

A new acrylic can run you $250 or more by the time you add shipping, so I can see why someone would want to repair an acrylic if it is possible. I am not aware of anyway to seal a crack in an acrylic, but under many circumstances, you can stop a crack before it becomes a problem, as long as it is not in a place that poses a safety issue.

Most home tanning beds use the same acrylic in the bench and in the canopy of the tanning bed, and most of the cracks that happen to acrylics, do so to the bench since it takes all the stress. Often, you can just swap out the canopy and bench acrylics and just live with the crack in the acrylic. What you must avoid is lying on a tanning bed that has a crack in the bench: I have heard of a couple of cases of people actually getting pinched bad enough to need stitches due to a crack in the bench, so the risk isn’t worth it.

If you can put the cracked acrylic in the canopy and you want to prevent it from cracking any more, there is one trick I learned (of all sources) from guys who play drums in local bands. They sometimes get cracks in cymbals, which are very expensive, and they drill holes just passed both ends of the cracks to keep the crack from growing. This can be done, usually, with an acrylic in the canopy if you are very careful and take a few preventative steps.

Be forewarned: Drilling your acrylic to prevent a crack from growing can cause your acrylic to split and make the problem much worse! Even if you do everything right, there is no guarantee that you will not ruin the acrylic. If you do want to repair one, and you have the patience to do the job right, and the willingness to take a risk that you might make the crack worse, then it isn’t an overly difficult job. Before you run off and grab the drill, you want to read ALL this article, to prevent problems.

You should only try to use this method to fix short cracks, no longer than a foot and preferably shorter. You will need a drill, a new / sharp drill bit in 1/8th to 1/4th inch size, a block of scrap wood like a short 2 by 4. You will need to remove the acrylic that needs to be repaired and it MUST be secured down so it can NOT vibrate while you try to drill. If it can vibrate, it WILL crack more. This is the key.

Once you are done, you can GENTLY re-install the acrylic in the canopy and use the bed. You still have to be careful not to push the acrylic where the crack is, but it should save you the expense of a new acrylic for a few years.