When it comes to high pressure sodium lighting, one of the three popular
brands is Philips. Common to all the different brands is the chief benefit
of energy
efficiency. The lumen or light output from one of these bulbs is equivalent to
the output from a normal incandescent bulb many times the wattage. Another key
feature is that these bulbs will last a very long time. The average life of a
standard model is typically about 20,000 hours. Compare this to a classic style
bulb, which has an average life of about 1,000 hours. It is easy to see the
energy savings (thus cost savings) that these bulbs provide. This is why
you see them used in parking lots, roadways or warehouse facilities that run for
long periods of time. They save energy while reducing maintenance costs because
of their extra long life.
Used throughout the world, the Philips technology involved in HPS lighting is
similar to fluorescent lighting used in offices but with a difference. An arc is established between two
electrodes in a gas-filled tube which causes a special vapor to produce the
light you see. Unlike fluorescent bulbs, this light does not need a coating of
phosphors in order to produce the light, the light comes from the arc itself and
creates a tremendous amount of light. In the broader category of HID lighting,
these are the ones you see with the slightly yellow color in a parking lot or on
the freeway. While delivering great energy savings, you can still differentiate
color with this lamp, with low pressure sodium you cannot, which is a completely
different technology.
All the major manufacturers like Philips produce high sodium light
bulbs in all kinds of wattages. Ceramalux is Philips Lighting's name for their high
pressure family of lamps. Be aware that like fluorescent light bulbs, these also
have a specific ballast that is used for each wattage. You can't change
from one wattage to another even if the bulb might fit in the socket. Most
of the time the ballast is a core and coil type which is very heavy. The ballast
will be clearly labeled as to which type of lamp it operates. If you don't the
correct lamp and ballast combination you can reduce both lamp and ballast life
and cost yourself more money in maintenance.
Some people wonder about the color of the Philips Ceramalux high pressure
sodium. Will they be able to distinguish color readily by using this type
of lamp? The answer is yes that they will be able to distinguish color as
the white portion of its spectrum gives the human eye enough variation to see
the various colors. But if color is a very important thing to your
operation, then you may want to consider using metal halide lamps instead.
They have a completely white light in which you can differentiate all types of
color and still get good energy efficiency. In most architectural specifications,
metal halide is becoming the HID lamp of choice for almost all applications.
With the advent of more efficient metal halide lamps, Philips Ceramalux high pressure sodium light
bulbs are being specified less often. Although this may be true, they are
still used for security and roadway lighting for the energy efficiency and
performance.
Some of the most common varieties of Philips Ceramalux high pressure sodium
light bulbs are as follows: C70, C100, C150, C250, C400 and C1000. The number in
these codes pertains to the wattage of each lamp. The various manufacturers have
different names for their product, Philips Ceramalux, Sylvania Lumalux and GE
Lucalox. We
have a large inventory of high pressure sodium bulbs for nearly every type of
light fixture in the field. If you're having trouble identifying your
Philips
lamp, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have
and make a good suggestion of a suitable replacement.
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We offer the lowest shipping rate of our online competitors.
