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No. A Mercury vapor lamp will work on a metal halide ballast, but not the other way around.

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Q: Does a metal halide and mercury vapor use the same ballast?
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Which light is brighter Metal Halide or mercury Vapor?

Between Metal Halide and Mercury Vapor the higher output is emitted from the Metal Halide lamp.


Can a 400 watt high pressure sodium bulb be used in a 400 watt metal halide ballast?

I actually have a 400w hps ballast and I can also use my 400w metal halide bulb in it with no problem. So what your saying is they do, but they dont? the answer is, they dont. You can get universal bulbs hps to plug into a mh ballast they have a miniturized igniter inside the bulb. As I understand it, a 400W metal halide bulb can be used with a 400W hps ballast, but not the converse. A MH bulb has the igniter in the bulb, and the HPS has it in the ballast--which pretty much goes along with your comment above. Apparently the double presence of the igniter in the HPS setup is OK.you can run metal halide in same wattage's but not hps in metal halide systems.you can run such as (same wattage's)250 watt metal halide-400 watt halide ect in hps systems but not hps bulbs in halide systems. they make conversion bulbs to run halide in hps as well and vice versa.


Can you use mercury vapor bulb in a metal halide fixture?

I do this all the time when I'm out on a job and can't find the right bulb It totally works, however I guarantee it would void some kind of warranty... And probably be dangerous.


Why does a mercury vapor light buzz?

Usually loud buzz sound could be emitted by inductive ballast, not the lamp itself, because of magnetowstriction vibration of inductor's iron core. Sometimes arc discharge becomes buzzy because of it's instability, at lamp end of life.


What alkali metal is used in street lights?

Sodium (chem symbol = Na) Mercury vapor is also used in street lights. Low pressure sodium vapor street lights are amber/yellow in color, high pressure sodium lights are white and mercury vapor lights glow blueish white.

Related questions

Which light is brighter Metal Halide or mercury Vapor?

Between Metal Halide and Mercury Vapor the higher output is emitted from the Metal Halide lamp.


What is the Harmonized Tariff number for a Metal halide lamp?

A metal halide lamp's Harmonized Tariff number would fall in the category of "8539.32.00 Mercury or sodium vapor lamps; metal halide lamps". See "Related Links" below for the US government's online list of Harmonized Tariffs.


Can a 400 watt high pressure sodium bulb be used in a 400 watt metal halide ballast?

I actually have a 400w hps ballast and I can also use my 400w metal halide bulb in it with no problem. So what your saying is they do, but they dont? the answer is, they dont. You can get universal bulbs hps to plug into a mh ballast they have a miniturized igniter inside the bulb. As I understand it, a 400W metal halide bulb can be used with a 400W hps ballast, but not the converse. A MH bulb has the igniter in the bulb, and the HPS has it in the ballast--which pretty much goes along with your comment above. Apparently the double presence of the igniter in the HPS setup is OK.you can run metal halide in same wattage's but not hps in metal halide systems.you can run such as (same wattage's)250 watt metal halide-400 watt halide ect in hps systems but not hps bulbs in halide systems. they make conversion bulbs to run halide in hps as well and vice versa.


How might you distinguish a sodium vapor streetlight from a mercury vapor streetlight?

Mercury vapor streetlights, used since the 1940s, glow a greenish white. Sodium vapor streetlights, which have gradually replaced most of the MV streetlights in the US, glow orange. Another two, metal halide and LED, glow completely white.


What is CFL mhl and hpmv lamps?

The abbreviations are CFL - Compact Fluorescent Lamp, MHL - Metal Halide Lamp, HPMV - High Pressure Mercury Vapor, and one more is HPS - High Pressure Sodium lamp


What is the difference between metal halide and mercury vapour lights?

In a metal halide light, the electricity heats a metal filament to a high temperature creating an extremely bright light. Metal ions burn off. A gas of the halide group (chlorine, bromine, iodine) reacts with the metal ions that have burned off and redeposit them on the filament. Because the filament is constantly being rebuilt, it can be brighter than a regular light bulb. Also it heats the gas to the point where the gasses give off light. So both the filament and the gasses give off light. With a mercury vapor light, mercury vapor is heated until it gives off ultraviolet light. The filament only serves to heat the mercury. It does not give off light. This light is used to excite phosphrus and other chemicals on the edge of the bulb. Those chemicals glow in the visible light spectrum. As a result, they illuminate.


