Karl Knerr
Member
I have a 5-tube(T5) 110-277vac flourescent fixture which I want to wire 220vac and switch with a 3-way. Is there any way to switch a group of these lights without using a 220 vac lighting contactor?
Multi-Tap Flourescent Fixtures
- Thread starter Karl Knerr
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Massachusetts
First off you can not connect a 120/277 volt fixture to a 240 volt supply unless the ballst says so.
chris kennedy
Senior Member
- Location
- Miami Fla.
- Occupation
- 60 yr old tool twisting electrician
You most certainly can. Fixture probably won't work too well.:grin:iwire said:
Karl Knerr
Member
Ther is one ballast for 3 tubes with a 110-277 range for input voltage and another ballast with same rating for 2 tubes. Each ballast has one black and one white wire to connect to this input voltage range. The ballasts automatically sense the input voltage keeping the light output the same. This is a new type of fixture for me, but it will operate on any voltage in the specified range. I want to feed them with 240 because they'll use less current and I can put more fixtures on one 240 vac 2 pole breaker
cadpoint
Senior Member
- Location
- Durham, NC
Hold on sports fans, this is a 240 source, I can't ever ever recall working it that way, its either a 120 hook up or a 277 hook up.
Besides all that I thought that once a voltage is applied to these types of ballast, that this ballast would only be good for that size voltage from then on... the voltage imprints and doesn't let the other voltage be used period.
Yes you could rework the inside wiring to make them - inside outside ballast, there any combinations and you could even include an emergerncy ballast or a always on syndro. I'm assuming the warrenty is gone on these lights, and that here rated for Raceway service( alot of wires...)
Now if your talking 20 to 100 lights, a cost ratio study my be considered.
Besides all that I thought that once a voltage is applied to these types of ballast, that this ballast would only be good for that size voltage from then on... the voltage imprints and doesn't let the other voltage be used period.
Yes you could rework the inside wiring to make them - inside outside ballast, there any combinations and you could even include an emergerncy ballast or a always on syndro. I'm assuming the warrenty is gone on these lights, and that here rated for Raceway service( alot of wires...)
Now if your talking 20 to 100 lights, a cost ratio study my be considered.
- Location
- Massachusetts
Karl Knerr said:
Are you sure it's a range and not 'either one or the other'
Do the instructions with this ballast show connecting the white lead to an ungrounded supply conductor?
As far as current, yes less current but the same amount of power so I am really not sure you will save anything by the time you buy a 2 pole contactor to use with the 3 way switch and the more expensive 2 pole breaker.
Karl Knerr
Member
Ok guys, This is my first time in this forum and I just kinda asked a genric question to see if I'd get a response. I can see that this forum is actually filled with some helpful people. I'll tell you the rest of the story::::: Some farmers I know built a 80 by 220 pole barn and put in 3 seperate 110 vac circuits for the lights I described. The Breakers would not handle the load so they pulled the nuetral off the nuetral buss in the main for each breaker and put 2 poles in for each cicuit, using the black and white. Then they changed the wiring on the 3-way switches to switch one leg of the 220 vac to the lights and ran the other 110 vac leg directly to the lights. Effectively having 1 hot always on to all the ballasts. And just switching one leg to turn on/off. I told them this very dangerous and totally illegal. They asked me if they made 220 vac 3-way switches. I said I've never used any, but if they insisted on using 220 vac and not adding a couple more 110 circuits that they should use 3 seperate 220 vac contactors with 110 vac coils fed by the 3-way switches. As far as the variable voltage to the ballasts without having to change any wiring, it worked. I'll look at the documentation later. These guys are good friends but wire like most farmers do. I got to go for now and check back later for your advice. Thanks again.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Advance makes many ballasts that will operate within a 120-277 volt range.
cadpoint
Senior Member
- Location
- Durham, NC
Thanks Infinity, I just went inside of Advance and just used their search on just the Voltage of 240, I've learned something today.
Now if one qualifies a type of ballast in this situation using 240V and seven true choices out of 8 possible "ballast type" theres only 25 "magnetic" types are available.
Interesting....
Now if one qualifies a type of ballast in this situation using 240V and seven true choices out of 8 possible "ballast type" theres only 25 "magnetic" types are available.
Interesting....
- Location
- Massachusetts
infinity said:
Here is what I found from this pdf
http://www.advancetransformer.com/eCatalog/out/3288572991.pdf
Last edited:
Karl Knerr
Member
Ok guys, This is my first time in this forum and I just kinda asked a genric question to see if I'd get a response. I can see that this forum is actually filled with some helpful people. I'll tell you the rest of the story::::: Some farmers I know built a 80 by 220 pole barn and put in 3 seperate 110 vac circuits for the lights I described. The Breakers would not handle the load so they pulled the nuetral off the nuetral buss in the main for each breaker and put 2 poles in for each cicuit, using the black and white. Then they changed the wiring on the 3-way switches to switch one leg of the 220 vac to the lights and ran the other 110 vac leg directly to the lights. Effectively having 1 hot always on to all the ballasts. And just switching one leg to turn on/off. I told them this very dangerous and totally illegal. They asked me if they made 220 vac 3-way switches. I said I've never used any, but if they insisted on using 220 vac and not adding a couple more 110 circuits that they should use 3 seperate 220 vac contactors with 110 vac coils fed by the 3-way switches. As far as the variable voltage to the ballasts without having to change any wiring, it worked. I'll look at the documentation later. These guys are good friends but wire like most farmers do. I got to go for now and check back later for your advice. Thanks again.
- Location
- Massachusetts
cadpoint said:
When I search the site for 240 volt fluorescent ballasts not one of them comes up as 120-277, just 240 volt.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
It seems that the IntelliVolt models will work in the range of voltages between 120 and 277 volts.
- Location
- Massachusetts
infinity said:
I agree.
It still seems odd to me that they make one of the leads or terminals white suggesting a grounded conductor connection.
cadpoint
Senior Member
- Location
- Durham, NC
I frankly didn't know they existed nor ever touched a 240 ballast, thats all.iwire said:
Maybe I'm off thread to the OP's power at site, granted.
He know's and we all see now from additional threads, that what has been done inside the panel, what was applied, that in fact they did wire like farmers, and is not practiced by us in the trade.
First I'd Draw a diagram of what exists and then want is it should be.
Sure tape the the white wire in the panel, the first fix.
Match the correct ballast to the power available, the second fix.
This also elimates any contacts.(JMO)
Add a switch, and correct leg(s) to correct their existing switching, and rework wire accordingly.
Besides there farmers, good luck on getting them to spring any money on a working system...
Karl Knerr
Member
So, as long as I tape the nuetral (white) wire fed from the 2-pole 220 breaker it's ok to have a 110 hot leg connected to the ballast until the other leg is switched by one of the 3-ways????
Pullnwire
Senior Member
- Location
- Surrounded by Oranges
- Occupation
- Electrician, Business Owner, SME and Trade Instructor
240/277 whatever works....
240/277 whatever works....
A while back, I saw 4' flourescent two lamps strip with a 277 volt electronic ballast running on an old 240 hi bay circuit. they worked, but not too well.
240/277 whatever works....
A while back, I saw 4' flourescent two lamps strip with a 277 volt electronic ballast running on an old 240 hi bay circuit. they worked, but not too well.
- Location
- Massachusetts
480sparky said:Some HID ballast kits I install have leads for 120/208/240/277/480, and another (white) lead marked 'common'.
The only HID ballasts I get have all yellow/beige lines.
- Status