T5 going to work?

[lime6161]

Ive got an attic space that im looking to upgrade with a 4ft 4 bulb t5 fixture. Heat is always a concern. Clones have done fine with a 4ft 2 bulb shoplight. The idea is to clone, then veg 24 clones under this thing for a few weeks max.

The added heat worries me. How much heat do these things really give off?

I see there is a choice of fixtures as far as the ballast being mounted on top or the side. Will one run cooler than the other?

Height is also a concern. After mounting, there will be a little over 2 ft from the light to the floor. Take away 10 or so inches for the containers and growth and whats left is a a foot of light playroom. Here my concern is both heat and by default, light intensity. Is this light right for the space? Any input would be great.

 

[Old Yeller]

A 4x4 T5 will generate 216 watts - like if you put 2, 100w incandescant bulbs in your space except the heat is distributed over a 1.5' x 4' area. Depending on the ambient temps of your attic during the day & night, a small fan will usually take care of the heat. If your good at DIY, you could mount the ballasts outside of the grow area, but the real heat comes off the bulbs, since the electronic ballasts used in T5's don't generate much heat.

 

[lime6161]

thanks for the real world ref point. im gona test a few things today. ive never seen one of these lights in operation and want to get the right light. is this too much light to root clones? if so can these fixtures run with only one or two tubes?

 

[SkyHi]

depending on how its wired it might not be possible to run it with bulbs missing

 

[lime6161]

Ive seen pictures of units that can run 2 or 4 lights with a switch on the fixture. I figured u needed those mostly for fish. So does this mean if one lights in the fixture stops working for some reason the whole light will shut down? Maybe i sholud be looking into daisy chaining multiple single fixtures?

 

[Old Yeller]

Don't worry about too much light for clones from a T5- they can handle it. It's the heat that will affect them the most (besides poor dirt & non-pH'ed water).
Here's a good place to check out T5 prices,
http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/grow-lights-fluorescent-c-321.html

 

[mitsu.one]

The amount of space used by the fixture will depend on the Brand T-5 you get. I have one that is only 2" thick,can mount it flush with the ceiling.A 4 bulb 4 foot fixture is plenty strong to clone with,A 2 bulb x 2 foot would do. You can turn two off of the 4 by taking out one bulb causing another to go out. Run two bulbs at first then as the clones get bigger turn on the others. Very little heat with T-5's. I can keep plants 1/4 inch from the bulb and not burn the plant. Have a few running,love T-5's...mitsu

 

[lime6161]

Thx for the info. I figured out a way to bring some cool ac in the crawlspace if i have to. Its gonna b a pain to pull off but its nice to have a plan b. Set up a hydrofarm 4ft 4 bulb today. $200 w/bulbs. Sounds like it will b well worth it. I'll post some pics once I get some girls under it

 

[Gizmoe]

Least of my concerns would be the heat from the bulbs id be more concerned with the atic as a space...... in general they run way to hot in summer and much to cold in winter......im not just quessing im speaking from experience i tried during my early days of growing to make it work even adding heat and AC to the atic space yet the temps were a constant fight due to the inconsistent temps in the atic space itself......good luck man but if you have any other space id definately give that a consideration over the atic.

 

[dynamitejack]

check these floros out if you haven't bought yours already: