how safe are hid work lights?

[degarb]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?50116-How-bright-is-a-400-watt-metal-halide

They claim a hid worklight placed in center of room, if bumped, could explode, sending flying glass that could cut you. I assume the arc, could cause fires

This is in a 2004 thread, before popularity in head lamps and handhelds using HID. Before the Wobble light that uses HID. There is alot of misunderstandings in the posted thread, and inaccuracies.



I bought a homemade 400 watt HID from ballast that is small as 2 $15 halogen worklights. It would be ideal 40k lumen/20k hour work light to put in middle of room to eliminate moving light around when painting. It is suprisingly cool, I can grab cage surrounding hid bulb, cool to touch. Not a loud buzz. Also, it looks as if it is a bulb inside a bulb, where the plasma part is inside the outer bulb.

Are they that dangerous. Wonder how I could make a wrap around diffuser to make it safer. Would just a clear 1 gallon milk jug be enough to stop flying glass?

 

[FRITZHID]

well.... there are many ways to keep these bulbs safer.
1st off, don't run the bulb over its expected lifetime, they become more prone to rupture the longer the use (total on hrs)
a plastic milk jug i don't think would be a safe enclosure, these lights do produce enough heat to cause a fire and a plastic jug, i don't think would be the safest defuser. i'd suggest a defusing plastic (plycarb) shield if you think it's necessary.
the main danger i see from this is UV exposure, thats what i would worry about. these 400w MH bulbs can/do produce quite a bit of UV radiation, i'd be cautious about this, and don't look at the arc, this can/will cause arc burn.

 

[degarb]

- This a mod. Does orientation significantly affect bulb life?

-Will just bumping it cause it to explode?

- As it ages, near end of bulb life it ," cycles on / off" ? Other hint to tell age?

- Anyone have one burst reading? Obviously, 27 foot up, falling glass could hurt kids and law suit happy people. But what is 2.5 foot high horizontal velocity?

- What brand and price of bulb should I choose for this 400 watt m59?

 

[FRITZHID]

most bulb types don't care about orientation, but read the packing for specifics, they will tell you whether or not, vertical, horizontal or universal.
bumping them typicly doesent cause bursting unless bulb is directly struck.
cycling IS a near death rattle, as well as much lower output and color rendition. the arc tube will also darken greatly.
i've had them burst a few times, not always both inner and outer, and not always with a major explosion, but sometimes it can be.
i've found that Phillips and GE have preformed well for me in the past, as well as long life, great color rendition, and less odds of catastrophic failure. price varies depending on where you get them, i usualy just pick them up at HD or Manards.

 

[degarb]

- At near end of bulb life, what is emitted light color typically? More yellow?

- I see online there are protected and unprotected bulbs. http://www.bulbs.com/espec.aspx?ID=15839 Say protected more resistant to uncontrolled failure. So this would be safe without housing?

- Do I need to also look for pulse starting bulbs over non? (probably a stupid question, since logically, this would be an igniter function, not bulb.)

- The online prices range from $9 to $36 online (probably $45 a bulb locally). http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/5041/MHS-04009471402.html looks like a nice priced, protected bulb, but it may (or may not) be an off brand, that shouldn't be trusted.

 

[FRITZHID]

in my exp, reds and blues are the two colors that become most prominent, and fluctuations in the arc tube that can be seen are tell tale signs that life is about up and should be replaced.
safe without housing? i'd say safER without a housing.
starting depends on the ballast your useing.
as far as 1000bulbs.com... check the brand, if it's a name brand, it's probably fine, just make sure you use the bulb designed for the ballast you have and for the orientation of the bulb.

 

[degarb]

Actually, I only see one base down bulb on this page, http://www.1000bulbs.com/category/4...alide-lamps/?gclid=CIvrn87xoq8CFWeFQAod7FZhYQ, A $35 protected Sylvania.

If I could do base up (base is below bulb for my light), I could get it at half the price if Pulsrite a trustworthy brand. Also, $10 shipping cost.

Darn orienation.

Now I assume any m59 400 watt MH would work.....Also, base just says 400watt, which means that, and no 500, 800, or 1000 watt would work.