My 8ft 24 Bulb 624 Watt CFL Hood/Fixture For Under $150

[xinsanewickedx]

this is very cool man something i will have to try

 

[GMT]

Hi, couple of quick questions, genuinely not being a smart arse, just don't know the answers. 1) why do you recomend the twist concetors rather than the end to end type, (I recently spent ages connecting wires, ended up not using either method and just melting solder all over the ends till I had a big mess of solder with wires coming out of it lol). Wished I'd used propper end to end connectors, never having seen twist connectors before.
2) if you're going with over 600w of light, why not 3 or 4 150W MH or HPS fixtures, or just one 400w fixture rather than lots of cfl fixtures? I'm guessing (though dont know) that the heat output will be roughly the same. Esp at say 1 foot and the light intensity pretty much equal. Is it due to an elongated grow space or something like that?

It all looks very neat, and love the "many bulbs to one plug", just not sure of the rational behind it.

 

[Elite]

I never claimed to be rational!! Who the fuck told you I was RATIONAL??

LOL, seriously...

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "twist connectors" ?? I simply twisted the wire with my Linesman pliers, twisted a wire nut on until tight. Like any electrician...after you do it a couple hundred THOUSAND times, you get quite good at it, nice solid connection that only takes seconds...

2nd question is simple, cost:
can I get 3- 150watt MH's for $150?? If so...wheres the fun in that??

Honestly...I never took this whole thing REAL serious...
I just had a lot of the materials laying around from all my years in construction (No blueprints, though)...It just kind of came together (Insert A-Team Theme)

Bored and talented...I was hoping to teach and inspire.
Sorry I can't back it up ATM, but this fixture has the potential to grow a incredible SOG

Perhaps I'll use it when I re-locate...perhaps I'll use it for a sled this winter..

Elite

 

[GMT]

I was looking at this pic in particular, it looked like it had a thin flexible copper twisty thing, but that may just be the wire? Much thicker than any wire I have played with, (think camera remote release, which is very flimsy, only a couple of strands of fine hair type wire to a usb connector).

Then I noticed this comment in post 16, "Always use the screws, not the "stab locks" when connecting the wires. " but looking at that again your talking about something else. I have no electrical knowledge at all, it scares me too much,
"there's an invisable monster over there that may kill you, go and play with it" is how I see electricity.
No you prob couldnt get 3 150s for that cash, my 400w was that money though, but for me I'd pay twice that to avoid playing with that invisable monster. Clearly you know how to play with it.

Well I had my questions, I never said they were good ones

 

[Elite]

"there's an invisable monster over there that may kill you, go and play with it" is how I see electricity.
No you prob couldnt get 3 150s for that cash, my 400w was that money though, but for me I'd pay twice that to avoid playing with that invisable monster. Clearly you know how to play with it.

Well I had my questions, I never said they were good ones

Yes, those wire are just 2-#12's twisted by hand (pliers)...
lol, that invisable monster is why we get paid well...Electricity is extremely safe if you know what your doing. When I started, I got socked daily (sometimes hourly) the better you get the less times you get zapped...for example, I can't remember the last time I did. Rarely do I mess with anything high voltage or anything that will kill you...You learn to have a certin respect for it, as soon as you loose that focus and respect...
LIGHTS OUT!!

Elite

 

[cali mike]

I like the metal body of your fixture, it could easily be used to make a T5 fixture, it looks cool.

one question tho- why did you decide to use cfl's? you could have used linear 4" 54W T5 HOs? They have better light output and the hot ballast can be kept away from the light source. The fullham ballast that can run 4 of those T5 lamps is like $45, tombstones are cheap. Im sure your fixture is significantly cheaper though, theyre practically giving away those cfls.

 

[Elite]

Excellent idea...I could've lined the inside with 8' T5's...

LOL, my old company always wanted me to put those up in garages...
I never did, your average home-owner can't find/transport 8' T5 bulbs for replacement.
A fine example of how some contractors fuck you for personal gain...

