I work at a campground. There is a light pole that is too high to get with a ladder. We need to change it. We will rent a lift to get to it and change it, but we live in a small town and will have to order this light bulb. I know it is a mercury vapor light and it looks like a used condom. I know it sounds funny, but from where we stand, that%26#039;s what it looks like. If you can help me out, I would appreciate it. |||ha ha. I know the shape of bulb you are talking about.
My father had a couple. I might still have one around. His were %26quot;self ballasting mercury vapor%26quot; bulbs. The ballast was built in the base like we now see with the compact fluorescent bulbs. But does NOT mean that is what yours are.
I read somewhere that companies make their bulbs in a little different shapes do they can patent them since the technology is all the same. The shape of that bulb may only tell the manufacturer and not what type it is. Your fixture may have a ballast.
If it is a metal light pole maybe it has a model number on the pole itself and you can research that to find out what type of bulb the fixture takes. Check carefully around the base.
Sorry, and Good Luck.
|||Unfortunately there will be no way to tell until you take it out. There are many different bulbs that go in those fixtures and they are wattage sensitive to the ballast that is in the fixture. You might check with the bookkeeping dept for the campground to see if they have a record of any bulbs purchased for that fixture or a record of that fixture itself.|||Andy is right. To find out the wattage, you need to remove the lamp.
The wattage can vary widely from 35W-1000W.
You may also want to consider that they make special fittings for changing these exact types of lamps using a long pole or pipe.
Good luck!
