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Lamps => Modern => Topic started by: GE M-400A1 on June 21, 2008, 11:14:01 AM

Title: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: GE M-400A1 on June 21, 2008, 11:14:01 AM

Hi,

Could a 400W MH run on a 400W Mercury ballast. I want to know because my TB 125 has a 400W Mercury ballast and i don't have a 400W mercury bulb.

Thanks

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: gmercury2000 on June 21, 2008, 11:39:49 AM

Metal Halide lamps are not designed to run on mercury ballasts however mercury lamps can be run on standard MH ballasts. I would wait until you can get a hold of a mercury bulb before powering up you new fixture so as not to damage anything.

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: TudorWhiz on June 21, 2008, 12:09:43 PM

MH lamps will blacken much faster on MV ballasts faster due to more sputtering and have a lot shorter life too.....

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: GE M-400A1 on June 21, 2008, 01:08:33 PM

Would it be safe to run a 250 MV in my TB 125!

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: FGS on June 21, 2008, 01:29:01 PM

Not recommended. It might cause the lamp to explode due to higher temp and pressure than normal. Lowes (Sylvania) or Home Depot (Philips) sells the 400w mercury vapors but they're coated.

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: GE M-400A1 on June 21, 2008, 01:31:24 PM

Home Depot does not sell 400W MV bulbs because i have looked already.

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: arcblue on June 25, 2008, 01:59:00 AM

Quote from: GE M-400A1 on June 21, 2008, 01:31:24 PM

Home Depot does not sell 400W MV bulbs because i have looked already.

No worries, I will be sending you a 400w merc hopefully shipping it out this weekend. BTW I tried my brand new 400w Sylvania Metalarc (probe start) lamp on my 400w MV ballast and it didn't even glow. Guess it really needs the higher OCV of a metal halide ballast to even start.

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: GE M-400A1 on June 28, 2008, 12:31:04 AM

My 360W powered up on my mercury ballast just fine!

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: don93s on July 04, 2008, 01:39:37 PM

Sometimes MH will start on MV ballasts but usually won't. MH lamps vary in characteristics from lamp to lamp and MV ballasts vary in characteristics from ballast to ballast. The OCV in a mercury ballast can be as low as 220v and as high as 280v and the peak waveform (important to MH) can vary too. Generally, the current waveform of a mercury ballast, if it could start the MH lamp at all, would be detrimental on the electrodes and have a very short life from what I understand.

Title: Re: 400W Metal Halide on a Mercury Ballast
Post by: GE M-400A1 on July 20, 2008, 02:10:26 AM

Thanks Don!!