Sodium lamp cycling on and off

[rlanicek]

Where to start troubleshooting? Replace the bulb or the sensor? Anything else?

Thanks!

 

[Norcal]

End of life cycling, replace lamp if you talking about HPS high pressure sodium. There is also LPS low pressure sodium although not very common.

 

[SGKent]

consider converting the fixture to LED. The cost to run LED is much less than sodium. With consumer products the fixtures cost about the same.

 

[Terry D]

Agreed, when a HPS lamp gets old, it requires more power/voltage to keep it on. That's why they start to cycle. The are becoming a thing of the past. They make LED lamps that will go right in that fixture, if its in good shape. Or replace the fixture

 

[Mr_fixit]

Maybe the ignitor. like this. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Halco-5590...Sodium-HPS-Ignitor-Starter-18666/281375367886. some have ignitors, some don't.

 

[Norcal]

Maybe the ignitor. like this. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Halco-5590...Sodium-HPS-Ignitor-Starter-18666/281375367886. some have ignitors, some don't.

All HPS lamps require a ignitors, if it had failed the lamp would not cycle, would do nothing instead.

 

[alfredeneuman]

Some sodium lamps have an internal ignitor, but they do have ignitors.
In that case the problem would be solved by replacing the lamp, as Norcal said.

 

[Bert_]

If it's cycling it almost certainly the lamp.

Ignitors in HPS fixtures are pretty reliable. Pretty rare to replace one.

Led really isn't any more efficient than HPS. Even the electrical supply's around here like to push a 73 Watt led yard light. It's a good light by all means but a pretty pathetic replacement for the common 150 watt HPS. It's an ok replacement for 100w HPS. It's easy to save energy for the fixture that puts out less light...

 

[rburke65]

I’d bet 100% it’s the lamp.

 

[Terry D]

If it's cycling it almost certainly the lamp.

Ignitors in HPS fixtures are pretty reliable. Pretty rare to replace one.

Led really isn't any more efficient than HPS. Even the electrical supply's around here like to push a 73 Watt led yard light. It's a good light by all means but a pretty pathetic replacement for the common 150 watt HPS. It's an ok replacement for 100w HPS. It's easy to save energy for the fixture that puts out less light...

I beg to differ on your LED theory. I just replaced 3 400 watt MH fixtures with LED equivalent fixtures. The light output is just as good , if not better. Current draw on those 3 fixtures is under 5 amps. The quality of the fixture means a lot, I use RAB brand, very well built solid fixture. A HPS is just a crappy color of a light, in my opinion.

 

[Norcal]

HPS is fine outdoors but horrible indoors.

 

[alfredeneuman]

HPS is fine outdoors but horrible indoors.

Coming from daylight to an indoors lit with HPS makes everything look dingey.
They now sell "color corrected" HPS lamps that are supposed to mitigate some of the bad effects. I don't know how effective they are though

 

[Norcal]

Coming from daylight to an indoors lit with HPS makes everything look dingey.
They now sell "color corrected" HPS lamps that are supposed to mitigate some of the bad effects. I don't know how effective they are though

When anyone used HPS for indoor illumination there is only one question. What were they thinking?

 

[ClappedOutBport]

LPS would be even worse. It's like <1% of the color spectrum. you wouldn't be able to make out any colors.

 

[alfredeneuman]

LPS would be even worse. It's like <1% of the color spectrum. you wouldn't be able to make out any colors.

The Cities of Long Beach and San Diego, CA tried using them for streetlights in the early '70s. There was such an uproar by the '80s that most of them were removed.
Both are switching over to LED lighting now.

 

[Norcal]

LPS would be even worse. It's like <1% of the color spectrum. you wouldn't be able to make out any colors.

The monochromatic yellow color of LPS is well suited for areas subject to fog but the size of the lamps and disposal and poor color quality makes them rather useless.

 

[ddawg16]

The efficiency of LPS is around 15-29%

Current LED's around 25%.

LPS has a slow warm up time.....LED, Instant on and last a lot longer.

If the light is for security, I really suggest going with motion detection.....A light that stays on all the time is easy to get around....unless someone is looking, you will not notice anyone approaching. But with motion detection, you will see the window light up telling you someone triggered the light. A motion sensing light will scare off a burglar much better than non-motion.

Additionally, LPS is a big light. You can get LED's in a much smaller form factor. And, if you downsize the light, you can have more which does wonders for have less shadows...