Both Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium bulbs are part of the HID family of bulbs. The primary visual difference between them is that metal halide light is white and the light emitted from a High Pressure Sodium bulb is amber orange. These bulbs cannot be interchanged without changing their ballast, the regulating element in all light bulbs.
Are metal halide and low pressure sodium bulbs interchangeable?
As a general rule of thumb, Low pressure sodium bulbs are not interchangeable with Metal Halide bulbs. The ballasts are tuned to specific bulb types and specific wattages. Low pressure Sodium bulbs have a higher lumen output and longer life, they also give off less glare.
What is a metal-halide lamp?
A metal-halide lamp is an electrical lamp that produces light by an electric arc through a gaseous mixture of vaporized mercury and metal halides (compounds of metals with bromine or iodine ). It is a type of high-intensity discharge (HID) gas discharge lamp.
What are metal halide light bulbs made of?
And the outer bulb is generally made of borosilicate glass and helps to minimize the amount of UV (ultraviolet) radiation that is generated when the MH lamp is turned on. Some lamps may also use a phosphor coating on the outer bulb to help with this as well. The basis for the metal halide lamp starts all the way back in 1912.
What is the difference between a metal halide and mercury vapor lamp?
A metal halide lamp is a type of HID (high-intensity discharge) lamp. Mercury vapor lamps are also a type of HID lamp. In a nutshell, a MH lamp works when an electrical arc goes through a gaseous mix, creating light. With a metal halide lamp, that mix of gases will normally include mercury, xenon or argon,...
Will a metal halide bulb work in a HPS fixture?
short answer is no. what's the wattage of the HPS ballast? The socket voltage and amps are different for the two. 400W HPS is 175-225, but the current is much higher.
What can I replace a metal halide bulb with?
A 400 watt metal halide bulb can be replaced with a 200 watt LED. A 100 watt metal halide can be replaced with a 50 watt LED. Implementing an LED replacement program should result in a 50% reduction in annual energy use (kWh) costs. It may also lower electric demand (kW) charges.
What is the difference between MH and HPS bulbs?
MH lamps provide a more natural appearance in color and are typically the choice for plants that have little to no natural light available. High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps provide more yellow/red spectrum, which is ideal for most plants that are actively fruiting and flowering.
Can you put a metal halide bulb in a regular light fixture?
This is why a metal halide bulb will not work in a standard household lighting fixture — aside from the fact that the larger E39 base will not fit. Similarly, a standard incandescent bulb would never be able to withstand the ballast voltage in a metal halide fixture.
Can I put an LED bulb in a high pressure sodium fixture?
Good news: yes, you can! There are a number of LED solutions on the market today to make upgrading to LED simple, whether it's office lighting or high-power parking lot lights you're looking to make more efficient and get a longer operating life out of.
Do metal halide bulbs require ballast?
Metal halide (MH) ballasts are required to start the lamp, regulate the lamp starting and lamp operating currents, and provide appropriate sustaining supply voltage.
Will metal halide lamps work with high pressure sodium ballast?
The primary visual difference between them is that metal halide light is white and the light emitted from a High Pressure Sodium bulb is amber orange. These bulbs cannot be interchanged without changing their ballast, the regulating element in all light bulbs.
Which is better metal halide or high pressure sodium?
Metal halide is much less efficient than high pressure sodium--MH produces much less light per watt; MH produces more glare due to the blue light component and increases adaptation time; MH more effectively shuts off melatonin production which can trigger tumor growth; MH contains more mercury within the bulbs; MH ...
Which is better MH or HPS?
In addition, HPS lights provide higher light intensity (lumens) than MH. This can be around 25-40% more lumens/watt than MH lights of the same wattage, and when it comes to flowering; the more light – the better the results.
Do high pressure sodium bulbs need a ballast?
HPS lamps require ballasts to regulate the arc current flow and deliver the proper voltage to the arc. HPS lamps do not contain starting electrodes. Instead, an electronic starting circuit within the ballast generates a high-voltage pulse to the operating electrodes.
What is the average life of a metal halide lamp?
