Mercury vapor bulb buzzing sound

mini_max

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2014
Messages
386
Location (City and/or State)
Alberta, Canada
Hi! My new 125 watt mvb is making a really annoying hum/buzz that makes it sound like my ears are ringing whenever I'm near the enclosure. Does anyone know, is this normal for the higher wattage bulbs, or is it my fixture, or the bulb itself? Thanks.
 

DutchieAmanda

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2014
Messages
342
Location (City and/or State)
Netherlands
A buzzing sound from electrics would worry me, could be a sign of a short circuit... Is the bulb screwed in tightly? Is the socket a ceramic one suitable for higher wattages?
 

MPRC

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
3,099
Location (City and/or State)
Oregon
I've had buzzing MVB lights before. Sometimes repositioning them helped, sometimes tapping them lightly after they were cooled off helped, but nothing seems to be a permanent fix for me.
 

mini_max

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2014
Messages
386
Location (City and/or State)
Alberta, Canada
Thanks everyone. I replaced my fixture, to be safe. It can handle up to 170 watts. It still buzzed and upon further inspection of the bulb, i discovered that the stuff inside the bulb - the filament or whatever it would be called in this case was quite at an angle rather than straight up and down. A manufacturing defect I guess. So when I adjusted the bulb to make the actual guts of it hang vertically, the noise stopped.

Thank goodness!
 
Top