Power Compact Bulb 65 in a 55 fixture

[ezy33]

I have a Hamilton dual 175 MH and dual 55 watt Power Compact lamps. Can I use the 65 watt lamps in place of the 55 watts? Has anyone done this?

Thanks

 

[gre]

If the 175 is 175Watt then you should have no problem IMO. Because the total power drawn will only be 120Watts. With increased power comes increased current so proceed with caution in the future but in this case it would not be a whole lot. If it was only rated at 110W then I would not recommend the swap. The power ratings for the fixture should be printed near where the cord come out of it.

If the fixture is rated for maximum 55 watt bulb I would NOT recommend the swap.

If you toss up the power rating info from the back/bottom of the fixture I would have a better idea what you are working with.

Cheers!

 

[ezy33]

Here's a photo of the label on the ballast.

 

[gre]

Thanks, I would probably not go higher. It calls for 2x55W so I probably wouldn't stray from that IMO. The calculation to see how much current the bulbs themselves will draw is a pretty gross complex power calculation .