Metal Halide Lamp failure

[VoltzElectrical]

ITS A LAMP.[/QUOTE]

Then what did Thomas Edison invent???????

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.

From Thomas Edison - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


lamp (læmp)n1.a. any of a number of devices that produce illumination: an electric lamp; a gas lamp; an oil lamp.
b. (in combination): lampshade.

2. a device for holding one or more electric light bulbs: a table lamp.
3. a vessel in which a liquid fuel is burned to supply illumination
4. any of a variety of devices that produce radiation, esp for therapeutic purposes: an ultraviolet lamp.

From lamp - definition of lamp by The Free Dictionary


cables or wires next???[/QUOTE]

Quite. No-one ever had a 'light lamp moment' did they?

Anyway, it looks like the OP has a strange setup. I've had it before now where 35/55w sox ballasts are outputting 230v to the lamp holder but the lamp won't work because the strike-up voltage part has failed. I presume the ballast has some sort of built in ignitor.

In this scenario, a normal lamp would work as in the OP's case where all 4 will light up with a different lamp.

I sounds then as if the ignitor has failed. By the way, we have victorian style lanterns where all the gear tray components are in the area of the lantern above the lamp like the one you pictured. Access is by tilting the top part back on the hinge. In ours though, the lamp holder is the reverse of the one pictured, i.e. held from above.

 

[Barry White]

ok you have 4 bulbs/lamps do they all work in the 2 outside fitting (all 4) and none of the 4 works in the inner 2 lamps?

The installation looks like it had standard incandescents fitted and then retro fitted with metal halide using the bc to es adaptor.

Earlier question "would an energy saver work after a ballast ??" not tried this but think it would with the old wirewound type without igniter (will give me someting to try out at work)

 

[VoltzElectrical]

This is what we use, sorry i couldn't find a picture of the smaller version.

They usually show 230v output if the internal 'ignitor' part has failed, which won't strike a sox lamp, but would illuminate any lamp not requiring a strike voltage.

 

[ray-bentos]

ok you have 4 bulbs/lamps do they all work in the 2 outside fitting (all 4) and none of the 4 works in the inner 2 lamps?
The installation looks like it had standard incandescents fitted and then retro fitted with metal halide using the bc to es adaptor.
Earlier question "would an energy saver work after a ballast ??" not tried this but think it would with the old wirewound type without igniter (will give me someting to try out at work)

That's correct, all bulbs work in the outer 2 fittings, none of the 4 work in the inner pair.

Quite. No-one ever had a 'light lamp moment' did they?
Anyway, it looks like the OP has a strange setup. I've had it before now where 35/55w sox ballasts are outputting 230v to the lamp holder but the lamp won't work because the strike-up voltage part has failed. I presume the ballast has some sort of built in ignitor.
In this scenario, a normal lamp would work as in the OP's case where all 4 will light up with a different lamp.
I sounds then as if the ignitor has failed. By the way, we have victorian style lanterns where all the gear tray components are in the area of the lantern above the lamp like the one you pictured. Access is by tilting the top part back on the hinge. In ours though, the lamp holder is the reverse of the one pictured, i.e. held from above.

Just to confirm again there is absolutely no gear within the lantern fitting whatsoever, the lid requires removal to get to the bulbs and 'underneath' is just empty space with flexible cable.
With no apparent (easy) access to the ballast gear I'm half tempted to just fit self ballasted bulbs to all 4 fittings to solve the issue. What is everyone's thoughts on this?

 

[ray-bentos]

Alright I've actually found a picture I didn't realise I had on my phone of the lanterns on the pillars but it doesn't really show anything electrical

 

[VoltzElectrical]

No such thing as 'self ballasted bulbs' as far as i am aware. Self-igniting SON lamps, yes. If you have voltage at the lamp holder, you could fit a ballast and a self ignitor, but You would be better off tracing the circuit out in the long run, as failed components still in circuit can interfere with it. Go back to the origin of the circuit and follow it all through.

In my opinion, you should leave a serviceable installation behind you, even if it means remedying other sparks questionable methods. You can always leave drawings of what you have installed at the distribution centre in a poly pocket. Take some photos. What happens after is up to the customer.

 

[Barry White]

No such thing as 'self ballasted bulbs' as far as i am aware. Self-igniting SON lamps, yes. If you have voltage at the lamp holder, you could fit a ballast and a self ignitor, but You would be better off tracing the circuit out in the long run, as failed components still in circuit can interfere with it. Go back to the origin of the circuit and follow it all through.

In my opinion, you should leave a serviceable installation behind you, even if it means remedying other sparks questionable methods. You can always leave drawings of what you have installed at the distribution centre in a poly pocket. Take some photos. What happens after is up to the customer.

There is and they have been around a few years now see Self Ballasted Mercury Lamp 250 watt ES | Eliptical Shape - BLT Direct

but as the OP has tried all the bulbs it seems there is a ballast hidden somewhere.

 

[ray-bentos]

What is the maximum distance from the lamp that the ballast can be fitted? From the pictures above I'm guessing the ballasts are either inside the 'pillars' or in the room with the switchgear for the property (which is over 10M away).

I've worked in this room before and have never noticed any ballasts (the property is pretty much wired for sound, literally...) but I guess some digging may unearth something. From my recollection the courtyard lighting circuit is controlled by a photocell but the actual load wiring leaves the DB in SWA which goes under the driveway.

 

[ian.settle1]

Why don't you just admit you do not know what you are doing and get an electrician in to do the work.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Why don't you just admit you do not know what you are doing and get an electrician in to do the work.

That's bit harsh dude.

The OP is simply trying to make sense of a setup someone else has installed. Who knows what the installing spark has done.

What would you do in this situation then? I'd love to know 'cos apart from a few things I know about lighting through my day job, I think I'd be head scratching too.

 

[ray-bentos]

Why don't you just admit you do not know what you are doing and get an electrician in to do the work.

Why whenever anyone asks for advice about a topic which they may be less than expert is the standard response from some people to flame and try and put the poster down? Surely the whole purpose of this forum is to share knowledge?

 

[ray-bentos]

That's bit harsh dude.
The OP is simply trying to make sense of a setup someone else has installed. Who knows what the installing spark has done.
What would you do in this situation then? I'd love to know 'cos apart from a few things I know about lighting through my day job, I think I'd be head scratching too.

Care to share the few things you learnt from your day job?

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Care to share the few things you learnt from your day job?

If you have read any of my posts, they are all things I have learned from my day job. I don't get paid to post here dude, so I'm not sure what you mean by this.

I'm going to withdraw from this thread now because I feel my input has been exceeded and as the dragons would say, 'I'm out'.

Be great to hear if this gets resolved, but I'm not holding my breath.

Nighty
x

 

[plugsandsparks]

Yes they will as the lamp could have an internal ignitor

Also - smart arse

 

[plugsandsparks]

I have done a lamp post with a 70W Son (I) with ballast about 8M away if that helps. No idea how far I could have run one but this one was installed in a shed / workshop with SWA from shed to lamp post. Let us know where the hell it is.