# Outdoor 3-phase lights have value?



## kurtb (Oct 25, 2020)

Hi there,
I'm new to this forum, and honestly not an electrician. My father passed away and I'm cleaning out our family business's warehouse since we've sold our land and will be closing the business. We have a bunch of old 3-phase outdoor lights from when our 9-hole Par 3 golf course was lit for night time play back in the 70s. I know this is old and inefficient technology, but I'm wondering if these massive lights have any value and could be put to use/rewired or are they scrap metal? Each light is maybe 1'x3'x3'
Thank you for any info you can provide. 
Kurt
Cedarburg, WI


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## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

EBay. Search for something similar. If the price looks good list it. If not scrap them. Search in sold not listing. You want to see what is selling if anything.

Few people are going to be capable of using 3 phase lighting and those that do usually buy new. So it’s a very exclusive market which is why EBay will be your best bet.

Don’t forget the something like 25% up front and the shipping charge will be very high,


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

If you're lucky you'll find the product's no longer available from the manufacturer, but there are still people using them that want compatible replacement and are shopping for them on eBay. 

Even if there are people out there, it could sit there a long time before one of them needs to order. It could take years to sell them all.


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## Norcal (Mar 22, 2007)

3 phase lighting? Lights are single phase. As to the OP's question, if they are mercury vapor MV, scrap them, but if metal halide MH, or high pressure sodium HPS, someone might want them, but scrap is the best & quickest way to move them out.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

If they are porcelain then they might have greater value. 
eBay is a spot or check that antique guy from TV, antique roadshow. 
I've seen some fixtures I've tossed that had better value and I should have sold them.

But the scrap yard or an local antique dealer is the quickest way.


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## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

For what you will get for scrap, I would at least _try_ and sell them. If I were closer I would take them for what you would get for scrap.

Send a picture to some local contractors. You never know.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

It's a longshot but another way to go, search for the product online and see if there's anyone selling it on the secondary market, see what they're selling them for, you might find someone that will take the whole lot.


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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

Scrap or set design for movies


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

Sometimes if there's an LED bulb that will fit without much rewiring work involved, someone will value them.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

Norcal said:


> 3 phase lighting? Lights are single phase. As to the OP's question, if they are mercury vapor MV, scrap them, but if metal halide MH, or high pressure sodium HPS, someone might want them, but scrap is the best & quickest way to move them out.


Yeah, 70s vintage they are either MV or maybe Low Pressure Sodium, that obnoxious orange lighting from back then. HPS and MH didn’t come along until about 1979-1980. If they were on a golf course, most likely Mercury Vapor and nobody will want them now. Although you can still buy MV bulbs for replacement, the ballasts for the fixtures have been banned since 2008 to try to stop people from using them because of the lamps containing mercury.


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## Norcal (Mar 22, 2007)

JRaef said:


> Yeah, 70s vintage they are either MV or maybe Low Pressure Sodium, that obnoxious orange lighting from back then. HPS and MH didn’t come along until about 1979-1980. If they were on a golf course, most likely Mercury Vapor and nobody will want them now. Although you can still buy MV bulbs for replacement, the ballasts for the fixtures have been banned since 2008 to try to stop people from using them because of the lamps containing mercury.


LPS lamps are fairly long, as in hugely long so pretty doubtful those fixtures are LPS, I still think their best value is scrap but to get any money as scrap they would need to be taken apart as AL scrap prices are in the toilet, so dirty aluminum is only pennies per pound.


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## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

I'm a scrapping addict. I would still try to sell them as fixtures first.


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## kurtb (Oct 25, 2020)

Thanks for the info everyone. I had a feeling scrap was the best way, but wanted to make sure. I'm going to take one in and see what they'll give me for it and if there's any environmental hazards that need to be dealt with first.
Thank you,
Kurt


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## tmessner (Apr 1, 2013)

My grandkids make about 10.00$ scrapping old mh fixtures. They have it down to science as to how they take them apart. Ballast, sheet al, copper, zinc. Grandpa hauls it over nothing lol.


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

People do collect them, especially MV, but they are generally not worth very much, even to collectors


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## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

kurtb said:


> Hi there,
> I'm new to this forum, and honestly not an electrician. My father passed away and I'm cleaning out our family business's warehouse since we've sold our land and will be closing the business. We have a bunch of old 3-phase outdoor lights from when our 9-hole Par 3 golf course was lit for night time play back in the 70s. I know this is old and inefficient technology, but I'm wondering if these massive lights have any value and could be put to use/rewired or are they scrap metal? Each light is maybe 1'x3'x3'
> Thank you for any info you can provide.
> Kurt
> ...


Sports lighting is hideously expensive. Open one fixture and get the MFG and model number. The voltage for the fixture is REAL important to know. I have never seen a 3 phase light.
Then google it. 
I will bet there are 1000's of places just like yours across the country. Then there is the insane horse people who want daylight to ride at night.
A PEARL vendor might want them in mass. ( Professional Electrical Apparatus Reconditioning League ) I used to get monthly periodicals from vendors selling recycled electrical inventory.
Like others have said scrap them if they are mercury vapor. 
From what I see in the pic, they look like the fixtures we used for ball field and airport parking lighting.

If your interested send me a pm about your tractor in the pic. Model number shown it should be a diesel with a front end loader. It is a 3 day drive for me hauling the trailer.


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

unless you know someone with a stadium or football/soccer field or race track where they have three phase power going to lighting , the only other place may be warehouses.
but with people going to led's for lower voltages it might be better to scrap them
but put the word out and sell them low enough someone may just scarf them all up.


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