Metal Halide light?

[carguy123]

Based upon numerous posts here I have bought a metal halide light to use as an area light in front of my garage.

One thing is buggin me and no one seems to know in the stores, do these lights take a while to "warm up" to full output and buzz like the mercury and sodium vapor lights do?

 

[VDubJoe]

I have 4 400 watt mh lites in my shop. They do take a little will to get up to full output. I do not notice any more noise from them than my 8 foot lites.
Joe

 

[carguy123]

When you say a little while do you mean, seconds, minutes, half a hour or what?

You use them inside?

I haven't seen a fixture for inside, only the Security light type fixtures.

 

[Franz©]

MH & Mercury are essentially the same in terms of the physics involved in converting electricity to light. They will perform in a fairly similar manner.

Buzzing may be a result of poor fixture design or something not properly tightened in the fixture assembly as there is plenty of magnetic flux to rattle things around in there.

Sodium is an equine of a different hue.

 

[carguy123]

Hmmmmm Maybe I'll take it back and get a Fluorex or other cold weather Fluorescent.

I thought/hoped metal halide was different.

The noise and the warm up times just turn me off on them.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

You will sometimes hear MH lights buzzing. I have one temporarily hung from a purling to see the spread of light and it does hum somewhat. My local Lowes has these same type, and brand of light and one in particular over the electrical aisle is VERY loud, considering it is some 20 ft up. I think the amount of hum is a function of how old the bulbs are also, as they near the end of their life, they cause the ballast to make things hum more than when new. Just my guess and slight experience.

As an outdoor light, it really won't matter to you probably.

Charles

 

[bmwpower]

Yea, they hum. Mine are old and they all seem to hum to some extent. I've been told you can help eliminate the hum sometimes by tightening the ballast. Just turn on the radio and the hum disappears.

Warm up doesn't both me. It's only a couple of mins really.

 

[Wiggawam]

They take a couple of minutes to warm up and just get one with an electronic ballast, not magnetic, and there shouldn't be any humming.

 

[MXtras]

FWIW - do not cycle them on and off - it kills the bulb life. It has been determined that it's cheaper in the long run to leave them on if they are only going to be off for less than four hours. This means that if you are going to take the wife to dinner and come back to work in the shop, leave them on.

If you are taking her shopping, go ahead and turn them off...

Scott

 

[W-Cummins]

I have a little 50 wt one over my entry door and I LOVE it. Yes it has a slight hum but not bad at all. And yes it takes a few min to come up to FULL brightness but man that thing is powerful for only 50 wt it puts out a ton of light. It has a photoelectric eye built into it and runs all night for just pennies a day. I think it's a daybrite brand...

William....

 

[chad pickens]

I put a 100 watt mh over my entry door.I was very suprised how much light it put out.My garagege is about 200 feet from the road and the house across the road is about 60 feet off the road and there is a shodow from the tree in their front yard on their house. Now thats bang for your buck, considering its only 100 watt.I just recently bought 8 400 watt pulse start mh to put in my garage.I have 4 hung in a row at the back of my garage and it is awsome.