Cost of 175w mercury lamp: about $12.95. Sylvania 400w super metalarc lamp shown: about $26. Replace entire yard blaster: about the same. Replace yardblaster, rusty sagging arm, unsafe wiring and collapsing building: Not worth it.
I can't imagine the cheapo ballast in that thing would even start a metal halide lamp. Mine won't.
My GE 175w Multi-vapor (Universal burning position) probe-start metal halide lamp fires up just fine in my ElectriPak 175w yardblaster.
I've seen a spiral CFL (high wattage one) in one of these Cooper/Regent yardblasters at someone's house, also with pieces of the broken diffuser still clinging to the reflector...and it appeared to be powered by an extension cord too! The cheap photocell wasn't dayburning (or maybe it was unplugged) so I have no idea how the CFL performed on the MV, PSMH, or HPS ballast.
My yardblaster is also powered by an extension cord and has a taped-up, broken diffuser. It's only plugged in when needed (not in it's intended location yet but at least it's in the backyard)
Maybe they thought it would be brighter, and maybe it is comapred to the dimmed out 175w merc that this replaced...or maybe they DO know but need to find a mercury lamp and they had to stick SOMETHING in there that would at least light up (somewhat)
probably searched "dusk to dawn lamp" on e-bay and bought the first lamp they saw. My old 175W MV yardblaster (now Gil's) ran my Plusrite 175W base up lamp just fine. When i bought the lamp it was listed as universal but the lamp code is /BU which I'm assuming is "base up".
I can't imagine the cheapo ballast in that thing would even start a metal halide lamp. Mine won't.
I've seen a spiral CFL (high wattage one) in one of these Cooper/Regent yardblasters at someone's house, also with pieces of the broken diffuser still clinging to the reflector...and it appeared to be powered by an extension cord too! The cheap photocell wasn't dayburning (or maybe it was unplugged) so I have no idea how the CFL performed on the MV, PSMH, or HPS ballast.
My yardblaster is also powered by an extension cord and has a taped-up, broken diffuser. It's only plugged in when needed (not in it's intended location yet but at least it's in the backyard)
Will they ever learn?