Where can I find hanging CFL's?

[zhugeliang]

Hey guys, I am in the market for some CFL lighting for my veg/cloning compartment and I can't seem to find anything that works for me. I see that everyone who has CFL's in use have ones that plug into the socket and just have a wire that goes to where to light bulb is. Everything I see is either decorative or comes in a ballast like the lights you see in the ceiling at the mall. I just want one that has and end for the socked and an end for the bulb.

I can't seem to find anything like it on the Lowe's or Home Depot website. Can anyone point me in the right direction please? Is there a specific name that these things are called or a specific category?

TIA

 

[MMZRetro85]

what you could do, i'd advise you to think alot about it b4 you do it tho cause you need to be careful with starting a fire, just buy a cfl i know hydrofarm has a nice one that supports 200w, just take it apart carefully and cap the ends that are open and electrical tape, you might have to cut the cord and re-wire it back up to get the cord out, i used to do that to the older enclosed ballasts (150hps 250hps)
good luck

 

[notjonesinNEmor]

Head down to HD or Lowes and go down the electrical supply isle. Look for lamp sockets. They have many styles. I go with the cheapest. They run ~ $2.00 - 3.00. Next you will a few feet or lamp cord. I go with 14gauge. It's a little over-kill for what is needed. Next is the male plug. Those should in the same area. A simple 2 prong is all that is needed. These run ~$1.50. For ~4.00 you have a lamp socket with a 3' cord to a male 2 prong plug. This will easily handle the 25-50 watt load of 1 -2 cfls.

If you are unsure on how to wire the plug/socket, just do a google search on "how to wire lamp" It's very easy. Just make sure your connections are tight and neat (no loose strands on wire)

I sometimes use a group of 6 of these with y adapters for the bulbs letting me run 12 bulbs (~296watts).

What kind of bulb(s) are you looking at using?

 

[supafly]

Go to lowes and look in the section with the exstention cords there are some different sizes lights already assembled there. They are just a small cone reflector and a socket with the cord. They also have a spring clip on them but i have not really found a use for the clip yet.

hope that helps

 

[alphacat]

Something to take into consideration with a lot of these CFLs (some brands will even say so, but most don't) is that they're usually designed for fixtures pointing straight up, socket-end down.

If you invert/hang them, all of the heat from the bulb radiates back upwards towards the ballasted base which affects longevity (forget the 10,000 hours they claim) - and if you're not careful might be a safety hazard. You can remedy this somewhat w/ a DIY cooltube like the Bakearound tubes, Coleman lantern globes, or hurricane glasses people here have devised.

One other note about hanging CFLs - it's the long side of the bulb you usually want, not the round top. More light output supposedly.

 

[zhugeliang]

Thanks guys, I'll be heading over to the Home Depot this weekend to see what my options are. I guess there will be no easy way to do this if I have to turn the cfl sideways to maximize the light. I was just planning to hang them up from the top of the grow cab hanging down over the plants.

 

[420guy]

buy the t-5 high output floros...they rule!!!

 

[Guest]

I put 2 cheap 3 bulb bathroom fixtures ($7 each) on either side wall of my veg chamber...Depending on the size of your chamber you could go with a 4 bulb one, but the 3 bulb is 18", perfect for mine...I have 3 30w and 3 24w CFL's in there for 165w total, 10500 lumens total, or roughly 50w+ sq.ft...But having to raise my veg containers, instead of lowering the lights, is killing my ventilation so I'm thinking of hanging these, heres my idea



Take a 1 x 6 board cut 1" longer than the fixture...Screw the fixtue to the board...Put 2 hooks or eye bolts into the other side of the board...Put 2 more hooks in the top or ceiling of the veg chamber...Hang the fixtures by the chains

This wil allow me to raise/lower according to my plant size...Gonna try this out in the next day or 2 and I'll post some pics

 

[ItsGrowTime]

Ive hung some CFLs real simple like. Get some grounded extension cords of desired length and the bulb Y splitters. Plug the CFLs into the Y splitter and plug it into the extension cord. Hang the cord as needed on a timer. Instant hanging CFLs