teh_ren

I was looking around and found that a 48" T5 light from a local hydro store is $39.95, which does not seem that bad, its has an output of 5000 lumen. Now today I had picked up some T12 fixtures which cost $9 for the ballast that can hold 2 bulbs, the 40W bulbs have a 3400 lumen output at 3000k (For flowering, but will also mix them in with veg, I like to always have red light, make me feel good. :-))

Anyways the 2 bulbs are $6, so that is $15 for 2 lights and a ballast that has 6800 lumen output, which is more then a T5 and cost about 1/2 as much. Of course the T5 is 54Watts, and the 2 other lights would be 80 watts, but I am coming from a 1600+ watt setup with HID lights so i am not to worried about having a few 80w light setups. For the price I can run 4 bulbs at 13600 lumen for the same price as a single T5 light.

I think my main questions is can I really compare the lumen output from a single source to the total lumen output of multiple lights being added together. will the 2 bulb system with 6400 total lumen have the same penetration as a T5 single source of 5000 lumen?

Another problem with T5 lights is they get warmer then T12, that does not mean they give off more heat when comparing lumen output to heat output, but they reach a higher temp, and they can burn plants within a day, t12 lights usually take a few days to really hurt a plant, and sometimes they don't get hurt at all, so thats another reason I am not to excited about T5 lights.

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Closet Soil grow, Fluro's only (Bombed, I hate soil)
600W HydroHut 3'x3' Grow (Done)
My 3rd attempt at a first grow - (Done) Closet Hydro w/ 400W MH light.
Lost like I am on abbreviations? cecil_b's Grower's Dictionary v1.2

FishOn

i think the answer here is no. the T5s are much brighter and more intense lights than even two T12s. you will undoubtedly be able to purchase more lumens per dollar buying T12s from HomeDepot than going to the 'Dro Shop and getting brandname T5s, but to equal the lumens you can get on a T5 you'd take up at least twice the ammount of space doing it with T12s

with HID lights more points of light can be beneficial (running 3 600w instead of 2 1000w is a good example) - but with CFLs the concept is different because they are striving to put out an intense enough light as it is ( - or get enough penetration)

for my $ T5s kickass

dontask

T5's do kick ass...

More pricey, better quality.

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* Anything I say is a result of complex chemical and electrical reactions occuring in my brain and should not be taken as any sort of tangible existential proof.

DLA

I use HID (HPS<MH bulbs), Fluorescent, Compact fluorescent,...2 of the Flo's I use are small 24" TS and they work great when compared to all I mentioned.

Depending on you needs they won't let you down.

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Sometimes people say things they immediately regret, but then later are glad they said it.
Sometimes people never say anything for fear of being judged.
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knna

Im with you in T5s beeing too expensive. But T12 are obsolete: far less efficients, far less intensity and less duration. You must include lamps duration in any economic analysis, and T12 duration is easily 1/5 of T5s.

But there is a intermediate point, T8. Triphosphor T8s runned with electronic ballast last the same than T5s, give less intensity but not so less as T12s, and are cheaper. Aditionally, they run cool enough to touch leaves.

So i think the more cost effective way is using T8s with double electronic ballast. Or at least, mixed setups with T8s and T5s.

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Bulb Analyzer Tool

teh_ren

I was wondering if T8's where better then T12's, I have one of them right now, but I am going to look for some more. i would love to learn how to wire these myself and if I could find the power coverters then all I would really need is the bulbs.

Now i have another few questions. Regarding Overdriving T8's and T12
s, that would make it a more intense light right? Well last night I tried to overdrive a t12 ballast, but it was a magnetic, anyways when I was done it did not look any different then a normal ballast. Anyways my question can I overdrive with magnetic ballast? or only with electronic? Also I had a hard time finding a good document on overdriving ballast, so as far as I could tell on a 2 bulb ballast I just cut the possitive wire from the one side and soldered it to the positive of the other side and that was it (On both ends of the ballast), I am not sure if that is all that needs to be done but any links to good articles would be awesome.

I am going to check out HomeDepot and Lowes for some T8 lights and see what I can find. Might pick up a few T5's at the hydro store if the T8s aren't cheap enough.

__________________
Closet Soil grow, Fluro's only (Bombed, I hate soil)
600W HydroHut 3'x3' Grow (Done)
My 3rd attempt at a first grow - (Done) Closet Hydro w/ 400W MH light.
Lost like I am on abbreviations? cecil_b's Grower's Dictionary v1.2

knna

I dont like the idea of overdriving, it reduces strongly the lamps useful life. If you want to pack many floro watts in little space, the T5 HO tubes are the right way.

All ive read about overdriving is done with electronic ballast, but i didnt explore if it could be done with mag ballast.

I never buy floro fixtures. I prefer to buy lamps and ballast separatelly and wire them. Floro conventional sockets are easy to find, but anyway you can use standard electric conectors (i dont know the word for them: those with two small screws at each end of the conector to tight the wires). I use them with my type L CFLs, due they use 2G11 sockets wich are difficult to find.

Any ballast have the electrical conexion diagram printed in it. Just follow it.

I always advice to use e ballast with floros, when possible. Price difference is small (i buy e ballast 2X58w for 15€ (~20$) in a electric warehouse) and lamps perfomance is greatly improved, as well as lamps duration. In my local forum, we do often "group buys" in order to get good prices, for both lamps and ballast, but probably it isnt a good idea in countries less permisive as mine. But anyway, ballast comes usually in 10pcs box and lamps in 10 or 25 pcs box: when ordering the full box in any electric warehouse, its possible to get very good discounts. Ordering the whole box allows to order exactly what you want.

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Bulb Analyzer Tool

Magical Cabinet

went searching and found this ...never thought of wiring my own, but you got me thinking about it. My 4 lamp w/bulbs cost around $120 (4lamp 2ft)...so this would be much cheaper by comparison.

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M.C.

DLA

If your going to pay $120.00 check these out their very nice, I use them and I believe AlleyCat does too. They hook together so you can expand your light set. The price on this website is very high I paid $25 for each 24".

__________________

Sometimes people say things they immediately regret, but then later are glad they said it.
Sometimes people never say anything for fear of being judged.
Sometimes people talk all the time and we never hear a word they say.
Sometimes people speak only when spoken to and are always heard by one.
90% of our communication is unspoken.

Magical Cabinet

Thanks DLA, I actually have a few of those on the sides of my cabinet to light up the undergrowth, they work great...helps make up for the lack of penetration.

__________________
--
M.C.