How do you test a high pressure sodium ballast?

1. Step 1 – Remove the Lamp. …
2. Step 2 – Visually Inspect the Lamp. …
3. Step 3 – Check Accessories. …
4. Step 4 – Test the Voltage. …
5. Step 5 – Check the Ballast. …
6. Step 6 – Check the Short-circuit Current.

To measure it, set your digital multimeter to around a thousand ohms resistance setting. Connect the black leads to the white ground wire on your ballast. Afterward, test every other wire with the red lead. When you do this test, a good ballast will return an “open-loop” or max resistance.

When the bulb produces no light, you know it is bad. The less sarcastic answer is to look at the small tube inside the bulb. If the tube has a dark or even a black color to it, that means it is dead and will not work.

HPS lamps require ballasts to regulate the arc current flow and deliver the proper voltage to the arc. … Instead, an electronic starting circuit within the ballast generates a high-voltage pulse to the operating electrodes.

A high pressure sodium lamp cycling on and off usually indicates the lamp has reached the end of its normal life.

Testing Method Ensure the power socket is switched off and plug the energy meter into it. Plug your ballast into the energy meter. Connect the reflector and lamp to the ballast. Turn the power on; allow the system to warm up for at least 30 minutes.

High pressure sodium bulbs (“lamps”) are an old standby for lighting that’s still used today in spite of so much talk of LED lights. … LEDs, however, are better able to control their light, which is why a lower-watt LED can replace a higher-watt high pressure sodium bulb.

If the ballast is good, an analog multimeter has a needle that will sweep to the right across the measuring scale. If the ballast is bad, then the needle won’t move. If you’re using a digital multimeter, often the digital readout will possibly list a “1” when it doesn’t find a measurable resistance.

Fluorescent lamps use a ballast which transforms line voltage to a voltage to start up and operate the lamp(s). Newer fluorescent ballasts are usually rated for both 120 volts and 277 volts. Some are rated for only 120 volts, others for only 277 volts (used in commercial environments).

Test the ballast’s voltage with a multimeter. Attach the multimeter’s leads to the sockets at the ends of the ballast. If the reading is not between five and nine volts, replace the ballast. Adjust the multimeter to measure frequency and replace the ballast if the reading is not between 20 and 50 kilohertz.

1. Flickering. …
2. Buzzing. …
3. Delayed start. …
4. Low output. …
5. Inconsistent lighting levels. …
6. Switch to an electronic ballast, keep lamp. …
7. Switch to an electronic ballast, switch to a T8 fluorescent.

Light. A sodium vapor lamp is a lamp that uses sodium to create light. … Voltage runs to the light through a ballast, which regulates the current.

Color rendering for High Pressure Sodium lights is slightly improved (HPS lights emit a yellow to white light) but it is still much worse than other types of lamps.

Both Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium bulbs are part of the HID family of bulbs. … These bulbs cannot be interchanged without changing their ballast, the regulating element in all light bulbs. Their operation is a bit different and they therefore require different ballasts.

The HPS ballasts differ from the mercury/metal halide ballasts in that a high-voltage (2500 volts) low-power pulse is required to strike the arc and start the HPS lamp. So a starting circuit is introduced to generate and direct this pulse.

High pressure sodium fixtures are not as energy efficiency as LEDs. In fact, LED bulbs use between 40-75% less electricity than a HPS fixture.

Signs that a Metal Halide light bulb or ballast needs replaced: The lamp appears to be a different color, or are turning pink.

Check the ballast output with a voltage tester. Turn on the lamp and touch the ends of the tester leads to the lamp electrodes with the bulb in place, then remove the bulb and make the same test. You should get voltage readings in both cases that agree with the output specified on the label.

1. Buzzing. If you hear a strange sound coming from your bulbs or light fixture, like a buzzing or humming noise, that’s often a sign your ballast is going. …
2. Dimming or flickering. …
3. No lights at all. …
4. Changing colors. …
5. Swollen casing. …
6. Burn marks. …
7. Water damage. …
8. Leaking oil.

Phasing out A number of popular lighting types will have to be phased out by 2017 including selected ‘standard’ high-pressure sodium (including retrofit), high-pressure mercury, and standard performance metal halide.

70 Watt. 70-watt HPS bulbs provide between 6300 and 7000 lumens of light in frosted and clear options.

Replacement of Exterior Incandescent and Mercury Vapor. Incandescent and mercury vapor lamps in exterior locations should be replaced with metal halide, high-pressure sodium and/or low-pressure sodium lamps. If color is important, metal halide lamps are a good option.

1. Remove the Cover. Remove the lens, or diffuser cover, from the fixture. …
2. Remove the Fluorescent Tubes. Remove the light bulbs (fluorescent tubes). …
3. Remove the Cover Plate. …
4. Disconnect the Ballast Wires. …
5. Remove the Ballast. …
6. Prepare the Wires. …
7. Mount the New Ballast. …
8. Dispose of the Old Ballast.

If no markings are available, the size in diameter of the tube is the easiest way to determine the type you have installed. T8 tubes are 1-inch in diameter and T12 tubes are 1 1/2 -inch.

According to the Certified Ballast Manufacturers Association, the average magnetic ballast lasts about 75,000 hours, or 12 to 15 years with normal use. The optimum economic life of a fluorescent lighting system with magnetic ballasts is usually about 15 years.

The ballast itself can go bad, which causes lights to flicker or even appear to be burnt out, when in fact they aren’t. They require maintenance and energy to power, on top of the power used to light the fluorescent bulb. They are a large part of the equation when using fluorescent lamps.

1. Step 1: Disconnect All Power So There is No Electrical Current. …
2. Step 2: Find the Ballast. …
3. Step 3: Locate and Cut Only the Hot and Neutral Wires. …
4. Step 4: Cut the Socket Lead Wires. …
5. Step 5: Remove the Ballast (if you wish) …
6. Step 6: Connect the Wires. …
7. Step 7: Reattach Any Coverings and Turn On.

If your fluorescent bulbs flicker, most likely the problem is with the bulb itself. If the bulb is very dark on either end, it may be defective and burned out. The best way to test the functionality of a bulb is to put it into a fixture you know works. … Flickering fluorescent lights can also be a result of temperature.

Most fluorescent types are T5, T8, and T12. The T stands for tubular and the number provides the diameter in 1/8 of an inch. Lamp diameter is determined by ballast type. Therefore, a T12 ballast must use a T12 bulb.

You can determine whether you have a compatible fixture in seconds. Simply turn the light on, then take a photo of the fixture using your smartphone or digital camera. If there are no dark bands on the resulting image, you have an electronic ballast that will work with direct drop-in LED tubes.

Without a ballast to limit its current, a fluorescent lamp connected directly to a high voltage power source would rapidly and uncontrollably increase its current draw. … Once the arc is established, the ballast quickly reduces the voltage and regulates the electric current to produce a steady light output.

If you use a wrong sized ballast the LRC will not be tuned so you are likely to not start the lamp at all. There is the possibility of burning out components pre-maturely also due to overcurrent and overvoltage conditions particularly if using a larger ballast on a smaller fixture.

1. Check the ends of the tube. If they appear darkened this indicates the bulb is burned out.
2. Rotate the tube in the fixture if the bulb is not darkened on either end.
3. Remove the bulb from the fixture if the bulb is still not illuminating.