Metal halide fllodlight

[jeff m]

One of my Halide floodlights is misbehaving.
It comes on and slowly warms up then flickers and turns off.

Is it the bulb or the starter?

(I cannot swap the bulb with the other floodlight they are different wattages)

[tr7v8]

Assuming it is a SON lamp then the bulb & starter are combined, it'll need a new one, around 15 quid or so depending where you buy it.

[jeff m]

tr7v8 said:

Assuming it is a SON lamp then the bulb & starter are combined, it'll need a new one, around 15 quid or so depending where you buy it.

I'm not sure what a SON is but mine are seperate, the problem appears to be solved. I took out the lamp, no burnt bits, a bit of dielectric grease put it back, it stayed on for 30 minutes at full power. Bulb probably just a bit loose.
But I'll keep the ladder out for a few days.

[mudster]

If it's a metal halide then it's not a SON as they're different lamp types (although may run on the same gear).

A characteristic of a failing HID lamp is cycling, whereby the lamp warms up and switches off. It's therfore likely to be the lamp itself. Metal halide's comprise a huge variety of lamp types so you'll need to find the right one.