# Hid question



## Surge03 (Sep 23, 2012)

I recently ran into some 100 watt Mercury vapor lamps and contacted my vendor and he sent me M90 metal halide ballast with 100 watt Mercury vapor lamps. He said they will work fine but I thought the ansi numbers had to match ballast to lamp, is this correct?


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

Surge03 said:


> I recently ran into some 100 watt Mercury vapor lamps and contacted my vendor and he sent me M90 metal halide ballast with 100 watt Mercury vapor lamps. He said they will work fine but I thought the ansi numbers had to match ballast to lamp, is this correct?


That ballast should have a duel ANSI rating M90/H38-----H38 is the 100 watt mercury vapor lamp..


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## Surge03 (Sep 23, 2012)

Black Dog said:


> That ballast should have a duel ANSI rating M90/H38-----H38 is the 100 watt mercury vapor lamp..


It does not, just M90 on ballast and have h38 lamps.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

doesn't sound right.


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## Surge03 (Sep 23, 2012)

wildleg said:


> doesn't sound right.


That's what I figured, I emailed my vendor to show me documintation that this will work but no reply yet.


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## Surge03 (Sep 23, 2012)

Surge03 said:


> That's what I figured, I emailed my vendor to show me documintation that this will work but no reply yet.


Just received an email saying it should work but couldn't find any documintation it will work lol
and that he can not even purchase Mercury vapor ballast here in CA


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## stlchuck (Jan 9, 2009)

no it won't work properly, M90 metal halide is a pulse start lamp, mercury vapor is probe start.
Probe start MH ballasts will operate the same wattage mercury lamp no problem,(often times the ballast is dual listed for both types) however it won't work the other way around, a mercury ballast (assuming you could find one) willnot light the MH lamp because the open circuit voltage is lower.


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