# Problem with HPS light



## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Maybe the lamp? :whistling2:

What is an 'advanced electrician'?


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

> I've changed the ballast, igniter, and capacitor with no effect.


:laughing:



Lighting 101.

HPS lamps cycle when they are bad.


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## jhunt (Aug 28, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Maybe the lamp? :whistling2:
> 
> What is an 'advanced electrician'?


I've also tried changing the bulb.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Step 2: Verify the proper combination of ballast, capacitor and lamp.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

Is it multi-tap?


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Is there a photocell involved in this setup??

If there is, bypass it and see what happens :thumbsup:


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## jhunt (Aug 28, 2009)

Black4Truck said:


> Is there a photocell involved in this setup??
> 
> If there is, bypass it and see what happens :thumbsup:


There is a photocell and the lights that are giving problems still turn on and off when it is bypassed. 

I don't believe that this is a multi-tap setup.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

how many lights total?

Are they going off at the same time or different times??


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

sounds like wrong bulbs and they are resetting on thermal overload


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

jhunt said:


> .............I don't believe that this is a multi-tap setup.


You replaced the ballasts and don't know if they were multi-tap?


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## jhunt (Aug 28, 2009)

Black4Truck said:


> how many lights total?
> 
> Are they going off at the same time or different times??


There are 38 lights total. 18 of them are having this issue. 

When the photocell is bypassed they all come on and the ones that are shutting off are doing so at different times. There doesn't seem to be a pattern that they follow as far as a group of them turning off at the same time.


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

> I've also tried changing the bulb


Try again. Make sure you use the proper lamp and make sure it's a good lamp. A bad new lamp is not impossible. A bad lamp that somebody gave you and said was new is not out of the queation either.


HPS lamp cycle when they are bad. That's what they do.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

How are you controlling the lights?

How many circuits.. lighting contactor??


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

OK. Let's go back to the very beginning and establish a baseline here.

What caused you to do this work on the fixtures? Were they not working at all? Or were they cycling then as they are now?

What did you do first? Replace the lamp? Replace the ballast kits? Replace both?

AND:_ Are the ballast kits multi-tap or not?_


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

> OK. Let's go back to the very beginning and establish a baseline here.


Information *is *important.:thumbsup:

My guess is that they just let the lights go several years unmaintained and wound up with 18 cycling lamps scattered around. Then he relaced one of them with an old lamp found in the maintenance room that "looked good" then moved on to the ballast etc.

I'm just guessing because I don't have the full story.

1. Verify the type of lamp needed. The name plate on the fixture may be incorrect. I learned that the hard way.

2. Start replacing (more than one of) them.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

I am guessing this problem is at the end of a long wire run. The symptoms point to excessive voltage drop due to the long run and/or bad connections. As one light turns on it changes the load and may drop another light because they are fighting for power.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

My money is riding on he's got multi-tap ballasts and didn't hook up the right leads.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

480sparky said:


> My money is riding on he's got multi-tap ballasts and didn't hook up the right leads.


He didn't even say what voltage he is using

(38) 400 watt fixtures is roughly 85 amps @ 208V during start up

I am guessing the start up wattage is around 450 per fixture


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

How is it possible to replace the ballast and not know if it's multi-tap?


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

mcclary's electrical said:


> How is it possible to replace the ballast and not know if it's multi-tap?


That's why I hedged my bets that direction.


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

> I am guessing this problem is at the end of a long wire run. The symptoms point to excessive voltage drop due to the long run and/or bad connections. As one light turns on it changes the load and may drop another light because they are fighting for power


Key word.....guessing. That's a stretch :blink:

He's got a bunch-o-bad lamps.:jester:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

220/221 said:


> .........He's got a bunch-o-bad lamps.:jester:





Black4Truck said:


> ..........I am guessing the start up wattage is around 450 per fixture





480sparky said:


> My money is riding on he's got multi-tap ballasts and didn't hook up the right leads.





drsparky said:


> I am guessing this problem is at the end of a long wire run. ............





wildleg said:


> sounds like wrong bulbs and they are resetting on thermal overload


Sounds like we've got enough interest in starting a 'pool'. :laughing: $5 to buy in. Anyone?


