Recommendations for dusk to dawn lights

LD1 · Mar 17, 2014

I like the mercury vapor and wish they werent going by the wayside.

I researched Dusk to dawns about a year ago for extended periods of time. And kept coming back to mercury.

I dont like yellow. So that ruled out sodium.

Metal halide is VERY similar in light to a MV, and only operate at 100w instead of the 175w of MV, but bulb life was MUCH shorter. IIRC, the MH were 6000hr bulbs and the MV were north of 20,000hr.

There is also self ballasting MV bulbs, but they are no better in bulb life than the MH.

LED were just too expensive to get the light output. I have a relative that works at the local coop (power company). They had some old MV fixtures laying around as they are replacing all the fixtures with sodium that they own. Most people that put up a "security" light as we call em, do so through the power company. IT costs like $6 or $7 a month, and is installed before their meter. So the customer dont really own the light. And it is the power company's responsibility to service them.

Cost to operate is really nil. IF you figure 175w @ 12 hours a day, and our 11 cents/kwh power, it works out to around $7 a month. The 100w alternatives like MH or sodium would only save ~$3 a month. Which just wasnt worth it to me to sacrifice color(HPS) or bulb life(MH)

grsthegreat · Mar 17, 2014

they actually sell adapters at home depot/lowes that simply screw in before the lamp. personally i go along with others saying replace the wall switch with astronomic timer (about $29 where i get them). This also gives you ability to shut the **** things off at late night to cut down on light pollution and be able to see the stars... or leave them on till sunup.

the timer automatically adjusts for sunup and sundown, and daylight savings time.

i use them on all my ext lights

and put them on nearly every house ive been wiring for many years. There are ones out there nowdays that dont even use batteries. they never fail due to power dropping out. when power is restored, they just go back to work as programmed.

woodlandfarms · Mar 18, 2014

As a side note, our neighbor comes by and checks on our house now and then. She has a tendency to flip all the lights on, and is generally good about flipping them off, except for the outside flood lights. It is about 800 watts of halogen burning 24 hours a day. Our power bill jumps from 40 to well over 80 a month when she does this.

When we get back home I have a bunch of outdoor LED lights I found on Ebay that will go up in place.

cqaigy2 · Mar 18, 2014

woodlandfarms said:
As a side note, our neighbor comes by and checks on our house now and then. She has a tendency to flip all the lights on, and is generally good about flipping them off, except for the outside flood lights. It is about 800 watts of halogen burning 24 hours a day. Our power bill jumps from 40 to well over 80 a month when she does this.

When we get back home I have a bunch of outdoor LED lights I found on Ebay that will go up in place.

That explains the moon rising behind the hill look. :laughing: