Odd happenings with Security/yard light

[motoretro]

Odd happenings with Garage Security/Yard light

I have a 150 Watt HPS yard light mounted 8' off the roof peak of garage as a security tool. It's mounted on approximately 2" Steel tubing(goose neck). I've been having issues with it turning off when garage door is activated. Here's the breakdown;

1) Light Fixture was changed out about 12 years ago.
2) Bulb lasted about 6-7 years, replaced with wrong bulb(Mercury Vapor), bulb would start, although just flickered constantly.
3) Replaced with correct High Pressure Sodium Bulb
4) Bulb lasted about (3) years and started to shut off when using garage door opening, not always though. Replaced bulb (3) years ago, 150watt HPS. Ran fine, no problems.
5) A month ago, light started going off again with garage door opening. Will turn off when wife runs the dryer, although this is on different circuit.
Light turns off and restarts late at night by itself occasionally.

I'm getting ready to climb up there and check if it's loose or not, (bulb not loose) so I'm on my way back up to replace bulb.

Any ideas? Ballast? Ground?, ??
thanks, Motoretro

 

[justsam]

Sounds like a loose connection somewhere. The vibration created by the garage door opening is making it lose contact.
What else is on the circuit that feeds the lamp? Check those boxes for a loose connection.
Is dryer in the garage? Is it gas or electric? Could be a poor neutral connection giving way from the current drawn by the dryer if it electric.

 

[redmondjp]

Based upon the fact that starting the dryer also sometimes causes the issue, I suspect that it has to do with a momentary low-voltage condition and not from vibration caused by the door opener. The inrush current from either the garage door opener motor or the dryer drum motor may be the culprit. Loose neutral could also be an issue which would make the voltage drop worse.

An older bulb may be more sensitive to voltage dropouts as compared to a new bulb, so the fact that problem went away for awhile with a new bulb supports this theory.

Using a power quality analyzer would be the way to know for sure, but they are very expensive so an electrician having one could leave it connected for a few days and then look at the results. Using a multimeter with a min/max/peak hold function may also be able to capture the voltage drop/dip, if there is one, when any motor load is started.

 

[motoretro]

The only thing on the same breaker is the garage. Nothing is on in there except a plug in clock and radio. Only this winter has the dryer triggered the issue and it's on a separate dedicated 220V circuit in house. Now I'm questioning my installation 12 years ago, wondering if one of my connections came loose, it does get pretty windy up there. I'm usually a bit **** about this although I was sitting on the top of a 6' ladder straddling the peak of the roof making connections on something at an 8' height. The possibility of not grounding the fixture also popped up too. I may have to farm this one out.......Someone with a bucket truck.

Motoretro

 

[Rookie2]

If you are going up there or paying someone to repair it, invest in a 30 or 50 watt L E D dust to dawn ! payback is around 18 months. (Sorry payback is actually 8.4yrs on a 30 Watt LED)

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4564113#post4564113

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267217&highlight=dusk+dawn+lights

 

[malibu101]

X2 on something starting (like the dryer or a motor) causing a quick voltage sag.

I had the same thing when I lived at home and "worked" in my dad's barn. HPS light would go out every time I turned on the big stick welder.
The barn had a proper electrical service from the house and everything worked perfect except the HPS light didn't like that quick sag when the big Airco Bumblebee was switched on.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Do you have any other large 240v loads in the house such an AC condenser or electric stove/range?

 

[motoretro]

Yes, have electric stove and A/C although the problem has only been during the coldest part of the winter and neither AC or stove are on.
Motoretro

Do you have any other large 240v loads in the house such an AC condenser or electric stove/range?

 

[motoretro]

How harsh is the LED light?
Motoretro

If you are going up there or paying someone to repair it, invest in a 30 or 50 watt L E D dust to dawn ! payback is around 18 months.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4564113#post4564113

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267217&highlight=dusk+dawn+lights

 

[n8n]

is there anything readily available that is a lower CRI than HPS? It's pretty bad. I'd vote for a LED retrofit as well if you can't really find an obvious flaw.

