Hamilton belize sun question

[Dpeyton8]

The belize sun model I have has a ballast that goes all the way up to super lumens my question is the light currently has a 150 watt double end bulb in it but the 250 looks to big to put in how is that and how do you go about getting a higher wattage bulb if it looks bigger than the one that's in there what a bigger bulb fit in there somehow??? Someone please help

 

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

 

 

[YHSublime]

http://www.aquacon.com/Hamilton24InchBelizeSunMetalHalideFixture.html

[Origami]

The sockets are different, as you've found out. A 150 is physically smaller. Many metal halide lamps have different arcing voltages and running current requirements. The same is true of 150 and 250 W lamps. I don't know anything about that Ballast or if it can drive a 250 W HQI lamp. But, if it could, you'll need to get the sockets that fit the larger lamp.

 

Sent from my Rezound on Tachyon using Tapatalk

 

 

[KC3]

How do you insert a 250w bulb into a 150w socket?

[Origami]

http://www.aquacon.com/Hamilton24InchBelizeSunMetalHalideFixture.html

Looks like one light available in two different configurations at time of purchase. Not interchangeable.

 

Sent from my Rezound on Tachyon using Tapatalk

 

 

[KC3]

 

 

 

 

Kc3

[Origami]

How do you insert a 250w bulb into a 150w socket?

You don't.

 

Sent from my Rezound on Tachyon using Tapatalk

 

 

[Origami]

 

 

 

 

Kc3

That's a 150 W lamp & socket. You can tell by the bright white cylindrical insulator at either end of the lamp and the spring contact in the socket. 250W lamps have blade (friction) contacts.

 

Sent from my Rezound on Tachyon using Tapatalk

 

[KC3]

Thanks Origami

[KC3]

Lets first get the real story on why you are asking this question.

 

 

I contacted Dpeyton8 about his search for a sale or trade for a light for his cube.  I had a used 6x24w SunPower and he had a 24" Belize Sun light set up in the WTB/FS/Trade section.  He claimed it was a 250W  and thats what I wanted for my frag tank.  He seemed like a stand up guy and I didn't look it over much because he provided pics of it and it was lit.  So I ordered a new 250w DE bulb and it showed up today. I began to install the new bulb and noticed that the bulbs looked different.  I then learned that the light he sold me was a 150w fixture.  I called Hamelton Lighting and they confirmed it is a 150w light due to the socket having spring loaded side contacts.  I have politely asked for my light back because of the discrepancy in the ad and the fact that I do not want to have to modify this light to get it to work.  I'm already out the $9 for ordering the wrong bulb and now another $9 shipping it back.

 

 

 

He still states that I can install a 250w bulb into this light with no mods.  I personally don't feel as though I should have to mod this light to have to accept the posters stated bulb wattage. He then Proceeds to blame the two previous owners (Pizzaguy and I believe YHsublime)  for telling him that the light had a 250w bulb in it. I have proved this guy wrong in every attempt from him to tell me it's a 250w light and yet he still persists that I can put a 250w bulb in.  I guess it is my fault for being ignorant in the Halide department.

 

So lesson learned and I hope you enjoy your light

The sad thing is you don't see that you did anything wrong

 

Thanks

kc3

[KC3]

Here is the original post.

 

 

 

 

 

Kc3

[Dpeyton8]

Okay so clearly kt3 here very upset I was not aware of what needed to be done for 250 bold to be installed into this light upon finding all this out I realize that a plug has to be bought that only cost $9 he insisted on the fact that he had to buy a new bulb in the first place once he got the light from me so therefore I offered to buy him the plug he must be upset because of the fact things might have been more complicated than he planned I had no idea that this had to be done I am still yet just a beginner at doing all of this I am NOT a mastery for and I don't know everything so therefore this gentleman has resulted in to becoming very childish about this whole matter the unit I got from him was a6 by 24 a ti SunPower the non-controlled version also not to mention I had to replace all the bulbs spending just over a hundred twenty five dollars so the way I see it I did not intentionally try to falsely advertise this unit I simply was not aware of this I apologize for the inconvenience but seriously you didn't get over on me and I did not get over on you we both made out exactly the same you have to spend $70 on mobile I'm offering to give you the $9 or order the plug for you so what extra money are you spending I'm the one Indian who ended up spending way more money than you're going to have to spend

 

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

 

 

[Origami]

Guys, I hid the screen shots of private communications between the two of you because it is assumed that it was, in fact, private. Sorry that this happened. I hope that you're able to resolve this reasonably.

 

The 150 and 250 lamps are very different and each require different drive. It's not like incandescent lamps where you just change the bulb. And most of the time it's more than just changing the sockets to match, too. You may have to change the ballast as well and maybe the reflector (to accommodate the larger lamp. That pretty much guts the light if that's the case.

 

Now, the Lumatek ballast looks to be a dimmable 250W ballast that has successfully driven a 150W lamp. Thus, it may be designed to push the current up to the required drive to drive a 250W lamp if the proper switch setting is selected. I don't have personal experience with this ballast, so I can't say with 100% certainty. But that seems to be implied by their website.

 

It's evident that this light was sold in two different configurations. One was a 150W version and another was a 250W version. The 150W version had a ballast and socket matched to a 150W HQI lamp. The 250W version had a ballast and contacts to match a 250W lamp. It's not clear that this Hamilton light was originally sold with a Lumatek ballast. (I don't know if it was or wasn't.) Anyway, as said earlier, they are not readily interchangeable. While this light may have been upgraded with the Lumatek ballast, it doesn't change the fact, that the housing is designed to accept a 150W lamp. Therefore, some mods will be required to make a 250W lamp fit. That may or may not be simple, depending upon how the housing is designed to accept new sockets at different locations (since a 250W lamp is longer), whether or not appropriate cooling is built in, etc.).

[Origami]

So, just to promote technical understanding, I encourage interested parties to take a look at this article from Reefkeeping Magazine a while back. This is just to give you a sense of how lamps and ballasts are matched for discharge lamps like these MH type.

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/sj/

 

Specifically, look at Table 1 which shows that a 150W DE HQI lamp is designed to be driven by an M81 ballast and a 250W DE HQI lamp is designed to be driven by an M80 ballast. These ballasts are designed to deliver a limited amount of current at a particular voltage level in order to keep the arc in the lamp lit. Now, scroll down to Table 3 and note that an M80 ballast is designed to deliver 3.0 AMPS at 100V.

 

Here's a spec sheet for an M81 lamp. It's designed to be driven at 95 volts and 1.8 Amps. If driven with an M80 ballast, it won't work or won't do well at all because it's not designed to work with the M81 lamp.

 

Spec sheet for an M80 lamp here, for reference.

 

Site where both spec sheets came from is here.

[Origami]

If I might suggest: One of the two of you give Hamilton Technology (on the West Coast) a call at 1-800-447-9797 and ask their technical support staff how easy it would be to modify this 150W setup to accommodate a 250W lamp. That should, I hope, put each on a base of common understanding and, from that point, maybe you can move forward to a solution. Good luck.