high pressure sodium lamps

Though I don't remember the specifics I know about 2 years ago we had I think a similar situation and I know we ended up getting a new fixture. I had to remind them of that--they don't remember the specifics either.

What do you think would make a fixture go bad in 2 years?

Do you know of any way to test to see if it's the fixture or bulb w/o getting a new bulb? The bulbs don't check with continuity like incandesents. I don't know if to dare put a test meter in the socket the bulb screws into or not.

I put up the new lamp last night. I did some testing as well. I put the bulb from the old lamp in the new lamp and it lights. I put the bulb from the new lamp in the old lamp and it doesn"t come on.

I just can"t figure why this is the second lamp to go bad in 2.5 years. I"m really not sure how to test the inner workings of the lamp to see what part is bad. I might be inclined to fix the lamp if I could. I kinda like to know exactly what went bad. There are only about 2 parts in it. A transformer and a round thingie with, I think, two wires coming out of it. I don"t remember any other parts.

Well, I guess we"ll see how long this one lasts.

As I posted before, once you find out what those items cost, when purchased individually, you'll appreciate the cost of a new fixture!

I just had to say that, as the very thing you hate about the HPS light is the very thing my parents like about it vs. MV.

The trouble is, the photo conrol is $6.00 to $10.00, the HPS lamp is $15.00 to $25.00, the ballast is $30 to $40, and the ignitor is $30 to $50, if purchased as replacement parts.

Yet, you can buy a complete fixture on sale for $18 to $30 at discount home improvement stores, such as Home Depot, Menard's, or Lowes.

Not really cost effective to waste too much time troubleshooting, and replacing parts at those prices!

Between my home, my farm, the shop, and my Church, I maintain about eleven of those fixtures.

When I see a unit on sale at one of the above-mentioned stores, I buy one or two, and then simply replace the cheaper, basic fixtures when one fails, or use the inividual parts from the cheap basic fixtures that come on sale to replace parts in the fancy units at the Church.

I have standardized all these units to 70 Watts, so I can use common parts between all of them.

If you use the bulb, and possibly one other part from an $18 or $25 fixture, the parts are cheap, compared to buying the individually.