Dusk to dawn light

I would like to add a dusk to dawn light by my driveway. The telephone poles by my house don't have lights. I don't know if I could approach met ed utility, or the township about one on the pole, if I pay the electric in part or all, and if neighbors input is needed ? I may do my own on a pole, what is a better choice, mercury vapor, sodium halon, better choices for electric use, light output, and life of the bulb. I understand the new ballists are not as good as the older ones.

I have been running a High Pressure Sodium 75 watt for the last 25 years, replaced bulb once. Pinkish light at night easy on the eyes.

Can the mercury or sodium in different wattages be interchange without changing the ballist in the fixture ?

Depends on how much light you need & how big of an area. I have a fluorescent that mounts on my garage & gives me enough for my needs & only I think something like 12&1/2watts. I used to have a sodium vapor but it was too much light.

the one in front of my house costs me 12.00 per mth the utility takes care of every thing as far as maintainence goes

I prefer mercury vapor or metal halide over high pressure sodium, but that is my preference. Most utility co. have a program like you mentioned. I have two lights here, one of them is 20+ years old.

We've wanted a dusk to dawn light also. Santa brought us a LED flood light. It uses about 20 watts and is rated to replace a 70 watt sodium. These LED's do not burn out in the normal sense. They do get dimmer with age. They rate them as "dead" when they reach 80% of original light. This one is rated 50,000 hours..... that's about 12 years as a dusk to dawn, but it may well go twice that long, just at a dimmer level. A bit pricey at $150ish, but, in electric savings it will pay for itself many times over.

AA130FIREMAN wrote:Can the mercury or sodium in different wattages be interchange without changing the ballist in the fixture ?

Generally not.

Rob R. wrote:

AA130FIREMAN wrote:Can the mercury or sodium in different wattages be interchange without changing the ballist in the fixture ?

Generally not.

I see some used commercial type streel lights on ebay, they generally take a 400 watt high pressure sodium, could I replace with a 250 watt high pressure sodium without changing the ballist ? I like the light, but that may cost more in electric than I need. My driveway is on a curve and I need to lower my cars windows to see, they are tinted, or I end up in the lawn Also I don't know if their is a hinged pole mount for the base of the pipe, but may be a good idea for changing bulbs, i may need to make one myself.

I doubt it, most ballasts are wattage specific. If you knew the exact model of the ballast you could research it. Why not just get a traditional "barn light" like this?

http://www.prolighting.com/st15hiprsoba.html

Just move to Pa., at least in some areas the cops will make you take a dark tint off your car windows.

samhill wrote:Just move to Pa., at least in some areas the cops will make you take a dark tint off your car windows.

Already here, been there and done that when I was 21. I don't get hastled anymore. If the police are afraid of tined windows, why do they pull people over with them ? Police cars have tinted windows too, and their personal vehicles. I never had limo dart tint. Majority of the cars on the road have them. Motorcycles don't have mufflers, and it seems they are overlooked because it seems normal, might be tinted windows are falling into the same catagory.

I hear you on that, all it takes is one cop that knows it's not allowed in inspection laws. My son bought a used state police car from Az., got it Pa. insp. the local chief of police actually stopped by his house & asked if he would mind parking closer to the street once in awhile to slow traffic. Then a month later a patrol cop with a attitude gives him a ticket, we took it off & he still had to pay. That was Robinsin Twp. near Pittsburgh.

Rob R. wrote:I doubt it, most ballasts are wattage specific. If you knew the exact model of the ballast you could research it. Why not just get a traditional "barn light" like this?

http://www.prolighting.com/st15hiprsoba.html

I may do one of those, I already have one like that in the back yard. I could not say what type of bulb it takes, I never touched it, we bought the house in 2007 and it was there. I may have a problem to change that bulb, I have a 12' step ladder and it will not reach the light, might work if I back my truck under it with the step ladder on top, their is the reason to make a hinged pole mount.

AA130FIREMAN wrote:I have a 12' step ladder and it will not reach the light, might work if I back my truck under it with the step ladder on top, their is the reason to make a hinged pole mount.

I have the same problem...good excuse to buy a 24' ladder.