There are many types of bulbs whether halide lamps such as the MH bulbs or fluorescent such as CFL bulbs or the t5 bulb. Apart from buying bulbs to use in your homes, outdoor lighting, and commercial venues or for farming such as in aquariums or green houses, you have to consider some accessories that you need to purchase with your bulbs. Bulb accessories aid in proper functioning of the bulb and also help in improving efficiency by lessening labor. These include things like a halogen transformer which is useful for usage with metal halide lamps or the MH bulbs. These are used to control the voltage so that they are suitable for the bulbs, since they are made to supply a certain voltage to the bulbs.

Another set of accessory that is useful for MH bulbs are the photocontrols. These are useful for controlling the time the halide lamps go on and off and they do this automatically so you do not have to monitor the light yourself. They can also be used for fluorescent bulbs such as the t8 fluorescent or the t5 fluorescent. These photocontrols are very useful for out door lighting since they can easily monitor and turn on the lights when it is dark and then turn them off when it is light outside. This is not only useful for improved security but also helps in saving energy since the MH bulbs are only on for the time they are required and off the rest of the time.

Another accessory that is useful when you want to dispose bulbs is the bulb eater. This is used to crush spent fluorescent bulbs in an energy efficient and safe manner. This is a system which is mounted on a big barrel and can contain over a thousand fluorescent lamps. They are designed to crush fluorescent lamps into recyclable material and the most important part is the capture almost all the vapor released so that there is no pollution and also the person operating the bulb eater does not risk inhaling the fumes. The bulb eaters are useful since they reduce the handling time for spent bulbs so that you only have to handle them once. This means you do not have to box the spent lamp, therefore, you require less labor. The bulb eater will also save you a lot on storage space for holding the lamps. This is because whole bulbs occupy a lot more space as compared to the bulbs that have been crushed. This means you do not have to worry about getting extra storage for spent lamps while waiting for pick up.

It is advisable that you make enquiries before purchasing a given accessory so as to be sure that it is compatible with the bulb you want to buy or that you already own. Things such as photocontrols are very specific to each bulb and have different shapes and sizes too depending on the bulb and the area it is going to be used. You should also be careful when buying halogen transformers so that you ensure that it is what your metal halide lamps need.


Mark Hudson is the author of this article on T5 Fluorescent. Find more information, about T5 Bulb here.