Even on private installations?, you would think whoever would choose MH as outside lighting, would at least know something about the `do`s and don`ts` involved with running them?, and know how to look after it?

I would think they would know.

Not necessarily. Do you replace other lamps at your home too when their rated life is over and lamp still works, or in response to EOL ? The home user would be way more away from the "group relamp" thinking even if he does group relamp in his business

A possible reason for being unsafe is the owner being used to MV lamps that last 40+ Years, and if the do not know much about MV and MH lamps, if they are described both as HID lamps, they will expect a long life without burning out.
In other words, people will not replace MH lamps at the rated life if they are used to how MV works, and would likely forget when it is the right time to replace it.

It is not acceptable for ANY lighting system to become dangerous from lack of maintenance. I mean, OK if the light is not working and somebody falls a flight of stairs as result, not OK if the light sets fire to something or shocks somebody. It must fail in a contained way no matter what or who is the owner

And really not so hard to use a closed bucket or protected lamp



As a "bad" example with some totally different lighting system, generally treated as safe, but in this case unsafe if not maintained properly : There are those 90's "ice packs", basically a tray with Preheat circuit for 1 or 2 40W lamps assembled on the front of it, with  Plastic "ice texture" cover

The problem in some of them is, that the cover and the lamp sockets inside are held on Plastic snap-in pins. Those become brittle with time and eventually break. So all of a sudden the cover falls off, maybe on somebody's head. If the lamp socket inside detached first, then there is a tube (still working) resting on the cover, and goes down along when the cover falls. Or they may fall out later as a separate incident

The isolation on the wires in this thing is decaying from exposre to the UV as well. WIth the cover missing (fell off before), an eventual short circit as the wiring fails may let some flying sparks to drop freely from the lantern, and if there is something flammable below, then ignite it

Yet if inspected on time and given the needed maintenance, those make good and reliable lights

And the open bottom means it could cost them a lot more then they would save by getting rid of it.
Another thing, I have never seen a closed bottom bucket light, all of the bucket lights here are open.

Closing the bottom would require sealing the unit from all directions (including better sealing elsewhere such as at the cable entry) so that it can't become an insect trap or dust trap. And it would raise the temperature inside, so require some other stuff like the ballast to be made with better material to withstand the heat. All that would require way bigger costs than just the quantity of Plastic it takes to close the bucket, so make it too expensive for what they want

Closing the bottom would require sealing the unit from all directions (including better sealing elsewhere such as at the cable entry) so that it can't become an insect trap or dust trap. And it would raise the temperature inside, so require some other stuff like the ballast to be made with better material to withstand the heat. All that would require way bigger costs than just the quantity of Plastic it takes to close the bucket, so make it too expensive for what they want

And what will they do if they have to close it because someone got hurt by lamp fragments?

Closing the bottom would require sealing the unit from all directions (including better sealing elsewhere such as at the cable entry) so that it can't become an insect trap or dust trap. And it would raise the temperature inside, so require some other stuff like the ballast to be made with better material to withstand the heat. All that would require way bigger costs than just the quantity of Plastic it takes to close the bucket, so make it too expensive for what they want

They could still just make it take protected lamps.

Either that, or move away from the "bucket" design to something that would be cheaper to make as a closed lantern (without the sealing and ballast temperature problems)

Either that, or move away from the "bucket" design to something that would be cheaper to make as a closed lantern (without the sealing and ballast temperature problems)

Like... a GUMBALL? They could easily make one for just as cheap using plastic and screw-on optics...

Quote from: Ash on August 12, 2016, 12:36:14 PM

Either that, or move away from the "bucket" design to something that would be cheaper to make as a closed lantern (without the sealing and ballast temperature problems)

Like... a GUMBALL? They could easily make one for just as cheap using plastic and screw-on optics...

That would be interesting, you should make a design for that.

No, it is too much of the same thing : The lamp, the gear and the connections are crammed together in a place that have to be sealed and is getting hot. Think something like a cobrahead or Zarlog's Lumex lantern

No, it is too much of the same thing : The lamp, the gear and the connections are crammed together in a place that have to be sealed and is getting hot. Think something like a cobrahead or Zarlog's Lumex lantern

Why not add forced air cooling to them?

So you want it to pull in the insects and dust with a fan ??

So you want it to pull in the insects and dust with a fan ??

What about an air filter? Or what about liquid cooling with a radiator?