LED bulb in a sodium post light

[theo2]

Daughter has a sodium post light in the yard, needs a new bulb. Can i replace the old sodium 70 watt bulb with a LED outdoor bulb? would it work?

 

[u3b3rg33k]

you'll have to re-wire the fixture, LEDs don't run on HID ballasts.

 

[cybrdyke]

^^^ What he said ^^^.
CD

 

[sparky 1971]

Bypass the ballast by taking the hot and neutral directly to the black and white for the socket. If it has a built in photocell, It's the same other than the hot goes to the photocell black and the photocell red goes to the socket. Be prepared for whatever you use to be nowhere near as bright as a new HPS lamp, a bright enough LED bulb won't fit but it might be bright enough.

 

[alfredeneuman]

It depends on the wattage.
On some, you'll have to bypass the entire ballast assembly (A transformer, a capacitor, and the igniter). The igniter supplies the lampholder directly with ~4000V to strike the arc.
The answer to both situations is to run the supply wires directly to the lampholder or driver if it has an external one.

 

[zendriver]

What type of LED bulb will give similar lighting (if it matters)?

Replace the whole fixture to properly designed LED for fifty bucks.

 

[cybrdyke]

What type of LED bulb will give similar lighting (if it matters)?

Replace the whole fixture to properly designed LED for fifty bucks.

good question. There's alot of choices of lamps that will deliver equal or even more lumens than a 70w HPS lamp, with a simple ballast bypass, for about $40. You can even get the yellow-ish color of light like the HPS lamp delivered, if that's your choice.
CD

 

[nadogail]

AS others have said, the LED will not replace the HID lamp; but the fixture can be modified to accept the LED.