Need Assistance w/ 2 lamp em t5HO

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

tyha

Senior Member
Location
central nc
we are doing a commercial garage with 4 lamp T5 HO lights in all the bays. Some of the lights need to be NL/EM. Now it states in the drwings that 2 lamps need to be on during emergency operation as it should but nobody makes a T5 emergency ballast for 2 lamp operation that we can find. They all work 2 lamps on T8's but only one will be in operation for a T5 and it even states that on the wiring diagram for the Em ballast we have. I have not been to the job to see what exactly is going on but one of my guys came in this afternoon and showed the ballast and the wiring diagram to me and it looks as though Im not sure if you can wire 2 ballast to the same light.
 
Can you just put all four lamps on for EM, and give them more than they paid for? I'm just thinking out loud here.

EDIT... Bodine historicly has made cool gadgets for emergency lighting. I'm checking there now. I'm sure there's something there that would help.
 
Last edited:
if you need 2 lamps on can't you add another ballast in the fixture and just put 2 lamps as em ? (you'd just have to change some of the fixture wiring to the tombstones)
 
nakulak said:
if you need 2 lamps on can't you add another ballast in the fixture and just put 2 lamps as em ? (you'd just have to change some of the fixture wiring to the tombstones)
Click to expand...
I was sorta thinking along those lines, but many of these T5 fixtures are coming through with very little, if any, spare room in the ballast compartment. Maybe that's not true in his case. Simple solution, if it's in the budget.
 
yeah, there is NO room in the fixture. Are you refering to changing it to a 2 lamp normal and 2 - 1 lamp em ballast? The 2 lamps cant stay on em full time. I dont think that is what you are saying though.is it
 
tyha said:
yeah, there is NO room in the fixture.
Click to expand...
I just noticed that the Bodine cut sheet I linked to above says that the emergency ballast can be installed inside or on top of the fixture. I really don't know how you'd do that in a compliant manner, but there must be a way. It does't look like it comes with the end cap thingamajig that other top mount EM ballasts have. You could use two of those, in that case, if you mount them on top of the fixture.
 
Last edited:
yeah this may work. So I should be able to connect it to another lamp as backup. Because on the lithonia ballast that we have installed the way the wiring diagram shows it doesnt look as though you can use 2 em ballast in the same fixture. As far as being budgeted this is something that me and my supplier are looking at because we submit a set drawings to them with fixture schedule and floor plan complete when we open the job account. So its something we both overlooked. More kinda on his part---the way I see it of course----
 
tyha said:
we are doing a commercial garage with 4 lamp T5 HO lights in all the bays. Some of the lights need to be NL/EM. Now it states in the drwings that 2 lamps need to be on during emergency operation as it should but nobody makes a T5 emergency ballast for 2 lamp operation that we can find. They all work 2 lamps on T8's but only one will be in operation for a T5 and it even states that on the wiring diagram for the Em ballast we have. I have not been to the job to see what exactly is going on but one of my guys came in this afternoon and showed the ballast and the wiring diagram to me and it looks as though Im not sure if you can wire 2 ballast to the same light.
Click to expand...

I hate to bring up the disscussion here.,,

I know Marc [ MDshunk ] did bring up some idea with the EM / NL system.

but let me step in here for a sec are we talking about the wet location enclosed flourscent luminaire ??

if so just a thought maybe someone did allready make a comment but what if you get in 8 foot 4 lamp verison and get it in 2 balllast verison one with standard electronic ballast and second one with EM ballast?

if that spec do allow it that should work.

a sideline note here in case someone overlook one thing if using the EM or battery back up ballast IIRC some manufacter did forewarn about useing the enclosed sealed luminaires some need some sort of a ventation for the battery unless it is a sealed type.

and the other thing with sealed type some of them may reduce the perforamce in cold sisuation i know some case it may be true if you speced for 90 min back up time with very cold temp if the battery is unheated and well charged it may reduced the amout of the time to run in cold some case in half of the requried time or less.

Just a thought ahead of this in case you will work in very cold spots.

[ i know most enclosed and sealed luminaires should able keep the BU ballast/battery combo warm by heat from the lamp. ]

Merci, Marc

Have a nice New Year !! :cool:
 
I try to solve these types of problems myself but do not get to hung up on them before I send out an RFI (Request For Information) to the engineer asking for a solution.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top