How long do your T5's last on 19/5?

[TheWifeOfASmoker]

I've had this T5 48 fixture on for about 400 hours.

I was checking the grow room to find 2 of my bulbs have blown.

Is this normal wear and tear for those particular bulbs?

Thanks!!

 

[Cereal box]

I don't know the lifetime estimate of T5s but CFLs claim to have a lifetime of 8000h. Check out the manufacturer site for your bulbs lifetime estimate.

 

[charface]

Mine stop lighting up at around 6 months.
Up until then I dont notice any lack of performance.
Prolly is but I still wait until they die.

 

[cloudsarehigh]

Hi! No, that is not normal, I use T5 39w high output tubes with ecg ballasts (all by Osram) and I cant even remember for how many grows they have been used. I think its been over five years since I replaced them. And with around three to four grows per year, running them for flowering (12h/day) that usually takes 70 days or so. That ads up to roughly 16000 hours... which is the rated life time from the manufacturer, although the the life span it says is 24000h. Dont really know whats the difference. But anyway 400h is not normal in any case. I presume you are using ecg ballasts, as Im not even sure that the conventional ballasts exist for T5 tubes.
Dont know which brand you are using, but Osram is what I stick with since I had never had any problems with any of their products.

 

[Herb & Suds]

Every 6 months on 24/7

 

[cloudsarehigh]

Charface... yes there is a loss in performance or luminous output, but to me it seems a non issue. The lumen output drops to 90% after 8000h and stays there untill 20000h when it drops to 89%, big deal, and after 24000 they should die. But Im pretty sure mine went on for longer. Perheps Im just lucky.

Those info is for my particular lights, but the numbers shouldnt be much different for other similar products. Cheers.

 

[hyroot]

8-12 months on 20/4. Depends on the caps and the phosphors.

 

[cloudsarehigh]

Every 6months of continuous us, seriously? thats like just over 4000h... do you replace them at that time or do they die on you? If you just replace them after such a short time thats just silly, but its your money so do as you please. But if they die on you thats just not normal.

I dont know if continuous use has something to do with it (I use mine mostly for flowering), but as I understand it, that should be a good thing, since turning them on and off takes the biggest tall on the lifespan.

 

[hyroot]

Just like hps bulbs. They will last up to 2 years but they start spectral degrading after 6 months and continually degrade 5-10% each month. red dominant bulbs tend to last the least. Those fail in less than a year. Keeping bulbs beyond that will just make the grow suffer.

I stopped using t5. Got sick of costly bulb replacement. Now I rock induction and led.

 

[Herb & Suds]

Every 6months of continuous us, seriously? thats like just over 4000h... do you replace them at that time or do they die on you? If you just replace them after such a short time thats just silly, but its your money so do as you please. But if they die on you thats just not normal.

I dont know if continuous use has something to do with it (I use mine mostly for flowering), but as I understand it, that should be a good thing, since turning them on and off takes the biggest tall on the lifespan.

I have just got in the habit of the the 6 month thing
Sometimes they are fried sometimes not
Same schedule...