I did a project with in the last year where we retro-fitted 277V T12 lamps and ballast to T8's. I received an email from the customer the other day and in this one particluar building they have recently had to replace 100's of lamps. This particluar office building was finish about 6 months ago. The problem only seems to be on one side of the building. The building is about 1 million sqft and i think it is electricaly divided, but we have not looked into it that far yet. The lamps are burnt on the ends and there is a pin hole burnt into the glass about 2 inches from the end, near where the electrodes are. We had the factory reps for the lamps and ballast out today, and they said that they had never seen this before. I am thinking power quality problems. Any input would great?
Lamp Problems
- Thread starter lanowets
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Massachusetts
Re: Lamp Problems
Do they happen to be Sylvania ballasts?
They can be wired wrong and still light the lamps however the lamps will fail quickly.
I can not imagine it is a power quality issue.
IMO if you had a serious power quality issue the ballasts would be failing not the lamps.
Have you checked the input voltage, is it within 10% of the nameplate rating of the ballast?
When you say 'factory rep' was it really a technician or just a salesman?
As you have guessed I have run into this before.
Do they happen to be Sylvania ballasts?
They can be wired wrong and still light the lamps however the lamps will fail quickly.
I can not imagine it is a power quality issue.
IMO if you had a serious power quality issue the ballasts would be failing not the lamps.
Have you checked the input voltage, is it within 10% of the nameplate rating of the ballast?
When you say 'factory rep' was it really a technician or just a salesman?
As you have guessed I have run into this before.
- Location
- Massachusetts
Re: Lamp Problems
I will PM you.
I will PM you.
hardworkingstiff
Senior Member
- Location
- Wilmington, NC
Re: Lamp Problems
Thanks,
Lou
I'll take a copy of that information if you don't mind.
Thanks,
Lou
Re: Lamp Problems
Actually they we Universal ballast and GE lamps. The factory reps were tech's, not locate salesman. We sampled several fixtures and all were wired according tot here diagram. The rep indicated that the newer electronic ballast have the capability of shutting down a lamp or multiple lamps to protect the ballast. Most of these lamps are burning 24/7 and they are installed in a govt. building. We performed this work in about 15 buildings and the other building mgrs, have not indicated any problems. When you are talking about 15000 ballast and 30000 lamps i am sure there are bound to be problems, but this just seems odd!
Actually they we Universal ballast and GE lamps. The factory reps were tech's, not locate salesman. We sampled several fixtures and all were wired according tot here diagram. The rep indicated that the newer electronic ballast have the capability of shutting down a lamp or multiple lamps to protect the ballast. Most of these lamps are burning 24/7 and they are installed in a govt. building. We performed this work in about 15 buildings and the other building mgrs, have not indicated any problems. When you are talking about 15000 ballast and 30000 lamps i am sure there are bound to be problems, but this just seems odd!
Re: Lamp Problems
With a light meter try checking the light output in the location that does not have a pre-mature burn-out problem and compare the readings.Make sure that you place the meter at the same distance and location away from the fixtures being tested , also use new lamps for both locations. Let me know if the you get lower readings on the fixture located in the problem area.
With a light meter try checking the light output in the location that does not have a pre-mature burn-out problem and compare the readings.Make sure that you place the meter at the same distance and location away from the fixtures being tested , also use new lamps for both locations. Let me know if the you get lower readings on the fixture located in the problem area.
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Service Manager
Re: Lamp Problems
I'm guessing one of them was wrong.
I'd like to know too. I just upgraded some 2-lamp magnetic ballasts and noticed they operate regardless of how the single-conductor side is configured.
I'm guessing one of them was wrong.
ralpha494
Member
- Location
- Southeastern Wisconsin
Re: Lamp Problems
Were the sockets wired correctly? I remember one of the apprentices taking a big box of 2 inch jumpers and jumpering the two sides of the socket for thousands of sockets to re-ballast the whole high school.
It was only that one school of all of them from the summer of '96 that we did that to.
Were the sockets wired correctly? I remember one of the apprentices taking a big box of 2 inch jumpers and jumpering the two sides of the socket for thousands of sockets to re-ballast the whole high school.
It was only that one school of all of them from the summer of '96 that we did that to.
ramsy
NoFixNoPay Electric
- Location
- LA basin, CA
- Occupation
- Service Electrician 2020 NEC
Re: Lamp Problems
Contractor got some at big-box store, but a surplus lighting shop said sockets must be matched to ballasts, since they can be internally jumpered differently, and gave me his used sockets with a bundle of jumpers instead.
Contractor didn't believe this. After the job was done, all fixtures worked fine except the one with sockets from that big-box store, and changing bulbs didn't help.
I'd recommend taking a fixture to a lighting shop that can spot a missmatch between ballast and socket type.
That rang a bell. Ran out of sockets once (some people called them tombstones).
Contractor got some at big-box store, but a surplus lighting shop said sockets must be matched to ballasts, since they can be internally jumpered differently, and gave me his used sockets with a bundle of jumpers instead.
Contractor didn't believe this. After the job was done, all fixtures worked fine except the one with sockets from that big-box store, and changing bulbs didn't help.
I'd recommend taking a fixture to a lighting shop that can spot a missmatch between ballast and socket type.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Re: Lamp Problems
a surplus lighting shop said sockets must be matched to ballasts, since they can be internally jumpered differently...
The wiring diagram is printed on the ballast. Simple inspection of the sockets or perhaps a continuity tester or ohm meter should tell you if the socket contacts are connected internally.
-Hal
a surplus lighting shop said sockets must be matched to ballasts, since they can be internally jumpered differently...
The wiring diagram is printed on the ballast. Simple inspection of the sockets or perhaps a continuity tester or ohm meter should tell you if the socket contacts are connected internally.
-Hal
- Status