Can you use mercury vapor bulb in a metal halide fixture?

I do this all the time when I'm out on a job and can't find the right bulb It totally works, however I guarantee it would void some kind of warranty... And probably be dangerous.


What is the purpose of ballast in lighting?

The ballast is a transformer that steps the voltage up higher than its incoming voltage. This is usually used with flourescent, metal halide, & sodium vapor lights. The higher voltage is needed to 'excite' the gases within the bulbs and make the molecules bounce around and give off light.


Is mercury irritable?

No, the liquid metal itself is rather inert, though the vapor is toxic.


What is the Working principle of mercury vapour lamp?

The mercury in the tube is a liquid at normal temperatures. It needs to be vaporized and ionized before the tube will conduct electricity and the arc can start. So, like fluorescent tubes, mercury vapor lamps require a starter, which is usually contained within the mercury vapor lamp itself. A third electrodeis mounted near one of the main electrodes and connected through a resistor to the other main electrode. In addition to the mercury, the tube is filled with argon gas at low pressure. When power is applied, there is sufficient voltage to ionize the argon and strike a small arc between the starting electrode and the adjacent main electrode. This starting arc discharge heats the mercury and eventually provides enough ionized mercury to strike an arc between the main electrodes. This process takes from 4 to 7 minutes, so mercury lamps are slow starting. Some bulbs include a thermal switch which shorts the starting electrode to the adjacent main electrode, extinguishing the starting arc once the main arc strikes.The mercury vapor lamp is a negative resistance device. This means its resistance decreases as the current through the tube increases. So if the lamp is connected directly to a constant-voltage source like the power lines, the current through it will increase until it destroys itself. Therefore it requires a ballast to limit the current through it. Mercury vapor lamp ballasts are similar to the ballasts used with fluorescent lamps. In fact, the first British fluorescent lamps were designed to operate from 80-watt mercury vapor ballasts.Variation: Metal halideA very closely related lamp design called the metal halide lamp uses various compounds in an amalgam with the mercury. Sodium iodide and scandium iodide are commonly in use. These lamps can produce much better quality light without resorting to phosphors. If they use a starting electrode, there is always a thermal shorting switch to eliminate any electrical potential between the main electrode and the starting electrode once the lamp is lit. (This electrical potential in the presence of the halides can cause the failure of the glass/metal seal). More modern metal halide systems do not use a separate starting electrode; instead, the lamp is started using high voltage pulses as with high-pressure sodium vapor lamps. "MetalArc" is Osram Sylvania's trademark for their metal halide lamps; "Arcstream" and "MultiVapor" are General Electric's trademark. Besides their use in traditional outdoor lighting, these lamps now appear in most computer and video projectors. However, Philips' UHP lamp, introduced in 1995, contains only mercury. As an example of application and efficiency of mercury lamps, the 61" Samsung DLP rear projection TV (HL-S6187W) uses a 150-watt Osram P-VIP lamp. Self-ballasted (SB) lampsThere are mercury vapor lamps with a filament inside connected in series with the arc tube that functions as an electrical ballast. This is the only kind of mercury vapor lamp that should be connected directly to the mains without an external ballast. These lamps have only the same or slightly higher efficiency than incandescent lamps of similar size, but have a longer life. They give light immediately on startup, but usually needs a few minutes to restrike if power has been interrupted. Because of the light emitted by the filament, they have slightly better color rendering properties than mercury vapor lamps. The color temperature is higher than incandescent lamps.


Why does a mercury vapor light buzz?

Usually loud buzz sound could be emitted by inductive ballast, not the lamp itself, because of magnetowstriction vibration of inductor's iron core. Sometimes arc discharge becomes buzzy because of it's instability, at lamp end of life.


How many lumens are in a 400 watt mercury vapor light bulb?

A 400 watt Mercury vapor light bulb produces roughly 23,000 lumens. In comparison to a 400 watt metal haloid and or high-pressure sodium, not as good. Metal haliod and high-pressure sodium produces 30,000 lumens.