Noticed I said "old company"

Elite

 

[filo6942]

Well I am going to say you never know what this will produce until you try it. Ill pull a stool up if you dont mind.

 

[toastfighter2]

Hey Elite, I just read this whole thread, and it has given me a couple ideas(I may not end up using them, like most of the ideas that I get). The whole thing is pretty sweet overall, and could be added on to easily by just adding t-5's down the middle of it(if it really needed any more light), and put a fan on one end to blow the heat out of the "tube" even if it isn't completely closed up.

 

[Thundurkel]

Thank You...I'm flattered!!:smile:


And I'm not even close to done!! We are only on page 3, I'm going to try to get the majority of the project wrapped up on this page, so please keep posts to a minimum.
Feel free to PM me with any questions/comments/suggestions.
Elite

So from this screen shot I can see you are looking for minimum wage employment, you like gangsta rap bumpin T.I. or maybe you just like Justin Timberlake on that Dead and Gone track lol and you are a fan of Ebay lol

I was stoked too when I got my bubble cloner on the DIY link list congrats

 

[Thundurkel]

Speaking of those T5s down the middle you could buy the Sunblaze strips which you can link together and are self ballasted also and they are $25-$30 each

 

[Elite]

So from this screen shot I can see you are looking for minimum wage employment, you like gangsta rap bumpin T.I. or maybe you just like Justin Timberlake on that Dead and Gone track lol and you are a fan of Ebay lol

I was stoked too when I got my bubble cloner on the DIY link list congrats

LMAO...Everything is accurate except the "looking for minimum wage" thing.
I use google search tab to help me spell because I suck at spelling and that is a very efficient (<<lol used it for this word) way of sounding intelligent...

Elite

 

[Elite]

Hey Elite, I just read this whole thread, and it has given me a couple ideas(I may not end up using them, like most of the ideas that I get). The whole thing is pretty sweet overall, and could be added on to easily by just adding t-5's down the middle of it(if it really needed any more light), and put a fan on one end to blow the heat out of the "tube" even if it isn't completely closed up.

I'm not sure that would work well with my set-up. The light from the bulbs is so intense, and they are so closely spaced...they'd just end up (the bulbs) blocking some of the T5 rays...

However T5's alone down the center would work well!!

Elite

 

[billy_big_bud!]

hey amigo, i did read the whole thread but didnt notice if you addressed what i am curious about? i beleive i have read else where that mounting those kind (socket type as opposed to tube style) of floro bulbs on an angle increases there efficiency? nice work indeed. i like a man that takes pride in his workmanship. im a bit of a perfectionist myself.

 

[Thundurkel]

billy - I have heard the same and it was how my cab used to be, with 8 42w CFLs in Y sockets but they didn't allow enough room for height. I switched to 6 horizontally mounted 42w instead and got the same results as my 8 angled ones so who knows really. I think it all comes down to having your space covered in mylar so all you light is being reflected back at the plants ...

 

[Elite]

hey amigo, i did read the whole thread but didnt notice if you addressed what i am curious about? i beleive i have read else where that mounting those kind (socket type as opposed to tube style) of floro bulbs on an angle increases there efficiency? nice work indeed. i like a man that takes pride in his workmanship. im a bit of a perfectionist myself.

Sorry, I had to bring in my "Big Guns" Thundurkel for that question, He knows probably TOO much about CFL's :wink:

I don't know as much about CFL's as I do about wildlife, construction, botany, and computers...So I don't pretend to...

Elite

 

[billy_big_bud!]

thanks thunderkle, i knew i read it somwhere familiar. thanks elite , again nice work, see ya back at the wildlife thread.

 

[copperheadrd]

greetings ima electrician as well and love that brand cfl u see the 65 watt cfl lowes is stocking i love those anywaze good luck

 

[Elite]

RIPieces: Property of the Maryland Sheriff's Department

 

[LibtECh]

RIPieces: Property of the Maryland Sheriff's Department

what the hell happend dude.?