Electrical Question

[lenray]

I have a pole barn on a property that has a Mercury lite. One transformer serves my pole barn and two mobile homes. The barn and the two mobile homes all have their own meters.
My Mercury lite goes on and off during the night. Off for a few minutes then back on then off in about 10 minutes.

A few years ago I had this same problem and it was on a rental home. When the stool was flushed and the pump came on the lite went out.

Any ideas here????????????????

 

[RayP(MI)]

First thing I'd check is all ground rods. Especially with mobile homes, the grounding can be dismal.

 

[lenray]

Here in Mi. also. The only thing the lite has in common with the two mobiles is that they are all served by the same trqansformer.
The lite is on a seperate building with its own meter--nothing else running in the pole barn.
Alll units have the 2 ground rods about 6 ft. apart all buried a few inches underground and the ground is froze.

 

[PDB]

Does the light have a photocell that turns it on and off automatically at dawn/dusk? That could have gone bad.

 

[mike delaney]

It's the electric eye, if you look on top the fixture you'll see a round plastic thing. Unscrew and replace, it's only a 3 prong sensor. Mike

 

[Crem]

I believe that you need a new bulb. As the bulb ages it requires a higher voltage to keep it going. It will start to cycle off and on. When your pump starts it causes a voltage drop and agravates the problem.

 

[Sparktrician]

My reccomendation would be to take down the mercury light, go buy a Metal halide fixture and put it up. They no longer make the mercury bulbs, so you would be better to change the fixture rather than nickle & dime yourself broke on this....

When a customer calls me to "repair" one of these type of fixtures, I stop on the way to pickup a new one and change the whole dang thing. For less money than troubleshooting the old one, they get a new fixture.....

 

[Jim In NY]

Sparkey: Good recomendation --- that's exactly what I do on calls... Otherwise it's nickel and dime for a long time and eventually halide is the answer.

 

[RodinNS]

I'd say it's the electric eye as well. We've got a mercury vapor light in the yard and the damn thing goes off every time you go within sight of it. It's kinda like a motion detector that shuts the light off
Worst part is... we've had this problem on multiple lights in multiple locations and I'm begining to wonder if they make a decent photocell anymore.

Rod

 

[Dusty MI]

Because of the way the photo cell works I doubt that it's the photo cell. Unless it's too sensitive.

Dusty

 

[OldFarmTractor]

I have been replacing outdoor lights with fluorescent lamps. I am using various types of CFL bulbs. Long U-tubes or spiral, depending on the fixture. I find that they usually last only 5-7 years being on all night, every night. But at less than $5.00 each, I can replace them at those intervals.

I use photocells on them, though recently I was told that is not a good idea because it shortens their life. Maybe without the photocells I would get 8-10 years.

Anyhow, they fire in any temperature but sub zero makes them a touch dimmer.

It works for me, but then again, I'm the guy who makes chocolate chip cookies on a George Forman Grill.

 

[bison]

Mine did that too,I solved it by having the lights hardwired.
I found i don't need the lights most times anyway.i got a switch at the poles in case i do.
saves power and more money in my pocket.

 

[buickanddeere]

Lamp is failing and is probably greenish in colour. Change the lamp before the high voltage starting cycles cause the ballast and capacitor to fail.
Odds are the capacitor is also failing or about to fail due to age. Replace it.

 

[MrFixit]

if the light burns bright white. then it is a photocell problem. the photocell conducts electricity heating a bimetallic switch. In full sunlight turns off the light. the bimetallic switch is probably bad. the whole photocell unit needs replaced or bypassed using a manual switch.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

The slow cycling you describe is the bulb going bad, no way around it. If mercury vapor, replace the fixture with something better.

Photocells work or they don't. If it was getting light from the bulb, it would be a fast cycle, not what you are describing.

Charles