Specialty and Architectural Lighting
How to Evaluate LED vs. HID Horticulture Lighting
Posted by Dave on for ProLampSales
A 2018 study by the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensallear Polytechnic provides detailed guidelines for comparing LED and HID light sources for use in commercial greenhouse and other horticulture facilities. The report is also a cautionary advisory on transitioning to LED based only on the criteria of improved energy efficiency and longer lamp life compared to HID. Scope of LRC Study Commercial environmentally-controlled greenhouses in the U.S. account for nearly 900 million square feet...
- Posted in HID & Metal Halide, Horticulture, LED
What is the Voltage of Fluorescent and Ultraviolet Bulbs?
Posted by Dave on for ProLampSales
You may have noticed that the specifications for fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent bulbs, and ultraviolet lamps provide watts, but almost never volts. Why not? Ballasts, invisible inside the fixture, are required for all fluorescent bulbs to operate. Ballasts modify the line voltage they are connected to (120V, 277V, etc.) so the proper current is supplied to the bulb. Because ballasts are hidden, it is easy to assume the bulbs are simply operated directly off line voltage from the...
- Posted in Ballasts, Fluorescent, Ultraviolet Light
How UVA Blacklights Help Veterinarians Diagnose Pet Skin Infections
Posted by Nick on for ProLampSales
Blacklights are not merely for special effects and lighting up cool posters. They also have an important clinical use by veterinarians. These bulbs are very common for diagnosing ringworm in cats, dogs, and other animals. The most common tool veterinarians use to diagnose ringworm on pets is a Wood's Lamp, which is another name for the common blacklight bulb with a blue filter. According to Wikipedia, Wood's lamps have been used since 1925 to detect...
- Posted in Health, Ultraviolet Light
The Difference Between Ballast Factor and Ballast Power Factor
Posted by Dave on for ProLampSales
Reading fluorescent ballast and HID ballast specification sheets can make your head hurt. Case in point: ballast factor vs ballast power factor. Ballast Factor Affects Light Output Ballast factor is a number normally between 0.70 and 1.2. This number is a multiplier applied to the rated initial lumens of a fluorscent or HID light bulb. The result tells you how many lumens are actually delivered from the bulb-ballast system. In some cases, the result will be...
- Posted in Ballasts
What Are Amalgam Fluorescent and Ultraviolet Bulbs?
Posted by Dave on for ProLampSales
The performance of fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and low pressure mercury ultraviolet bulbs deteriorates in ambient temperatures that rise above certain design parameters. At high fixture and room temperatures, light output and color characteristics deteriorate. CFLs are particularly affected by this, as anyone who has had a CFL bulb in a porch light or the garage fail on a hot summer day has learned. But this effect on ultraviolet germicidal bulbs can be...
- Posted in Fluorescent, Ultraviolet Light
What to Know About Mercury in Fluorescent, Ultraviolet, and HID Bulbs
Posted by Dave on for ProLampSales
Reasonable care should be taken in both the handling of broken light bulbs and the disposal of burned out bulbs that contain mercury. For decades, fluorescent and CFL bulbs have been used widely in commercial and residential general lighting settings, but there has been a vast increase in homeowners, businesses, and institutions utilizing ultraviolet bulbs to purify air and sanitize surfaces due to the COVID-19 situation. Fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent, UVC germicidal, UVA blacklight, metal...
- Posted in Fluorescent, HID & Metal Halide, Ultraviolet Light
Research Shows 285nm UV LEDs Kill Coronavirus
Posted by Nick on for ProLampSales
- Posted in Ultraviolet Light
Overcoming the Unique Challenge of Biofilms to Ultraviolet Disinfection
Posted by Nick on for ProLampSales
While no pathogen has been discovered that is immune to ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, biofilms present a unique challenge due to their structure. They allow harmful microbes a way to protect themselves against ultraviolet penetration and are ubiquitous on Earth. Biofilms are microbial communities in a wet complex matrix attached to a solid surface. The microbes produce polysaccharides that allow them to attach to a surface, and they can be found all over the planet, including...
- Posted in Ultraviolet Light
How to Use UVC to Sanitize Car & Truck Interiors
Posted by Nick on for ProLampSales
- Posted in Automotive, Ultraviolet Light
The Curious History of Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation
Posted by Nick on for ProLampSales
- Posted in Ultraviolet Light