D
drjkl
Guest
How much heat does a 4 foot 8 bulb t5 ho fixture put out? Would remote ballast help? What size area do you think it would effectively cover?
T
Truu
Guest
My 6 lamp fixture puts out a decent amount of heat. If you keep a fan blowing down the fixture, heat will not be an issue. I mostly keep the bulbs about 2" away, but sometimes I would get it an 1" away. At one point my plant actually grew between 2 bulbs and didnt get burned.
Remote ballast is the best thing you could do. I have mine mounted outside and they will burn ya if you touch them!
I say they lights will cover about as wide as your fixture is, just make sure you keep them close to your plant.
Remote ballast is the best thing you could do. I have mine mounted outside and they will burn ya if you touch them!
I say they lights will cover about as wide as your fixture is, just make sure you keep them close to your plant.
My 4' 8 bulb Quantum Badboy puts out a decent amount of heat. I would have to agree Truu about the coverage, should be around 2' x 4'
8 bulb fixtures wont fit 2x4' tents depending on manufacturer fixtures tended to be a few inches to wide.
Heat? To much to not have a decent fan system or open the doors with a oscillating fan in front of the tent.
Whoever said T5's don't produce heat was lying lol
Positive Vibes,
LC
Edit: Sorry for bumping an old post
Heat? To much to not have a decent fan system or open the doors with a oscillating fan in front of the tent.
Whoever said T5's don't produce heat was lying lol
Positive Vibes,
LC
Edit: Sorry for bumping an old post
Hydrofarm's Envirogro 6-tube (4' long) fits nicely in a 2x4 tent. It measures 19-1/2" wide. (Their 8 tube is 26" wide, a couple inches too much -- as you noted.).
Sunblaze makes a 2-tube (4' long). At 8" wide it can fill the gap of a 4-tube (like Hydrofarm's 4-tube which is 13-1/2" wide.)
Frank & Rosenthal[1] say 20 watts per sq. ft. is the minimum to grow, and 40 is the optimum. Six tubes gives 40.5 watts sq. ft. in a 2x4 tent. 4 tubes is 27 watts sq. ft. 8 tubes is 54 watts sq. ft. Past what they call the point of diminishing returns.
The only thing I don't like about T5HO is how it creates a flat ceiling over the plants, limiting recirculating fan options. If you put a fan below the light it competes with the space used for plants. Put it above and the fixtures block the air. I'm not happy with what I've tried so far. I think the only solution is to mount a large fan on the tent's ceiling and create a lot of turbulence. Not a direct breeze across the plants. Just a lot of air moving in different directions to hopefully create some flow below the fixtures.
[1] The Marijuana Grower's Guide, p. 34.
I have a 2x4 foot tent and I ordered Virtual Sun 4 ft 8 Lamp Bloom Flower T5 HO Fluorescent Grow Light Kit VST4008B | eBay last week - it arrives tomorrow, will let you know how it fits. (It's just under 24x48 inches..)
Flush mount a fan if you're using a tent.. I got a little 6" desk fan and took the base off, mounted it to a dryer vent pipe (not the flexy stuff, need a bit harder) and then put it in the grow tent's lower in-take port.. it blows over the plants, not the tops eventually but it still gives good beneath canopy airflow.
Flush mount a fan if you're using a tent.. I got a little 6" desk fan and took the base off, mounted it to a dryer vent pipe (not the flexy stuff, need a bit harder) and then put it in the grow tent's lower in-take port.. it blows over the plants, not the tops eventually but it still gives good beneath canopy airflow.
Thanks, I'll try that. I found a tall, narrow Lasko desktop tower fan. I mounted one to the leg of the tent. It works pretty good for a 2x4 tent. The downside is that it has electronic switches for the fan speed and oscillator. If the power is lost, you have to push the electronic push-button again to turn it on. I cut the switches out and installed two toggle switches on the face of the fan. (Radio Shack #275-0374 and #275-0375). But, to get access inside the fan, you need a Torx *security* driver, size t-20. So.... now you gotta have one of these.
It starts to look like a lot of work to make this fan work. But, it's a pretty nice option. It fills a niche. (Be sure to oil the shaft at both ends. Lasts much longer when oiled occasionally, especially out of the box. They don't get any oil from the factory.).
Sounds like you know what you're doing, I just tape shit together with hvac tape and mount it with hvac tape.. :brow:
Honestly though, that's what I'm using is a little Lasko clip fan - I took the clip off and drilled a hole in the duct work, removed the fan from the housing and took the wire apart, ran it through the whole and soldered it back on, put it inside of the duct work and taped it in place with hvac tape and then put that inside the intake port. It's better than having the fan inside the tent which with that clip fan I was using was a real PITA originally.
Honestly though, that's what I'm using is a little Lasko clip fan - I took the clip off and drilled a hole in the duct work, removed the fan from the housing and took the wire apart, ran it through the whole and soldered it back on, put it inside of the duct work and taped it in place with hvac tape and then put that inside the intake port. It's better than having the fan inside the tent which with that clip fan I was using was a real PITA originally.
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