I have a question on wiring a 220 halogen 400 watt shop light I just got 6 lights they are halogen/sodium bay lights on 120 volts they pull 4 watts on 220 they pull 1.9 watts I want to wire them up to 220 I know they have two hots and 1 ground and green equipment ground,, do I break 1 black hot at the switch and how many do I put on 1 breaker?? Thanks Ray
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how to wire 220 halagen/sodium lights
- Thread starter Ray Adams
- Start date
I have a question on wiring a 220 halogen 400 watt shop light I just got 6 lights they are halogen/sodium bay lights on 120 volts they pull 4 watts on 220 they pull 1.9 watts I want to wire them up to 220 I know they have two hots and 1 ground and green equipment ground,, do I break 1 black hot at the switch and how many do I put on 1 breaker?? Thanks Ray
Please confirm that you are not confusing 'watts' with amps. It will be no power savings to switch from 120 to 240 as it still takes the same power to generate 400 watts of light and power is what you pay for, not amps. There will be others along to tell you that only 120v lighting is allowed in a residential setting, or so I've read here numerous times.
lg
no neat sig line
Trey T
Well-known member
To answer your question, five lights, assuming 220v @ 2A with 15A wiring/breaker. You'll need double pole to switch the two hot wires.
There many HID 120v lighting options that's a lot more efficient than halogen. In terms of lumens/dollar, HID fixture/bulb is the cheapest when you light a large space. For small space, CFL is the cheapest.
There many HID 120v lighting options that's a lot more efficient than halogen. In terms of lumens/dollar, HID fixture/bulb is the cheapest when you light a large space. For small space, CFL is the cheapest.
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
Halogen, Sodium, and Metal Halide are different animals. Assuming you are referring to a Metal Halide 400 watt fixture, You will need to use double pole breakers, double pole switches to interrupt both sides of the circuit, and a ground wire. Are you using Romex or conduit?
If you have sodium fixtures, just go ahead and scrap them and look for something better. You will hate the orange light the moment you turn them on.
If this is in a Residence, lighting over 125v is not allowed by NEC. If it is a detached shop or garage, then the 240v would be OK, as the code is specific to a residence on the voltage limitation for lighting.
They are 400 watt bulbs, the fixture actually draws about 480 watts, so 80 watts is wasted in heat at the ballast, and it is 4 amps at 120v and 2 amps at 240v.
Lighting is generally considered a continuous load, which the NEC limits to 80% of a circuits capacity. Thus, on a 20 amp circuit, 16 amps would be max, and on a 15 amp circuit, 12 amps would be the max.
NEC defines a continuous load as anything that is expected to be on and drawing its full load for more than 3 hrs. Some things, such as heating devices, are specifically defined by the code as continuous, others, such as lighting are left to the imagination of the installed, based on expected use.
Charles
If you have sodium fixtures, just go ahead and scrap them and look for something better. You will hate the orange light the moment you turn them on.
If this is in a Residence, lighting over 125v is not allowed by NEC. If it is a detached shop or garage, then the 240v would be OK, as the code is specific to a residence on the voltage limitation for lighting.
They are 400 watt bulbs, the fixture actually draws about 480 watts, so 80 watts is wasted in heat at the ballast, and it is 4 amps at 120v and 2 amps at 240v.
Lighting is generally considered a continuous load, which the NEC limits to 80% of a circuits capacity. Thus, on a 20 amp circuit, 16 amps would be max, and on a 15 amp circuit, 12 amps would be the max.
NEC defines a continuous load as anything that is expected to be on and drawing its full load for more than 3 hrs. Some things, such as heating devices, are specifically defined by the code as continuous, others, such as lighting are left to the imagination of the installed, based on expected use.
Charles