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

depends if some hack named Peter wired the "pool" :laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

I reckon we skeered 'im off, boys.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

It was that really ridiculous hard question you asked about the ballast being "multi -tap" :blink::laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Black4Truck said:


> It was that really ridiculous hard question you asked about the ballast being "multi -tap" :blink::laughing:


 
T'weren't me, Pa. It wuz one of dem McClary boys.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Next time a Newbie has a problem, we should make him wait till he has 25 posts before trying to help him. :no:

All that forensic engineering trying to fix his problem and he bails :blink:

I think he was over his head once he changed a light bulb :laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Black4Truck said:


> ...............I think he was over his head once he changed a light bulb :laughing:


 
Lefty-Loosie/Righty-Tighty was too much?:001_huh:


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Lefty-Loosie/Righty-Tighty was too much?:001_huh:


 
:laughing::laughing::laughing::thumbsup:


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## Greg (Aug 1, 2007)

My money is on the lamps. 38 lights, around here they would be either 277vac or 480vac, that's why all I carry on the bucket truck are 5 tap ballasts. If his ballasts, cap, and ignitor didn't come pre-wired, he could have mis-wired them.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Black4Truck said:


> depends if some hack named Peter wired the "pool" :laughing:


I don't wire pools. I know my limitations of hackery. :laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Peter D said:


> I don't wire pools. I know my limitations of hackery. :laughing:


Really? Then why are you and your girlfriend working on this pool light?











:laughing:


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Really? Then why are you and your girlfriend working on this pool light?


Hey, I needed the money. Cut me some slack. A bucket truck would have been way too expensive anyway.


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## RePhase277 (Feb 5, 2008)

Peter D said:


> I don't wire pools. I know my limitations of hackery. :laughing:


I really need to read your comprehensive tome of hacking and jackleggery, because I didn't even know there was a limit to hackery..:blink:


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

InPhase277 said:


> I really need to read your comprehensive tome of hacking and jackleggery, because I didn't even know there was a limit to hackery..:blink:


Yes, you'll notice I said I didn't _wire_ pools. I said nothing about the use of scrap extension cords, however. :thumbsup:


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## jhunt (Aug 28, 2009)

I didn't have to bail, just had to go home for the evening. Today is another day and the problem is still here. 

BTW, this is an issue with the lights where I work and we are trying to get it figured out. I am NOT an electrician which is why I searched out a forum to find advice from people who are. Sorry if my ignorance is a problem for everyone here 

One of the guys that works here is studying to become an electrician and he is the one that's doing to work. I'm trying to help track down the problem.

Back on topic, the ballasts are multi tap but everything is wired correctly and has not been changed from their original configuration. 

The problem actually started when a third party had "worked on" the lights and the issues are probably stemming from something he/they did. 

The setup is that there are 38 400w lights spread across the four sides of the building. There are only two photo cells that are controlling all of the lights. The thought is that the person that worked on it might have taken off one or more of the photo cells. What the plan today is to figure out for sure if and where the photo cell(s) were removed and replace them. 

What is the possibility of running 38 400 watt lights off of only 2 2000w photo cells? We talked to a local electrician and they didn't know how the lights were working at all with this setup. 

Sorry for the newbie post


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Peter D said:


> Yes, you'll notice I said I didn't _wire_ pools. I said nothing about the use of scrap extension cords, however. :thumbsup:


Then you could say the pool was..........













I got it!..................























Wait for it!.....................


















































Peterbilt! :laughing:


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Then you could say the pool was..........
> 
> Peterbilt! :laughing:


Precisely! :thumbup:


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## RePhase277 (Feb 5, 2008)

jhunt said:


> I didn't have to bail, just had to go home for the evening. Today is another day and the problem is still here.


Two photcells don't control the lights directly. They probably pull in a couple of contactors that control the lights. Are you sure the ballasts are wired correctly? They usually have two "common" wires which are internally connected inside the transformer. One goes to a supply conductor, and the other to the screw shell of the lamp holder. I have seen them mis-wired on occasion.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

Why aint the guy studying to be an electrician posting the questions.


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## cobra50 (Aug 12, 2009)

1. Change all 38 lamps with new
2. Throw away the 18 that are cycling
3. Save the 20 lamps that are not cycling for spares


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

cobra50 said:


> 1. Change all 38 lamps with new
> 2. Throw away the 18 that are cycling
> 3. Save the 20 lamps that are not cycling for spares


So are you saying it's the bulbs? :blink:


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## cobra50 (Aug 12, 2009)

John Valdes said:


> So are you saying it's the bulbs? :blink:


I'm saying that he has to start with the lamps and take from there.I know the lamps are lot of $$, but he is spending a lot labor finding the problem.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

My money is now on "We will never know".


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## metoo (May 5, 2012)

jhunt said:


> I've got an issue with some HPS lights (Lithonia Hi-Tek TWH 400S TB) where they shut off after about 5 min of use. They come back on a few minutes later, but they keep cycling on and off. They usually take about a minute after shutting off to turn back on.
> 
> I've changed the ballast, igniter, and capacitor with no effect. I've also talked to Lithonia support, but they don't have any further options to try.
> 
> ...


http://www.americanintegrityelectri...hooting guide RT-8100-R02_1209_HIDPcktGde.pdf


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## Mobius87 (May 20, 2019)

N..n..n...n...n...necropost!


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## readydave8 (Sep 20, 2009)

480sparky said:


> My money is now on "We will never know".


I know you said that a long time ago, so far appears true


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

I bet they're LED's now. 🤣


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