FAQS

EYE LIGHTING INTERNATIONAL
OF NORTH AMERICA, INC.
A SUBSIDIARY OF IWASAKI ELECTRIC CO., LTD

FAQ's

Q: Do HORTILUX lamps work on electronic/digital ballasts?

A: HORTILUX lamps work equally well as any competitive brand on electronic ballasts. Performance really depends on the quality of the electronic ballast and the ability of the ballast manufacture to produce consistently good products.

Magnetic, core and coil ballasts are made to conform to ANSI Standards. ANSI is the American National Standards Institute that establishes specifications on how specific HID lamps are to perform electrically. This designation ensures that all lamp brands work interchangeably on the ANSI compatible ballasts. For example, all major brand LU1000 lamps comply with ANSI S52, and when matched with a ballast designated ANSI S52, the consumer is assured the lamp and ballast are matched correctly. All major lamp brands currently comply with these ANSI standards, and have for decades.

Most electronic ballasts do not comply with ANSI ratings. This means that each e.ballast brand can be different. Compound this with actual variations in the production runs from the same manufacturer/brand and you can see why system dependability is easily compromised. These are clearly NOT lamp issues but ballast challenges to be improved upon. If you chose to operate our lamp on a ballast that does not meet these ANSI specifications, lamp life and performance MAY be dramatically reduced. Since the quality of artificial light is paramount to successful plant photosynthesis and optimum growth, it would seem ill-advised to compromise lamp performance in favor of unproven ballast technology.

Q: Can I buy directly from EYE?

A: No, EYE Lighting does not sell to the public. We supply our products through Horticultural wholesale company’s that support local retail stores across the United States and Canada. All sales inquiries should be directed to one of our distribution partners in North America and Canada. Please refer to the How To Buy section of this site to locate our authorized distributors

Q: If I have a problem how do I return a Hortilux lamp?

A: All Hortilux bulbs have a one year warranty. If a lamp is defective please take it back to the store it was purchased from, we do not accept returns directly from end users.

Q: What is a Metal Halide lamp?

A: A Metal Halide lamp is a High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp in which the major portion of the light is produced by radiation of metal halides and their products of dissociation in combination with metallic vapors such as mercury.

Q: What is a High Pressure Sodium lamp?

A: A High Pressure Sodium lamp is a High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp in which the light is produced by radiation from sodium vapor.

Q: What ballast should I use for my lamp?

A: Ballasts are designed to optimally operate a unique lamp type. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) publishes recommended lamp input specifications for all ANSI type lamps. Use the ballast that is rated for the lamp type and ANSI code of your lamp. The ANSI code can be found on the front of the box of your lamp, and also on the product pages of this site. Less than optimum conditions may affect the lamp's starting characteristics, light output, and operating life. For safety reasons always use UL listed products.

Q: What is a spectral distribution?

A: A spectral distribution is a plot showing the variation of spectral emission (energy) by wavelength.

Q: What does “EN” mean on the monogram and description of EYE lamps?

       A: EN lamps are EPA TCLP compliant as non hazardous waste. EN lamps contain 80% less mercury than standard HPS lamps resulting in easy lamp disposal, and an “environmentally friendly” lead free design.
Q: What does “ACE” mean on the monogram and product name of EYE lamps?
      A: ACE is the EYE trade name that identifies the product family as a retrofit or conversion lamp.
Q: Why do the Hortilux Blue lamps have the white powder inside the bulb after a short period of time? Does this adversly affect lamp performance?
       A: This powder originates from the ends of the arc tube inside the bulb and will begin to flake off over time, this is normal for this lamp type. The loss of this material will not adversly affect lamp performance
Q: How do I dispose of my lamp?
     A: ALL high intensity discharge lamps contain mercury, a naturally occurring element. It is important that lamps and other products containing mercury be properly managed to protect public health and the environment.

Hortilux Super HPS & Ultra Ace lamps pass Federal EPA TCLP tests as non hazardous waste and usually can be disposed of without being recycled. However, please check with your state laws first, as each state has different “hazardous waste” requirements which may be more strict than Federal law .

For information on how to recycle your lamp, including a list of companies that recycle lamps, visit www.lamprecycle.org. Q: What ballast do I use for the LU430S/HTL/EN lamp?
      A: The LU430S/HTL lamp is required to be operated on a 430W ballast designated for a S145 lamp

Q: I’m seeing imperfections in the bulb glass, what is the reason?

       A: HID lamps, such as Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium lamps are made with special high temperature outer envelope glass. This glass has traditionally been made with small amounts of lead and arsenic in order to produce a clean and smooth looking glass envelope. In recent years, concerns over the environment have prompted some manufactures to switch to glass envelopes that are free of lead and arsenic due to their toxic nature. EYE Lighting International, the maker of the HORTILUX lamp line is one such manufacturer that made the switch to lead and arsenic free glass a few years ago. Though the makers of the glass do everything they can to provide a smooth and bubble free product, the more environmentally friendly glass tends to have higher levels of ripples and bubbles than its more toxic predecessor. Light output and lamp performance is in no way is affected by these changes to the glass.

Other notable eco conscious practices engaged by EYE Lighting International and EYE HORTILUX are:
     1) No lead solder used in the bases of HORTILUX lamps made in the U.S.A.
     2) Internal frame components are made with stainless steel (a less environmentally hazardous alternative to nickel plated steel wire used in many HID lamps).
     3) EYE Lighting’s manufacturing plant in Mentor, Ohio actively recycles materials such as paper, packaging, metals, and glass in order to reduce landfill waste. EYE also aggressively works to reduce plant energy use as a measure to reduce its carbon impact on our world.

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