 

[Rookie2]

How harsh is the LED light?
Motoretro

The 30 Watt is about 10' high, you really can't stare at it ! you wouldn't want it mounted near a house window but they make a diffuser as the old dusk to dawns have(found out after opening the box). The 50 watt is up another 5-6 ft. and in a location that doesn't bother anyone but is offering a lot of light.

I have a few pictures but can't download them till tomorrow.


you would still have to repair your wiring if that is found to be the problem. sometimes the short lamp life could be caused by a old capacitor. (can't remember if the HPS uses one or not.)

With our government pushing higher regulations at the power companies , expect higher and higher electric bills. Our energy supplier is offering almost free LED and T-8 retrofits to commercial business (mostly small stores with high electric bills)

 

[motoretro]

While the LED appeals to me, It's possible it might be too bright for my purposes as my neighbor is pretty close with BR windows on the light's side of the house. I run a diffuser presently and the soft glow of the HPS allows me to run the 150 watt light. I would appreciate the LED pictures, this would help me decide which direction to move.
Motoretro

The 30 Watt is about 10' high, you really can't stare at it ! you wouldn't want it mounted near a house window but they make a diffuser as the old dusk to dawns have(found out after opening the box). The 50 watt is up another 5-6 ft. and in a location that doesn't bother anyone but is offering a lot of light.

I have a few pictures but can't download them till tomorrow.


you would still have to repair your wiring if that is found to be the problem. sometimes the short lamp life could be caused by a old capacitor. (can't remember if the HPS uses one or not.)

With our government pushing higher regulations at the power companies , expect higher and higher electric bills. Our energy supplier is offering almost free LED and T-8 retrofits to commercial business (mostly small stores with high electric bills)

 

[Rookie2]

While the LED appeals to me, It's possible it might be too bright for my purposes as my neighbor is pretty close with BR windows on the light's side of the house. I run a diffuser presently and the soft glow of the HPS allows me to run the 150 watt light. I would appreciate the LED pictures, this would help me decide which direction to move.
Motoretro

This is the 30 Watt ! without the diffuser. I 'll have to take another of the 50 Watt. I think the camera amplifies the glare a little though.

 

[motoretro]

Wow, that's bright! I know this won't work with the neighbor's proximity. I'll have to look at other options. Thanks regardless for the pic.
Motoretro

 

[lametec]

Just to confirm what others have said, it's a voltage sag that causes it.

Your bulb is on its last leg. Replace it and all should be well. I've had it happen twice with my 75W HPS on the garage. A new bulb fixed it both times. I think I'm on bulb #3 in 17 years.

 

[motoretro]

I replaced the bulb yesterday while there wasn't any snow on the roof, good thing as we now have 3" up top. No issues last night with the garage door opener and wife was running the electric dryer. That said, the bulb was only (3) years old and the one before that only lasted (4) years, seems like it should have last longer than that. I have a call into a friend who's a licensed master electrician to discuss this and will start going though all the connections I can source until warmer weather gets here. At that time I'm going to look into renting a bucket and getting up at the light's height to pull it off and check the connections up there. Here's hoping for an early spring.
Thanks for all the help,
Motoretro.

Just to confirm what others have said, it's a voltage sag that causes it.

Your bulb is on its last leg. Replace it and all should be well. I've had it happen twice with my 75W HPS on the garage. A new bulb fixed it both times. I think I'm on bulb #3 in 17 years.

 

[nehog]

Just for the record, my sodium lamp bulb has unscrewed itself twice.

 

[Milton Shaw]

When I was dating back in the dark ages, I kept a couple of burned out light bulbs in the car to replace good light bulbs on girlfriends porch so we could kiss in the dark. Her parents never did catch on.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Yes, have electric stove and A/C although the problem has only been during the coldest part of the winter and neither AC or stove are on.
Motoretro

Just to confirm what others have said, it's a voltage sag that causes it.

Your bulb is on its last leg. Replace it and all should be well. I've had it happen twice with my 75W HPS on the garage. A new bulb fixed it both times. I think I'm on bulb #3 in 17 years.

To confirm whether its a voltage sage issue or not, does it do this when the AC kicks on? If not, then I dont agree with others that the dryer is causing a voltage sag which in turn causes the lights to dim...