Metal Halide Floodlights
What is a Metal Halide Floodlight?
Metal Halide floodlights are a part of the HID (high intensity discharge) group of lamps and produce a fantastic output for the size of the lamp. The light produced is blue-white in colour and provides excellent colour rendering, ideal for use domestically, industrially and perfect for using with CCTV cameras and other recording equipment.
This type of lamp was originally created in the 1960s for use in the industrial sector and now are available in a wide variety of wattages and different fittings to suit all types of applications.
Why Choose Metal Halide?
- Metal Halide lamps produce a stunning output for the compact nature of the product.
- The lamp is small in comparison to incandescent and fluorescent alternatives, producing the same light output.
- Variety of wattages available, making it highly versatile for a number of different application from lighting up a back garden to an entire football pitch.
- Easy to install for qualified electricians and require little maintenance.
- Colour washing easily achieved thanks to wide range of different coloured lamps.
- All fittings weatherproof (unless stated otherwise).
- Tough die cast construction.
Where Can I Use a Metal Halide Floodlight?
Depending on what you require, there will inevitably be a metal halide floodlight to suit your needs. For domestic use (for outside security for example), the metal halide lights are ideal. As you'd expect, the greater the wattage, the higher the light output. For just a back garden or to illuminate the front of your house, a 70W, 150W or 250W floodlight would be ideal, depending on the size of the area.
If you wish to illuminate a larger area such as the outside of an industrial property or a large building, then a 400W or above floodlight will be required. This is more than often too bright for domestic use (unless you have a huge house!). It is also likely to be the case that it would be difficult to prevent light pollution in a domestic area with such a high wattage lamp.
For huge areas, such as sports pitches and similar, the 1000W and 2000W floodlights are the ideal choice. These floodlights are perfect for use in places such as football pitches and other sporting areas such as athletics stadiums.
High wattage metal halide lamps (615W) are ideal for growing applications and other applications can also be catered for, such as reef aquarists where a high intensity light source is required. Always check which specification of lamp and fitting is best suited to your before purchasing.
Using this type of floodlight is not recommended for on-off, stop-start use as the lamp will be severely damaged if you should do this. The metal halide floodlights are ideal for starting up and then staying on for a long duration of time, but for residential areas where you may have the floodlight on a PIR sensor, it is important to choose a different option such as a halogen floodlight, where the lamp is designed for this type of quick on-off application.
Are There Any MH Floodlight Add-Ons?
Yes! Should you wish to illuminate outside your house or property at night, it is vitally important that during these difficult financial times, the floodlight is not illuminated when not in use. With the dusk-to-dawn photocell, it will only switch the floodlight on when the light level drops low enough to warrant it coming on, the same applying as the sun rises in the morning.
This feature is ideal should you want a fit-and-forget fitting where you do not constantly have to worry about switching on and off. Even more convenient should you have a large building where you have several floodlights.
Should you wish to have a floodlight in a different colour, then it is possible to install a different coloured lamp. It is usually in the business sectors or retail areas where wall washing of building is required where these lamps are most popular.
Can I Fit This Floodlight In a High Area?
Yes. Should you be fitting the floodlight in an unusually elevated area, then you can fix these onto a column. This is seen typically in places like a lower league football stadium or athletics track where the floodlight needs to tower above everything else for the desired effect.
Everyone's needs are different so it is important you get the right advice before purchasing a column or bracket to mount your floodlight.
Caring For The Fitting & Lamp
- Always check the fitting before installing to see if there has been any visible damage during transport.
- Always try to replace lamps after the expected duration recommended by the supplier. There is less chance of explosion, which could damage the whole fitting if this occurs, if you change after the specified time.
- When continually using the fitting (24/7), ensure there is a 15 minute shut off every 7 days to protect the lamp and fitting.
- Try to re-lamp all fittings as a group rather than one at a time.
Installing Your Floodlight
As it is required that all these floodlights are mains wired and fixed to a solid surface, it is essential that all work is carried out by a qualified electrician. Always remember, it is illegal to carry out any work should you not be qualified. No floodlights can be plugged into a mains socket.