How to Install an HPS Light Fixture

High pressure sodium lighting is toward the yellow end of the light spectrum.

A high pressure sodium, or HPS, light uses the ionization of xenon, mercury and sodium to create a brightly illuminated sodium vapor. The intense light uses less electricity than standard mercury lighting. This cost efficiency makes HPS light applications widespread for outdoor security settings, both commercially and at home. Modern HPS lighting consists of a mountable fixture incorporating an automatic ballast to optimize the efficacy of the bulb. Installing an HPS light fixture requires attention to the safety aspects of an electrical appliance mounting procedure.

Things You'll Need

• Cable-and-pipe meter
• Carpenter's level
• Pencil
• Electric drill

Instructions

1. Check with a qualified electrician that the installed cabling for the HPS light fixture is adequate for the wattage of the bulb. Use a cable-and-pipe meter to check the wall to each side of the insulated cable end to ensure no further cable or pipes are in the wall behind where you want to drill mounting holes.

2. Switch off the electricity from the main power box in your home. Position the HPS mounting bracket on the wall and use a carpenter's level to ensure the bracket is straight. Use a pencil to mark the center of the bracket mounting holes.

3. Drill mounting holes into the wall with an electric drill to the depth and width of the HPS light's screw-fitting instructions. Insert the supplied screw anchors into the holes. Use a screwdriver to fasten the supplied screws through the mounting holes on the bracket and into the screw anchors in the wall.

4. Open the electric housing lid on the HPS light fixture. Remove the insulation tape around the wall cable. Use a wiring block to wire together like-for-like wires from the wall cable to the light fixture wires. Typically, the color coded wires link live-to-live, neutral-to-neutral and ground-to-ground.

5. Fasten the electric housing lid back onto the HPS light fixture so that the wiring block is inside and the wall cable exits the housing via the cable hole.

6. Mount the HPS light fixture onto the mounting bracket and tighten the fastenings to secure the light in place. Insert the HPS bulb according to your fixture type and instructions if you bought the bulb separately. Switch the electricity back on to establish power to the light.

Tips & Warnings

• Use extreme caution during electrical installations to avoid the danger of electrocution.

• Use insulated ladders to fit a highly positioned light as a precaution against electrocution.

References

• High Pressure Sodium Lights: High Pressure Sodium Lights - Features and Applications
• "Free Press Release"; High Pressure Sodium Lights; September 2005
• Guide to Outdoor Lighting: Installing an Outdoor Lighting Fixture Can Change the Look of Your House

Resources

• "Electrical Online"; High Pressure Sodium Lighting; Lance Kaczorowski
• Light Corporation: Seeing is Believing: HPS Lighting