30 amp electric discharge lighting load

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copper123

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Hello,

I was looking at a job yesterday and they had some high pressure sodium lights fused on a 30 amp circuit. They were of a medium base and rated at 400 watts.

I think this a code violation and have been digging into my book.
I have found 210.21
210.23B
I think this is a open and shut case. They are not rated over 660 watts for a medium base or 750 watts for any other.

Could I be missing some part of the code that I have not dug into?

Thanks in advance!
 
Re: 30 amp electric discharge lighting load

210.21(A) Lampholders Where connected to a branch circuit having a rating in excess of 20 amperes, lampholders shall be of the heavy-duty type. A heavy-duty lampholder shall have a rating of not less than 660 watts if of the admedium type, or not less than 750 watts if of any other type.

Its not the rating of the lamp, it?s the rating of the lampholder. If these are 400 watt HPS lamps the lamp holders are Mogul based with a rating exceeding 750 watts.
 
Re: 30 amp electric discharge lighting load

Originally posted by copper123:
high pressure sodium lights fused on a 30 amp circuit. They were of a medium base and rated at 400 watts.
Click to expand...
I have never seen a 400 watt HID lamp with a medium base, always Mogul bases.
 
Re: 30 amp electric discharge lighting load

210.23
"(B) 30-Ampere Branch Circuits. A 30-ampere branch circuit shall be permitted to supply fixed lighting units with heavy-duty lampholders in other than a dwelling unit(s) or
utilization equipment in any occupancy. A rating of any one cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment shall not exceed 80 percent of the branch-circuit ampere rating."
 
Re: 30 amp electric discharge lighting load

Sure, Mogul base are used on 30A ckts. all the time. It is legal.

But Medium base (like the standard 100W incandescent) are limited to 20A ckts. max.

copper123 - are these 400WHPS really medium base?
 
Re: 30 amp electric discharge lighting load

now that i have been reading the comments, I think the M on the name plate stamp was for Mogul and not medium. Any 400 watt HPS would be mogul and not a medium shell right?
Thanks for the help guys
 
Re: 30 amp electric discharge lighting load

Correct. A 400W HPS lamp does have a mogul base. I think the highest wattage HPS lamp available in medium base is 150W. At least it's the highest wattage medium base lamp I've ever seen.
 
Re: 30 amp electric discharge lighting load

so would it be safe to say that all mogul base lamps can be fused at 30 amps? Its not the wattage of the lamp, or the nameplate rating of the fixture, only the mogul base that is important. Any mogul lampshell would work. I think that is what I am understanding. If so, i did not read the code text correctly. Mogul base = heavy duty lampholder. Thanks for the info everyone.
 
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