Had to change the lamp again, I wonder why every lamp I put in this goes bad after 10 months or even less sometimes? could it be the 45 degree angle it's burning in? This time I installed a clear lamp it doesn't look that bad.
Are you using recent GE lamps? In plain english they suck so that's the problem lol. The GE mercs made in the past few years have bad arc tubes seals from what I understand so they work for a little while and then quit. I don't think there's anything wrong with the fixture or ballast unless you had like a voltage spike or something but if you had a spike or dip powerful enough to destroy the lamp you'd know about it since all your fragile electronic devices would be fryed if they were plugged in at the time of the spike/dip.
Those McGraw-Edision/Handyman/Regent mercury vapor bucket light things had a 45 degree tilted lamps and some of those things are still running their original lamps nice and bright! Are you using a newer Fisher Pierce Sun-Tech PC on that NEMA head?
I confirm the bad seal problem! I've seen the moly seals fail on mercury lamps before, all of them were run at 45 degrees. Maybe that angle triggers an early failure with weak moly seals?
All my lamps are new older lamps the ones made in the USA. I don't want to risk putting a vintage lamp in and having it fail too. The last one I put in was from 1977 that came with the GE 101 hood unit nema light. No I'm actually using a nos Fisher Pierce from 1985 on the nema. Still nice and shiny. I do agree about the seals I believe that's whats happening. The lamp will be out for an hour after dusk one day and then completely out the next.
Hmm odd. Try a E17 medium base merc (you can get a Sylvania one from lowes for cheap if you don't have one) or a philips A-shaped lamp from HD. Maybe a different brand or type of 100W Mv lamps will make a difference. Couldn't hurt to try. If worse comes to worse you could try modifying the socket so that it's horizontal.
i asked about the PC because the light isn't on in the pic even though it looks pretty dark out. the new suntech/FP units are unrealistically sensitive like that lol.
I would try that but this is 175 watt, I don't know We'll see. or I could even try my 150 watt HPS conversion lamp in it LoL. Yea I know those new FPOLC / Sun-tech controls turn on before the light is even needed. The originals are always the best. When the FP control I have up there now comes on I can hear the contact click from my house which is about 100 feet away.
I think HPS would look cool too, It's unfortunate the retrofit lamps are so expensive though. As far as hearing the FP click on it does have to be reasonably quiet at the time.
No those FPolc PCs turn on way after it's needed! I'm ready to climb up the pole in front of my house and sharpie half the window on that FPolc PC so that it comes on at a reasonable time lol.
Ahh if it's 175, buy a sylvania lamp at Lowes. they're about $16 bucks or so and will last a good long time it seems. I don't think it's the angle though...
Yea you'r right my mistake it's been a while since I'v had one installed But that 1985 FP up now works like a charm. yea to be honest I'm not too worried about it right now it gives me something to do once in a while. Plus i don't have the money for it right now, it's reserved for something else.
3-way bulbs can only run base down. You could install one of those LOA Bulb Buster things that run right on the 175W ballast lol. If the lamps still don't last with a different brand, could the capacitor be going, or is this an HX ballast?
No cap. on this ballast and when I first started out I was burning a 3 way lamp base up.? This was when my dad was terrified of mercury vapor lamps and wouldn't let me have any.... Now I have too many. LoL.
They are...I've seen them in hardware stores and would've bought one to stick in my 175w yardblaster to ease the load on my off-grid power system but not for 27 bucks
LOL the Bulb buster thign was a joke. I wouldn't use that. I heard they fail the first night it's under freezing (so as soon as you put it out i guess lol)
Nah don't use stinky sodium vapor. Let's see how this MV lamp turns out i guess. Maybe you had just gotten dud lamps.
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I noticed there are quite a few listings on eBay for 1990s Sylvania lamps. These are usually not bad.
Those McGraw-Edision/Handyman/Regent mercury vapor bucket light things had a 45 degree tilted lamps and some of those things are still running their original lamps nice and bright! Are you using a newer Fisher Pierce Sun-Tech PC on that NEMA head?
i asked about the PC because the light isn't on in the pic even though it looks pretty dark out. the new suntech/FP units are unrealistically sensitive like that lol.
Ahh if it's 175, buy a sylvania lamp at Lowes. they're about $16 bucks or so and will last a good long time it seems. I don't think it's the angle though...
Nah don't use stinky sodium vapor.