Home Depot fixtures

Bluerhyno · Dec 4, 2010

I wonder if its going to work to veg my 6 plants before they go into the hps.

deacon1503 · Dec 4, 2010

Bluerhyno said:
I wonder if its going to work to veg my 6 plants before they go into the hps.

No reason why it shouldnt, works great over a cloner.

Bluerhyno · Dec 4, 2010

Which bulbs are the way to go? Soft white or?

Thanks

deacon1503 · Dec 4, 2010

At HD, the flours have the kelvin on the package. Find the 6500k.

gudkarma · Dec 5, 2010

Bobby Smith said:
Also, for those who know - would this ballast be able to run the HO bulbs, or is a "T5" ballast different from a "T5 HO" ballast.

if the ballast is modern (digi) ... you'll be good to go.

in other words, a cheap t5 with a digi ballast will run any bulbs you slap in it.

Magoo · Dec 5, 2010

gudkarma said:
if the ballast is modern (digi) ... you'll be good to go.

in other words, a cheap t5 with a digi ballast will run any bulbs you slap in it.

Really? will the HO lamps burn as bright as they would in an HO rated ballast?

crom · Dec 5, 2010

Magoo said:
Really? will the HO lamps burn as bright as they would in an HO rated ballast?

This is a great question. Imagine the DIY sticky this would produce lol. I wonder what the numbers saved would be if this worked this way? I love those HO systems but their pricey when you can just use a 400w MH or two.
:passingjoint:

Cheers,
Crom

gudkarma · Dec 6, 2010

i certain the t5 digi ballast (the internal ballast on any t5 i've seen) is self switching (120/220) and can fire the ho bulbs.

you do have to make sure the ballast is rated for your use... but a standard t5 (48" everyday fixture) fires a 34 to 54 watt bulb.

not sure if the home depot/lowes t5 lamps have a digi (electronic) ballast rated like i describe above... it's 2010 so i'd bet they do.

Magoo · Dec 6, 2010

gudkarma, my old T5s were how you described and HO bulbs were 54W I believe.

Was at a 'box store' yesterday, the smaller 2' T5 bulbs were 28W and 4' T5 34W respectively.

My personal opinion, the 34W T5 are damn bright. Not quite as intimidating as the HO, but FWIW I love T8 bulbs, and the T5 blow them away. Now, if we can get the same ballasts (2x 4' fixture for under $30!!!) to burn the HO we are in serious business!!

here you could hang the same number of the same 54W bulbs for nearly $50 instead of a couple hundred

more details to come.

crom · Dec 6, 2010

This is my thought it would be way more cost effective for Farmers to just DIY their own HO lights if this IS all possible. Hell we could probably order a digi ballast and install it for cheaper then the cost of a "badass" HO light. Nice info guys/gals keep it coming!

Cheers,
Crom

Magoo · Dec 6, 2010

crombien211 said:
This is my thought it would be way more cost effective for Farmers to just DIY their own HO lights if this IS all possible. Hell we could probably order a digi ballast and install it for cheaper then the cost of a "badass" HO light. Nice info guys/gals keep it coming!

Cheers,
Crom

I had done just that originally. T5 ballasts can be had for under $20 used on ebay. Mine supported 2x 54W T5 4' bulbs. 2 of them and 4x bulbs mounted on a perf cardboard 2x4' all for under $100. Same setup at the dro store is nearly $300

A note, I did end up picking up the smaller sylvania 2x T5. 14Watt ballast and bulbs. This fixture is damn bright for 28W.

The ballast says use only F14T5 or 1x F28T5

I also noticed that the bulbs are 22" instead of 24" and the longer are 46" instead of 48"

I don't think they will fire the HO bulbs, and if they do I'm not sure if that is safe.

It sure as hell is not UL certified.

Be safe, don't cut corners. For the cost and efficiency of these 14/28Watters, you could stack them up and I believe they will hold there own against any cfl/t8 system no doubt. bulb for bulb HO is the shit, but these little suckers are dang nice! my .02

genisis · Dec 7, 2010

I just purchased a Lithonia Lighting 4` - 6 lamp T-8 Highboy at home depot. The back of the box has a chart comparing this light to a 400w MH.
The chart shows - MH t-8
Energy consumed 458W 226W
Average efficiency 79% 93%
Lumens 18,330 17,069
Rated lamp life 20,000 hrs 24,000+
Savings @ $.10 KHR 0.0 $23.20
for every 1000 hrs
I bought the light and 10/ 6500 daylight bulbs, for just over $100. I replaced a 4 bulb t-5 with blue spectrum grow bulbs that I use for clones. The change was dramatic. Clones just popped. I did this as a test, as I wanted something larger for second stage clones (after rooting into rockwool). Compared to the Sun blaze t-5/ 6 bulb ($221.95 MSRP), the initial savings is around 50%. Anytime I can get 2 for the price of 1, and similar results, I consider this a win. Don`t get me wrong, I spend a shitload of money on my garden, but I think that the more I save on functional hardware - the more I can spend on my plants.

MedicatedChrist · Dec 7, 2010

the bulbs they have in the 20-something watt things at dome depot suck balls (plus they are 2,600k which sucks for veg), plus u have the wire them yourself - but i just over-powered them and put in HO (54 watters). i attatched 4 together for 8 t5 54-watters (3 3000k, 5 6500k) . ghetto fabulous

Bluerhyno · Dec 7, 2010

I went ahead and got a 400 watt ballast. Anyone know if the home depot 400w mh bulbs made by Phillips will work? They got two different types one is bigger than the other. Thanks in advance for your input.

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