overdriving halide bulbs

[apollothesun]

has anyone overdriven a halide bulb? meaning using a 250 watt ballast and using a 150 watt bulb. i know overdriving pc bulbs will shorten the pc bulb life but how about metal halide. any benefits as in brighter glow or is it a fire hazard. thanks in advance

 

[Scooterman]

You can overdrive a 250W non-HQI lamp with an HQI ballast but If you put a 150W lamp on a 250W ballast your going to just burst it, not a good idea. You can only O.D. so much, too much will burn open the lamp or explode it.

 

[apollothesun]

thanks scooterman, yeah, tried and it works using a mogul bulb with a hqi ballast.

 

[russellaqua]

Overdriving any bulb will shorten its' lifespan.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I have many friends running 400w moguls on 400w HQI ballasts.
VERY bright output!

But yes, a candle that burns twice as bright - burns half as long...

 

[buffalo]

not a good idea to overdrive MH bulb, excess heat will cause shorter life and potential explosive bulb.