T5HO outdoors?

[MD88]

Hello all,

I've noticed that T5HO street/site lighting is starting to crop up in the industry (ie: http://www.precision-lighting.com/pdfs/ESB.pdf). While I'm sure in Florida this is fine, I'm in the pacific northwest and temperatures can occasionally go down to maybe -10degs C (~10degs F). Has anyone seen these fixtures being used? Conversely, has anyone had any experience with Sylvania Pentron C (or any T5HO with "amalgam technology") in cold environments? I've seen the lumens vs. ambient temp charts, but I can only assume it'd be a fair bit warmer inside the fixture than it is outside the fixture, so really some practical experience is needed here. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
M

 

[djmartin8]

T5HO Outdoors

T5HO Outdoors

MD88,

You are correct that the lamp curves themselves are generally meaningless unless put into context. In fact, the same can be said for photometric reports since they show performance based on a constant 25?C. The lamp curves represent a lamp in bare space and therefore when a lamp is put into a fixture, it is important to maintain the proper temperatures inside the fixture around the lamp. In the case of sealed and gasketed fixtures, the critical temperature is around the lamp. Precision-Paragon has thermal testing of the complete fixture over a wide range of temperatures which is much more applicable than just the lamp thermal curves. I would be happy to discuss your specific needs further. Feel free to contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Best regards,

Joe Martin
VP Engineering
Precision-Paragon [P2]

 

[ptonsparky]

So was that a, "Yes, T5HOs in general ain't worth hoot in the cold", or "No, they work fine as long as you don't expect them to put out much light until the enclosure is warmed up."

 

[weressl]

So was that a, "Yes, T5HOs in general ain't worth hoot in the cold", or "No, they work fine as long as you don't expect them to put out much light until the enclosure is warmed up."

Or design a thermostat controlled heater into them that would speed up heatup after start.

 

[ptrip]

I've seen those fixtures marketed before as well ... and being in Central Ohio would not spec them on a project.

I've put fluorescent sign fixtures outside with no problems ... but the safety of my parking lot wasn't at stake there.

 

[PetrosA]

I know in Poland, which gets pretty cold in the winter ( 0? F is common) T5 fixtures are used all over the place in outdoor applications like billboards, small parking lots, etc. I think with the right housing it should give at least 80-90% of it's rated output once warmed up. And hey, if someone wants to stand out there and check the output in that weather, be my guest

 

[ptonsparky]

Good point.

 

[StephenSDH]

I've put them in negative freezers and was quite happy with them. They make a special enclosed light for this application to keep the warmth in.