High Pressure Sodium Lights

[Ezzie]

I put a 70W HPS fixture up on the front peak of the shop a couple of years ago (about 30' up). It is controlled by a photocell to give me dusk to dawn lighting. Has been working fine all along but in the past few weeks it has started going through an on/off cycle on its own about every 2-3 minutes. By this I mean it will fire up, go through the warm up cycle for a couple of minutes and then shut down. After it has cooled down, will refire and go through the same thing again. Very annoying.

Is this just a bad bulb? I want to be sure before I get the ladder out and risk limb and life getting up to it in the winter (snow, ice, yuk). Anybody know what causes this with HPS lights?

 

[walrus]

Bad bulb, they cycle when they go bad. Hoist up the ladder and be careful

 

[VDubJoe]

Yes the bulb is going bad. I work for the electric utility and its a never ending battle to keep the lights on.

Joe

 

[Ezzie]

Thanks guys - I suspected that's what it might be. Just wanted to be sure before I play monkey boy in the middle of winter! Maybe I'll see if I can round up a friend with a boom truck.

 

[BoydS]

Could be the lamp, but I suspect the ballast is the culprit. Are you sure the fixture is mounted 30' up...? That's awful high for a 70W HPS, but if you're ok with the light output at ground level then stay with that fixture type. If the fixture is really that high and you need a boom truck to access it, I would just replace the whole fixture and be done with it.. they are not that expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YPJRS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Aceman]

Could be the lamp, but I suspect the ballast is the culprit. Are you sure the fixture is mounted 30' up...? That's awful high for a 70W HPS, but if you're ok with the light output at ground level then stay with that fixture type. If the fixture is really that high and you need a boom truck to access it, I would just replace the whole fixture and be done with it.. they are not that expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YPJRS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I don't know why you think he has a bad ballast? When HPS lamps start cycling it's time to replace them. See for yourself, catalog page 30:

http://www.advancetransformer.com/uploads/resources/hid-troubleshooting-guide.pdf

 

[motofly196]

I know some others have given their answer...but I've been working on a city library replacing the same bulbs that you are...same set-up. We had a bad ballast in one of them. When the ballast goes bad on a High-pressure Sodium, you get nothing at the bulb. When the bulb starts to go bad, it will start to cycle on....flicker for a few minutes....then go out. It will do this intermittently. What I do is cover up the photo-eye with a piece of electrical tape (during the day), then wait for the bulb to warm up. I'm not sure if you've priced a HPS ballast yet...they are over $100. Get the bulb... Then go from there. We got the ballast on a city rate $30...I couldn't believe it! Shoulda' bought two!!

Scott

 

[79firebird]

looks like ballast as had that happen at my work to one out side at work 28 feet up 2 months ago. had a new bulb we tryed same thing. Just had to replace 3 ballasts on the one in the shop after 6 years. The ballast's are cheap my work just payed $78 each. Could also be the ignighter

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Are you sure the fixture is mounted 30' up...? That's awful high for a 70W HPS,

I too thought that 30 ft was very high to mount this. Even some poles are not 30 ft. I have a metal building shop, its 16 ft at the eaves, and 21 ft at the peak, and its darn high. Is this some sort of industrial building?

Charles

 

[russlaferrera]

I have been lucky the bulbs are bad. Look on the internet you can find them close to 50% off.

 

[Ezzie]

I too thought that 30 ft was very high to mount this. Even some poles are not 30 ft. I have a metal building shop, its 16 ft at the eaves, and 21 ft at the peak, and its darn high. Is this some sort of industrial building?

Charles

60' x 100' building. The eves are at 16'-6" and the fixture is at the top of a 60' truss in the front peak. Maybe it's only 27' - dunno - but it is a long way up there. The only way I can get to it is to put my 20' extension ladder in the bucket of the backhoe and do the monkey thing.

BTW - replaced the bulb and all is working fine.

Can't understand why people don't think a 70W HPS is no good at this height. Gives me a really nice flood over the whole front of the 60' wide building - perfect for my needs and not too wasteful of power. I have it on a photocell so it gives me some added security since the building is about 500' away from the house.

 

[porschedude996TT]

The only way I can get to it is to put my 20' extension ladder in the bucket of the backhoe and do the monkey thing.

I need a photo of this...Can you post one. I would use it in a safety program.

 

[ironroad 9c1]

I have seen a guy on a A frame aluminum ladder in a POOL with water in it working on a electrical connection..lol had it on the wall in the meeting room at Anheuser-Busch down in willhamsburg,va.

 

[Vicegrip]

I have seen a guy on a A frame aluminum ladder in a POOL with water in it working on a electrical connection..lol had it on the wall in the meeting room at Anheuser-Busch down in willhamsburg,va.

I have done that 100s of times working on lights in indoor pools. Still here and no events

I have also set an A frame ladder in a shipping box that was lifted by a forklift to its full stroke. All the way up the ladder, clip off on the joist and then climb into a drop celling sitting on the joist to get to the machinery that was installed with NO thought to being serviced.
Used a 120V mig to weld up some stress cracks in a large roll door controller on Thursday. Hung it inside the peak of a ladder that was strapped down tightly into a proper forklift man work box and up into a ceiling. Just enough room and reach to weld up a poorly made frame work that held the controller. It only lasted for 250,000+ cycles.