6,000 hours to 15,000 hoursMetal Halide lights have an better lifespan relative to old technology like incandescent lights but they have a short lifespan compared to LED. Typical lifespan values range from 6,000 hours to 15,000 hours before a bulb requires replacement.
Do high pressure sodium lights use a lot of electricity?
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.
What is a halogen lamp?
Halogen lamps are filament lamps that use the fact that a tungsten halide is volatile, so it boils off the filament slowly. It also decomposes in high heat, so a thinned portion of the filament that is hotter gets a little tungsten plated on it, to reinforce it.
What is an arc in a sodium lamp?
An arc in a sodium lamp is a very low resistance path = thousands of watts will flow. A ballast is an inductive current limiter whose inductive reactance limits the current. Each ballast is made for a certain wattage bulb, and will not support a parallel bulb.
Why are metal halide lamps used?
Because of their numerous advantages , metal halide lamps are used extensively in outdoor applications and in commercial interiors. Sodium Lamps: High-pressure sodium sources were developed primarily for their energy efficiency.
What is high pressure sodium lamp?
High-pressure sodium lamps render colors poorly, which tends to limit their use to outdoor and industrial applications where high efficacy and long life are priorities. Since these lamps produce light at only one wavelength in the yellow region of the spectrum, they are used where energy efficiency and long life are the only requirements. ...
What are the different types of HID lamps?
There are three main types of HID lamps: mercury vapor, metal halide and sodium. The names refer to the elements that are added to the gases in the arc stream which cause each type to have somewhat different color characteristics and overall lamp efficiency.
What is the most energy efficient source of white light?
Metal Halide Lamps: Metal halide lamps are among the most energy efficient sources of white light available today. These lamps feature special chemical compounds known as “halides” that produce light in most regions of the spectrum.
Do HID lamps need a ballast?
Ballasts and Warm-Up Time: Like any gaseous discharge light source, HID lamps have special electrical requirements that must be supplied by a ballast. With HID sources, however, the ballast must be specifically designed for the lamp type and wattage being used.
Why are metal halide lamps so good?
Metal halide lamps are great because of their vivid white "natural" light that they emit. With LEDs, there really is no such thing as "white light". You have to use a number of different colors to eventually get white light. This means sometimes the light can be too blue. Shop LED Replacements for Metal Halides.
What is metal halide?
Metal halides are produced as a result of combining halogen with a metal. In metal halide lamps, that is normally metals that have been mixed with iodine or bromine. Additionally, the type of metal halides used helps determine the color temperature of the light emitted. The MH lamp itself is built with two main sections -- the outer bulb and ...
What causes a metal halide lamp to turn white?
Things are now heating up, causing the metal halides to turn into gas. The metal halide atoms begin to move away from the arc, and in doing so white light is created. Metal Halide Lamps Are Made With Rugged Materials. Being this entire process is rather intense, the MH lamp needs materials that can withstand it.
What is a mercury vapor lamp?
Mercury vapor lamps are also a type of HID lamp. In a nutshell, a MH lamp works when an electrical arc goes through a gaseous mix, creating light. With a metal halide lamp, that mix of gases will normally include mercury, xenon or argon, and a variety of metal halides. Metal halides are produced as a result of combining halogen with a metal.
How long does it take for a metal halide lamp to warm up?
Warm Up Time -- With the way an MH lamp operates, when you turn it on it can't just automatically begin to emit light -- it requires a warm up period, which can take anywhere from 1 to 15 minutes. And if the lamp is completely cold, it may take a bit of time to get going.
What is MH lamp?
Since the 1960s, the metal halide ( MH) lamp has been a used as a viable light source for a number of applications, from illuminating sports fields, to parking lots and street lighting, to general indoor lighting for retail stores and factories. Their ability to emit a vividly white light, plus their long light life and tripled luminous efficacy ...
How long does a MH lamp last?
This is usually between 15,000-20,000 hours. Lots of Colors -- MH lamps produce a much whiter, more "natural" light to begin with. However, with the ability to use different metal halides, MH lamps are able to come in a wide variety of colors and color temperatures. Energy Efficiency -- When compared to incandescents and other older lighting ...
