General Electric used to sell 400-watt and 1000-watt mercury replacement lamps. They were called Metal Halide I-Line lamps and were a direct replacement for mercury lamps. The 325-watt MH replaced a 400-watt Merc and a 950-watt MH replaced a 1000-watt merc. They were available in clear and coated versions. I'm not aware of any replacements for 175-watt mercs.

Of these, one is still manufactured. The GE 10688 – MVR325/C/I/U/WM Multi-Vapor Watt-Miser Metal Halide lamp in coated ED37 form is still available. Looks like it costs a bit under $50.00 USD. If you have 400-watt mercury fixtures, you're in luck.

Nelson

Well, with the mercs being there for 20 years without replacement is really neglected maintenance (to use "politically correct" wording).
They should have been replaced every 4 years.
The standard HPS are designed for 3 year replacement period, the newer long life ones for the same 4 years as the MV's. It is true, neglected maintenance is way more visible than with the MV's, but still the neglected maintenance is the prime cause to blame there...

I've seen the good old westy lifeguards posted on here that are going strong after thirty or more years. Partially responsible for the dropping output of modern Mercury lamps is planned obsolescence—manufacturers purposely drop the quality of their products (MV lamps in this case) and then the politicians proposing the ban of the lamps will have something for them and their argument to fall back on.

The slow light output drop of the good Mercury lamps is due to emitter coating that leaves white deposit on the arctube instead of black. But they do drop in light output after some years - a 10 year old lamp is nowhere as brigt as a new one, and it slowly keeps dropping to the 20 and 30 year marks. So about 10 years makes sense as replacemetn period with good mercury lamps

In the new Mercury lamps they discarded that improved emitter and went back to the basic one, with it the arc tube starts to blacken from the 1st day. So they indeed drop after 2 years to the same light output as 10 year old good Mercury lamp, and after 4 years to the same output as a 20 year good one....

The standards bans are based for what i know on the 100h ratings, there the lamps are not yet blackened

And just wit and see, the same problem will happen with LED too, they keep them working quite hot (often with inadequate cooling) that make them deteriorate after a couple years (if they dont fail for some reasong before that)

The conmspiracy theories have one fundamental weak spot: Too many people, normally competing against each other, would have to closely cooperate without any information leaking out. Well, anybody having any experience in managing even only dozen of people supposed to all pull in one direction, would confirm that is just plain impossible...

The MV's were all the time dropping the lumen output. Even what look like bright could well be just 20 or 30% of the initial brightness, when all lamps around are of the same age.
Plus many may have been serviced by just using old stock lamps, so you may not notice it happening.
Some modern lamps indeed age faster, but the difference is not order of magnitude, but about 20..30%. And the reason behind is smaller arctube operated at higher temperatures, to boost the efficacy, but still the efficacy drop to the 70% was after the 4 years of use. That was, because the electricity cost more than the lamp manufacturing, while as regular inspection schedule is anyway required by safety standards, it is not that extra cost to have the lamps replaced during those inspections, when they reach the rated 4 years in service.

It is the lousy maintenance on many places, what gave (and still gives) the "ammunition" arguments to the ones enforcing the bans (and the forces trying to ban everything except LED's).

So those lousy owners bear part of the responsibility for the bans, they are really part of the group to blame...

Due to this ban, I have found a brand new GE 201SA 175 Mercury Vapor fixture that I purchased.  Also, I intend to use it indoors to preserve it so that it does not get water/oxidation rust anywhere.  I want this to be around longer than long.  It is a shame that MV was banned in the US, as I grew up listening to the distinct buzz of the ballasts.  On a quiet night in my neighborhood, you could hear the mercury lamps starting up with the buzz that HPS just will not give.  HPS is too orange, and too quiet. 

When did the mercury light ban take effect-I thought the ban was put off due to popular demand that the mercury lights be kept.

Lamps are to be banned beginning January 1, 2016. Ballasts are already banned, but probe start MH ballasts work just as well (though they are only available for 175w and up).

That's the beauty of it, plus the metal halide ballasts will run cooler with mercs versus their rated lamps, so you'll be a few degrees farther away from overheating.

That's the beauty of it, plus the metal halide ballasts will run cooler with mercs versus their rated lamps, so you'll be a few degrees farther away from overheating.

I don't think so, the arc voltage of both is the same, the ballast sees the same load, so no reason for any difference in the dissipated heat...

I have heard people hear say that the mercs on mh ballasts makes them run cooler.

I have not read any recent documents. That is just what I've heard here and elsewhere.

I don't think Mercury fixtures / bulbs are banned in Canada yet... The big companies such as regent arnt selling here obviously because they stopped making them. However you can find Globe Electric / Pollux Mercury yardblasters for sale at Princess Auto and from an Amazon seller in Mississauga. Also Home Hardware still sells brand new Mercury fixtures branded under their "Home Brand" and they also sell Philips clear Mercury replacement lamps. ("Home" also still makes new preheat undercabnet lights)

I've seen those, I always wondered how reliable they are. Too bad they can't also run MH lamps as I would like to get one but have the choice...


I'm also a big fan of the "Home" preheat fluorescent under cabinet fixtures. I use several in my home, some every day. I also have some doing 24/7 service at church (night lights) and they can survive a stuck starter for at least two weeks. They have been running for about 5-6 years now and still going strong although the paint has slightly yellowed and the lens is less opal and more transparent. In fact, I have more projects on the radar and will probably be getting more of these in the near future. The only problem I had with them is the starter that makes the lamp flicker and reach EOL rather quickly, but a quick replacement is easy. OK, enough off the topic on this thread...

Anybody who still wants to buy a Mercury Vapor fixture and never got the chance to can find one here. 
http://www.amazon.com/Dusk---dawn-Security-Light-Mercury/dp/B003SGNTJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438494984&sr=8-1&keywords=mercury+vapor+light+fixture

I, fortunately, found one on eBay, a GE 201SA 175 Watt Mercury.  The Government can ban all they want, but they will never stop NOS Sales.