Maintenance Engineering Product Tip “Cold Weather Affects Lighting”

With the coller weather making its presence known, we have some tips to share with you to insure your customer get the best performance out of their lighting this winter.

HID LAMPS

With good lamps, ballasts, and igniters, most HID lamps should operate reliably down to -20 degrees F. Slow starting could indicate a potential HID lamp or ballast sale for you.

INCANDESCENT LAMPS

These create their own heat, so they always work, even in extremely cold weather. However, sudden temperature changes can lead to thermal shock, leading to breakage. When this happens, you could sell either Sign Service or Shatter Guard coated lamps. For spot heating, the Infared Reflector lamps are perfect.

ENERGY SAVING BALLASTS

Most all of Maintenance Engineering’s ballasts are designed for normal, indoor termperatures. Minimum starting temps for specific ballasts are listed in your Catalog Ballast Section. If your customers need cold weather rated ballasts, contact Product Service for availability.

FLUORESCENT LAMPS

Standard wattage Rapid Start and Instant Start lamps are good for temperatures above 40-50 degrees F. Energy saving version are very sensitive to cooler temps and shouldn’t be used below 60 degree F. HO and VHO lamps are the best for cold locations; with the right ballasts, they will start below 0 degrees F.

ARM-A-LITE SLEEVES

A way to protect fluorescent lamps from the cold is to slip on Arm-A-Lite Sleeves. These insulate the lamp from the cold and hold the lamp’s heat inside. In the North Country, we put sleeves on our lamps in the fall and take them off in the spring. Colored sleeves can also add a festive touch for the holidays.

LUMI-TWISTS

Maintenance Engineering recommends these units for normal room temperatures, but they are rated for operation as low as -5 degrees for the PAR and GLOBE Lumi-Twists. Our regular Lumi-Twists rated for 5 degrees F, with the exeption of the 55 W (rated for 50 degrees F). Hard starting caused by extreme cold temperatures can shorten lif. In southern climates, 2 -pin and 4 pin plug-in CFL’s (rated to 0 degrees F) have been used in outside fixtures with success, which correlates to having a good ballast. Fixture location, prevailling winds, and average temperatures can help keep the lamp warm enough. You may wish to experiment with a coupld of Lumi-Twists to see if your customers’ cold applications can be upgraded to compact lamps.

The change in season can cause problems for your customers lighting. By knowing your products, you can turn these problems into sales opportunities!