Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - Mercury Vapor Fixture

Need help with outdoor mercury vapor fixture. Thought bulb was out, but replacement bulb did not work either. Switch seems to test live, so I'm guessing problem is with fixture itself. Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this?

Either a photo-cell or the ballast.

Is this the type of light?
http://h.atgimg.com/img/l/96/10591_family.jpg

More likely photocell failure. but somecase ballast failure as well.


For photocell failure it will go either stuck on or stuck off in failure mode.

However there one major gotcha now due the energy requirements the replacement Mercury Vapour ballast and dusk to dawn luminaires is no longer avavilbe now will have choose either CFL { IIRC about 65 or 120 watts } or Metal Halide it do come in either 70 or 100 watts verison { there is bigger one avable but hard to snag unless you get commercal grade lumainare }

or go with HPS { High Pressure Soduim } that will give out yellow/orangeish colour and they do come in slews of wattages { 35,50,70,100 ,150 } ( the latter three is common used in DTD luminaries )


as long that luminarie what Wirenut show you which it is very common one but if diffrent style let us know we can able guide ya there.

Merci,Marc

The light is a Regent SMV80W, and Marc, I was having some trouble following your post - so back to figuring this out - what do I need to do to test this fixture.

http://www.castlewholesalers.com/media/232SMV80t

If it turns off/on with a photo-cell test/check/replace it. If it's getting power and doesn't work, it's the ballast.

If it's the ballast, and has a regular base bulb, I would bypass the ballast and just screw in a compact fluorescent bulb.