Asked by: Tornike Campante
home and garden indoor environmental quality

What is the difference between metal halide and mercury vapor?

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The metal halide lamp is very similar in construction to the mercury vapor lamp. The major difference is that the metal halide lamp contains various metal halide additives in addition to mercury vapor. Ballasts designed specifically for metal halide lamps must be used.


Herein, will metal halide work in mercury vapor?

Through research I have found that mercury vapor bulbs can be used in metal halide fixtures but a metal halide bulb cannot be used in a mercury vapor fixture. Co-worker says that's hog wash and knows a number of electricians that use MH bulbs in a MV fixture with supposedly good results.

Also Know, what is the difference between sodium and mercury Vapour lamps? Difference between Sodium Vapor Lamp and Mercury Lamp. Hence, the light from the mercury vapour lamp is white. Applications. Although sodium vapour lamps produce much higher light output (about 90 lumens/watt) they cannot be used in lighting applications where colour-rendering property is very crucial.

is multi vapor the same as metal halide?

There is no difference between metal halide and multi vapor lamps because both names describe the same form of lamp. Metal halide or multi vapor lamps are a form of the light source that creates light via passing an electric arc through a gaseous mixture of mercury vapor and vapor of some metal halides.

How does a mercury vapor ballast work?

The mercury vapor lamp works by creating an electric current to mercury vapor within a sealed glass jacket. The bulb is comprised of an inner tube, called the arc tube, and an outer jacket (or bulb). Using too small of a ballast will result in lower light output and can shorten the life of the bulb.

Related Question Answers

Dallas Figueroa

Professional

Which is better metal halide or high pressure sodium?

High pressure sodium lamps last longer than metal halide; they also produce more lumens per watt. Because of their mercury content, neither type of lamp is particularly good for the environment. Metal halide lamps produce more of a glare compared to high pressure sodium lamps.

Emilly Rubin

Professional

Will a metal halide bulb work in a high pressure sodium fixture?

Conversion bulbs allow you to run HPS bulbs on a MH ballast, or a MH bulb on a HPS ballast. An igniter is an electrical component that ignites the sodium in the HPS bulb. All electrical ballasts can fire MH bulbs, yet only Switchable or HPS ballasts can fire HPS bulbs--unless you get a conversion bulb.

Callie Berdasco

Explainer

What are mercury vapor lights used for?

Mercury vapor lamps are bright, long-lasting light sources that are often used to light large areas such as streets, gyms, sports arenas, banks, or stores. The bulbs have an inner quartz tube containing the mercury vapor discharge.

Ghizlane Haberland

Explainer

What's the difference between HPS and metal halide?

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. Both metal halide bulbs and HPS bulbs are available in medium and mogul base screw in connections.

Lizhen Schleiermacher

Explainer

Can you run a metal halide bulb in a HPS ballast?

Unfortunately not all ballasts allow both the MH and HPS bulbs to be interchangeable. While some do, it's never a good idea to assume both can be utilized. This being said, placing a 1000 watt bulb in a 400w System must never be done!

Eufracia Baute

Pundit

Are mercury vapor lights banned?

In the EU the use of low efficiency mercury vapor lamps for lighting purposes was banned in 2015. It does not affect the use of mercury in compact fluorescent lamp, nor the use of mercury lamps for purposes other than lighting. In the US, ballasts and fixtures for mercury vapor lamps were banned in 2008.

Aldona Canoves

Pundit

How does a metal halide ballast work?

Metal halide (MH) lamps consist of an arc tube (also called a discharge tube or "burner") within an outer envelope, or bulb. MH lamps start when their ballast supplies a high starting voltage higher than those normally supplied to the lamp electrodes through a gas mixture in the arc tube.

Tareixa Raño

Pundit

Why sodium light is monochromatic?

Sodium light has two wavelengths yet it is monochromatic because the distance between these two wavelengths is only 0.6 nm . In low pressure sodium lamp produce only yellow colour light but you can see a broader spectrum in high pressure.

Alvaro Reynier

Pundit

Is mercury light monochromatic?

Mercury lamps emit sufficient energy above 300 nm at only certain wavelengths, which are very useful for monochromatic irradiation, and so the spectrum can also be used as a point light source providing uniform irradiation. Medium-pressure mercury lamps produce characteristic bands at 313 and 365 nm.

Alipio Orton

Pundit

Why is sodium used in street lamps?

These lamps are mostly used for street lighting as well as industrial uses. The lamp works by creating an electric arc through vaporized sodium metal. The neon gas lights at a lower temperature. As the temperature increases the sodium begins to vaporize and the lamp turns to a pure yellow.

Alister Rosenberg

Teacher

Why are street lights Orange?

The reason that most streetlights are orange is because they contain the chemical sodium. Some electricity is passed into the lightbulb and this gives energy to the sodium. Sodium, when it gets excited by the energy, gives out a lot of orange light.

Gorgonia Dovgel

Teacher

Why is mercury dangerous?

This liquid form of mercury is especially dangerous because it vaporizes at room temperature. If mercury vapor is inhaled, it is easily absorbed by the body, where it first gets into the lungs and from there into the blood and the brain. The nerve poison can cause sleep disorders, agitation, and paralysis.

Gerasimo Liñares

Teacher

What is the wavelength of mercury?

The prominent mercury lines are at 435.835 nm (blue), 546.074 nm (green), and a pair at 576.959 nm and 579.065 nm (yellow-orange). There are two other blue lines at 404.656 nm and 407.781 nm and a weak line at 491.604 nm.

Chama Schmidlkofer

Teacher

Salma Gerauch

Reviewer

Why are street lights yellow?

Yellow lamps are likely sodium-vapor lamps which are commonly used due to their high efficiency. These are gas-discharge lamps which heat sodium until it vaporizes and then excite it with high-voltage alternate current (AC) to produce light.

Livino Jesson

Reviewer

Can I replace mercury vapor bulb with LED?

Replacement for 175 watt mercury vapor with LED bulbs, halogen lamps retrofit advantages. After the replacement of 175W mercury vapor lamps with LED, you can enjoy 80,000 hours life span and flicker free illumination.

Hmida Serverin

Reviewer

Furqan Matthiesen

Reviewer

How much does it cost to run a mercury vapor light?

your existing 175 watt mercury bulb uses the electricity it is rated at, 175 watts. add in the electric used by the ballast etc, and the total is probly 200 watts. running 200 watts for 5 hours is equivalent to 1000 watts for 1 hour, or 1 kWh. your electric probly costs about 10 cents per kWh.

Jarrett Jonhson

Supporter