ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Mercury Vapor bulbs

Was this in the United States? I have never encountered 600V lighting. I have seen 480V lighting many times but never 600V. 480V outdoor lighting is very common here for HID high intensity applications. As high as copper is now I think you will be seeing it even more.
Thanks,
Ty

Sorry, I just read your profile......Canada Eh? That's where the 600V must have come from.


[This message has been edited by Old Town (edited 01-18-2006).]

CTWireman,
Peter,
Why is it that a lot of local authorities are stipulating Metal-Halide over HPS or any other such slack lighting source.
Metal Halide is good because MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident) incidents are less under MH than HPS or any sub-servient lighting source.
Scotty (lines Apprentice) and I changed out half of the lights in town here.
Took us 3 weeks, but the people like the colour change and the extra light.

Very true, we install hundreds of them in parking lots, heck we would use 600 volt if that was available.

The high voltage keeps the costs of the raceways and conductors under control.

However as mxslick mentioned the input voltage is not the voltage at the socket.

Most newer ballasts have the socket voltage marked on them and it is a range.

It will say "OC voltage xxx"

For example a 400 MH ballast if I remember correctly has a open circuit voltage around 280 volts.

But to answer the opening question in general no you may not interchange lamps without changing the ballast.

There are a few lamps that interchange but look at the ballast and it will tell you what are the approved lamps.

I always order HID lamps and ballasts by the ANSI number.

I'll just be changing the bulbs, not transformers too, and will definitely stick with 400 watt.
MH, MV, & HPS should be interchangable as long as the wattage and voltages are correct, right? Just different light?

Nope! Each type of lamp requires a ballast designed for it. When you relamp a fixture you have to observe the correct wattage as well as the type of lamp.

-Hal

Even though the bulb socket and wattage might be the same, the different types of bulbs have greatly different operating voltages a,d different ignition requirements. They're not at all like your usual light bulb.

Old Town: Ya eh, its a Canadian thing being 600V BUT thats very RARE now.. "347" is a common voltage for lighting supplied off a 600V supply ( Phase to neutral voltage)

Hbiss & Renosteinke:
Metal Halide ballasts are able to operate a mercury bulb of equal wattage, BUT not the other way around.. The O.C.V of metal halide is greater than mercury but operating characteristics are almost identical, very often ballasts are rated say " M59 OR H33" for example for a 400W lamp ( I think those are the correct ANSI numbers????

" Metal halide PULSE START" are a world of their own as well as HPS.. No means interchangeable with anything else..
A.D

[This message has been edited by Rewired (edited 01-20-2006).]

I don't know, but I know that's not the case in the United States. The vast majority of public roadway lighting is HPS here, with a lot of Mercury Vapor still in use.

The standard probe start metal halide lamp has a life of 10,000 to 15,000 hours. HPS is well over 24,000 with better lumen maintenance.

Futhermore, with the extremely high cost of maintaining thousands of street lights, the long life, high lumens-per-watt and passive failure mode of HPS give it clear advantages over MH.

Peter

Trumpy, I cannot speak for anyone who specifies roadside lighting- but, personally, I simply can't abide the color of HPS lighting.

Much of the "increased lumen" output seems lost to my eyes, as color perception goes to pot. This is an even greater problem where HPS is used in a warehouse- where I have difficulty focusing and reading pallet markings under HPS light.

When HPS was adopted here, it was invariably installed in direct opposition to the howls of outrage from the populace. Specifiers loved it, however, because of the percieved economic benefits. Today, with MH, that argument just doesn't hunt anymore. MH gives the economics of HPS with a more natural color.

Another advantage of HPS street lighting is the reduction in light pollution.

So IMO HPS outdoors, MH indoors.

[This message has been edited by JBD (edited 01-21-2006).]