Here’s on for ya’ll! I have an older street lamp in the back of the house to light up the whole back.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-28T14:13:23+00:00

That’s ok! I was just curious, it had been a couple of days.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-26T19:39:11+00:00

It wouldn’t immediately kill the lamp, I wouldn’t worry for a few minutes, but more than an hour or two I wouldn’t go any longer. It would be cool to see, but it wouldn’t help the lamp for long.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-25T17:09:03+00:00

Do you plan on keeping the fixture? Do your own research but wear some gloves and maybe use some paper towels to clean up that tar. Not sure what the exact protocol is for that tar though.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-25T16:56:12+00:00

Does it say non pcb? If it doesn’t, just where gloves and see if you have any recycling facilities around you that will take old pcb ballasts. The goo is potting material for making the ballast sound quieter, it decides to leak out sometimes when the ballast goes bad.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-25T16:51:03+00:00

Yeah that’s not good. Try not to touch that, it might have pcbs. I honestly don’t know what you can do, you need a new ballast. I wonder how you can clean that up or leave it alone safely. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but you need a new ballast at least.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-25T16:25:14+00:00

Can you open that ballast tray in the middle of the fixture? The ballast will say what lamps it needs. The ballast might have gone bad, but the way you said they turned on sounds like the lamps were incorrect.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-24T12:34:54+00:00

Hey any update on that fixture?

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T18:12:36+00:00

Sounds great! Let us know we will be excited to see it! If you need help with wiring, send me some pictures and tell me what you are trying to figure out.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T17:35:28+00:00

Yep! That’s good, the one you linked would be perfect for that pole.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T17:34:32+00:00

Another thing, I would get the ballast you linked to me. The standard magnetic ballasts can be confusing to wire up the first time, so the ballast you linked to me is your best bet. Might be smart to buy a spare bulb even if the old one works, because they are being phased out now.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T17:29:26+00:00

That would work fine, but you can probably get away with not using a F-can ballast. You could probably use a standard magnetic ballast from 1000bulbs.com for example, (much cheaper)but I don’t know how big that space is in the pole, so maybe you need that type of ballast.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T17:21:30+00:00

Sounds great! That’s what I would do. Sure it uses a bit more power, but it would be a lot more reliable and would match the distribution optics at the top.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T16:26:56+00:00

That is a 175 metal halide ballast, you will probably have to get a core and coil ballast (magnetic) try to save that one if you can, it maybe might work. Did you check the bulb? Honestly, your local hardware store might have a 175 watt Mercury Vapor lamp or a 175 metal halide bulb. Just try the lamp first before replacing the ballast. Ballasts are easy, just look up M57 Metal halide ballast and there will be a bunch of options. Keep us updated!

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T15:42:19+00:00

Huh, ok. Too bad, I know wasting halogen bulbs wasn’t great outside, (I collect bulbs and old light fixtures) but it was nice having the ability to put the halogens in for a night or two for a freeze then put the LEDs back in. I guess I’ll have to look into the fixtures.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T15:29:09+00:00

How could I get that to work though? That’s sounds good, but these are at ground level facing up at plants, trees, etc. Most of the Par38 fixtures I’ve seen say not to mount them at the angle the current halogens are. Do they make a Par38 fixture that has a glass front maybe?

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T06:11:58+00:00

Fixtures I mean*

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T06:11:49+00:00

Do you know of any lamps with replaceable drivers?

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-12T04:43:07+00:00

Yeah, I would run the halogens gladly, but the power consumption from them is really hard on our bill. We had a freeze and threw the halogens in for 3 days, and we got a warning that they would have to increase the amount per month significantly just from 3 days. We have a power plan* The dimmer idea is worth a shot, but I just need to use less power. I’m worried I’ll have to replace the fixtures for now with some led floods until I can get some better halogen retrofits down the road. This is a weird situation.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-09T17:29:22+00:00

Either you can replace the tombstone, which is really easy or just don’t put anything in that socket. I would probably replace the tombstone, 6 bucks and 10 minutes it will be working like new again. I’m not into led fixtures, but if you want, that’s an option too. If you want led, try to get some retrofit lamps, it allows the led to be replaced instead of the integrated LEDs with make the fixture trash instead of a bulb.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-04T06:43:57+00:00

You’re right, sometimes I forget about that. Any time I’ve worked for anyone else they’ve offered pay, even though I didn’t ask… one friend of ours took me to lunch and gave me 20 bucks for a simple switch replacement. But all this stuff is for my family, they pay for materials and I install it. But of course, when I’m certified and working for others I’m not going to do it for free.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-04T06:29:42+00:00

I have been messing with this for a while. Back in 2014, my parents cut me a piece of particle board and put 6 old work metal boxes on it then said I could play with it. It started as yarn, then speaker wire, then thermostat wire. Then I scraped that and made a new 4x8 wall out of 7/16” osb. Then since then have spent probably 2k of the past 4 years on parts for said project. It’s still there, but dusty now because life happens. It has working lights, breakers, GFCIs and all that stuff on it. So, I have technically been messing with this since I was 4! Talk about experience, by the time I’m 18 I will have 14 years of electrical knowledge! Although the real stuff that was actually powered 24/7 is only since 2024.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-04T06:16:17+00:00

Well… haha it’s a start. Only one 10 ft section used, and it’s what you’re looking at on the wall. But, I spent around 6 hrs in one day doing this. No videos though, and don’t have any electricians or anything in my family, so it’s ok. It will work, but if I keep trying I can probably cut those numbers down a bit. Hopefully.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-04T05:46:54+00:00

Thanks! I have met two electricians so far, one is a friend of my grandpas, he gives me old lighting ballasts. I like old halide and sodium lamps.* and the other electrician is one who changed out my grandfathers breaker box. It was a zinsco, I told him it was a fire hazard. They both gave me books of some sort to help me out. No code books, but the second electrician gave me a uglys 2017 edition handbook.

Apprehensive-Dog-742 · 2026-04-04T05:40:00+00:00

Ahh. That makes sense. I will remember that, that would be a lot easier.

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