Lighting Just put in my kingbrite order

[InexpensiveBeret]

oh i've already started figuring out a small strip build for our herb 'garden' (shelves with containers). gonna mount the heatsinks to the shelves, each shelf getting 50w at most. should give us a nice, consistent supply of herbs/leafy greens/smaller veggies.

 

[InexpensiveBeret]

sourcing aluminum profiles locally is proving a gigantic pain. aside from weight considerations, is there any reason i should avoid using iron? some problems with aluminum heatsinks on iron? i have a guy who'll do the work for me from scraps he has lying around, so i don't have to custom order some ridiculous length of aluminum i don't need.

 

[Banjacked]

Is it galvanised steel and not iron? If so I think you will get a reaction between the galv and aluminium which will weaken the aluminium via galvanic corrosion. Ally's a bugger for that, it reacts with so many different metals, some faster than others, and a reaction with iron as it corrodes is guaranteed.

You can avoid it by putting a good insulating layer, a decent hard plastic separator between the two metals, or make sure any contact areas are painted to death with a good Hammerite/Smoothrite type paint to make sure that the two metals can't come in contact with each other.

 

[InexpensiveBeret]

i mean he said it was iron, but i'm not sure. i'm popping over tomorrow, so i'll ask.
thanks for the info.

 

[Banjacked]

As long as whatever you hang it from can handle the weight, just make sure the iron/steel has a good layer of decent outdoor paint on it and I reckon you'll be ok. Would be best to do that anyway because it will be in a bit of humidity so would start rusting and I don't know if rust flakes would affect plants in any way. And it'll look better, it's not as if it's one of my "rougher than a bastard file" bodge jobs.

 

[InexpensiveBeret]

yeah that sounds like a good idea either way.

 

[Banjacked]

You want to go "full pretty" then get it powder coated.

Probably cost more than buying aluminium, though...

 

[InexpensiveBeret]

Final product:

And all tied up, hung up and lit up:

 

[Boradan]

Final product:

And all tied up, hung up and lit up:

I bet you feel REALLY good about yourself just about now
Well done bud.

 

[InexpensiveBeret]

I was feeling prettttty prettty pretttttttty good, but check my last post in my thread out - everything is up in the air right now and all the work and money may have been for nought.