It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 8:49 am

All times are UTC






Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 16 posts ] 


Author Message
PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 5:07 pm 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:27 pm
Posts: 1814
Images: 200
Earlier this year the Z9454 outside my house failed to light up, at a time where a few other Z9454s in the street failed to light up. It must have been coming up to a bulk lamp change with lots of lamps failing in quick succession. All faults were rectified in quite quick succession, and the Z9454 outside my house shone brightly once again.

A few weeks ago the Z9454 outside my house failed again. It had not been lighting up for a few weeks, but last night I noticed that it was working again. However, tonight it is not working again, so we've only had one night of illumination in the past few weeks. I'm guessing the failure is something other than the lamp given that it lit up last night but not tonight. The second outage in a year could have been explained by poor quality lamps or similar, but what has happened over the past couple of nights is more difficult to explain.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 5:31 pm 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:10 pm
Posts: 1529
Images: 12
Funny you should mention that.

I've had an issue with an almost new 90w lamp I got from York. It will not work in my Z9455 but lights no problem in the Industria Tunnel Lantern.

Maybe the strike voltage isn't high enough in the Z9455 to start the lamp.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:09 pm 
Offline
Site Administration
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:38 pm
Posts: 3402
Images: 27
Location: Salisbury
I have a 90w lamp that only works on ignitor gear and not leak gear, probably as its near the end of its life and ignitor gear tends to have a higher strike voltage.

Back in Hampshire I know of another streetlight that was relamped less than a year ago but has failed again.

As for sotonsteve's 9454, I wonder if the relatively mild (if a bit wet and windy)weather last night meant the lamp was able to strike, where as a colder day it may not have. I have also seen end of life lamps strike, run up and then go out after an hour or so. This can happen on ignitor gear when the lamp voltage rises enough to cause the ignitor to kick back in. This can cause the lamp to cycle - similar thing happens often with SON lamps. The ignitor relies on the lamp voltage being below a certain level to ensure the ignitor switches out of circuit once/if the lamp is struck.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:50 pm 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:10 pm
Posts: 1529
Images: 12
The one I have looks relatively new and has a date of 06/08 written on the cap.

Initial thoughs are that it failed for some reason in the lantern it was in originally. There's no splutter or black rings round the ark tube and the emissive coating is visible on the electrodes.

I've had it burning for around 80 mins now and it draws around 120w. It also illuminates with that very vivid old school neon red colour and gradually goes different shades of red-orange when warming up to the SOX orange. Tube is a Radium, red cap.

Kinda reminiscent of my childhood years watching them warm up.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:08 pm 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:27 pm
Posts: 1814
Images: 200
It's lit up this evening, so let's see how long it lasts this time.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 9:39 pm 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:54 pm
Posts: 2977
Images: 210
There's a lantern near to Huddersfield Bus Station which keep flickering then stops, I'm wondering if this is due to a faulty ballast as its a WTRL MRL6 running SON? I can recall it not being lit for a week before now.

_________________
From streetlighting to radio, dance through the night whilst the streetlights are glowing outside.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:19 am 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:52 pm
Posts: 119
Images: 0
The MI50 across the road from me went out for an hour last night between 12 and 1 but it did come back on again for the rest of the night. I can't really understand why it went off and the only explanation i can give for it is that the moon was quite bright and so the photocell might have thought it was day rather than the middle of the night.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 8:50 am 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:27 pm
Posts: 1814
Images: 200
Urbis Saturn Land wrote:
There's a lantern near to Huddersfield Bus Station which keep flickering then stops, I'm wondering if this is due to a faulty ballast as its a WTRL MRL6 running SON? I can recall it not being lit for a week before now.


That just sounds like a lamp at the end of its life. Flickering is one of the failure modes of a SON lamp.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 8:57 am 
Offline
Site Administration
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:38 pm
Posts: 3402
Images: 27
Location: Salisbury
Lampman wrote:
The MI50 across the road from me went out for an hour last night between 12 and 1 but it did come back on again for the rest of the night. I can't really understand why it went off and the only explanation i can give for it is that the moon was quite bright and so the photocell might have thought it was day rather than the middle of the night.

I would have thought a faulty lamp or control gear. Moonlight is not bright enough to trigger photocells.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:42 pm 
Offline
Member
Random avatar

Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:49 pm
Posts: 814
Images: 108
Lampman wrote:
The MI50 across the road from me went out for an hour last night between 12 and 1 but it did come back on again for the rest of the night. I can't really understand why it went off and the only explanation i can give for it is that the moon was quite bright and so the photocell might have thought it was day rather than the middle of the night.


Weird! In contrast, by my dad's there is a 1990s Beta 5 which switches on as soon as it gets slightly cloudy! Only been doing that recently though, I'd assume a bird may have splatted on the photocell.

_________________
"I used to rule the world... Now I sweep the streets I used to own."
Remembering GEC.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by  


Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 16 posts ] 

All times are UTC



You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests



Search for:

cron