large scale T-5 grow

[1982grower]

i'll be right back with proof. 1 sec

 

[worm5376]

waiting.......

 

[worm5376]

That was 3 minutes. you said 1 sec loL

 

[1982grower]

try this with any other hid. back of my arm is holding the entire weight of the fixture on the bulbs. i can hold the bulbs no prob. mild breeze and they feel like 85 surface temp. been running for 23 days straight. i let the leaves touch lightly. little to no heat. reflectors add heat stress and are not needed in my setup. i love these light on a lighter note. lol

 

[1982grower]

sorry 3 minutes. lol

 

[AeroKing]

I could show you plenty of burned leaves and can tell you what burning flesh smells like if you touch them.

Yours may run cooler because of the way you've positioned them without reflectors. You and I have already discussed and established that you are sacrificing valuable light for this exchange. I personally would not see this as a worthy trade-off.

6" canopy is the maximum I would recommend for flowering. You would add this to 1-2" air space between the bulb and canopy. I have mothers vegging under T5s that are over 2' tall and they grow very well.

 

[Knally]

My T5's are not extremely hot! The upper leaves sometimes rest right against the bulb and discolor only slightly. They're the 2 foot New Wave HO T5's with 4 bulb setup.

To GypsyBush: My T5 setup is in the 2nd post of this thread. I have 5 sq. ft. of grow space with 3 or 4 plants each time for 1 to 1.5 sq. ft. per plant. I veg for 8 - 10 weeks from seed so I have rather large plants.

Nice pic of the single cola, but I have had a similar top cola on my Dutch Dragon plus the other 2+ foot of the plant to harvest all under T5's.

Once again... different strokes for different folks. It's not always what you have; it's how you use it.

 

[1982grower]

yah. def t5s need to be used properly. Someone said i lose light from lack of reflectors but not really. reflectors do reflect more light downwards but not that much, much light is absorbed by even the best reflectors. And thats why i have no heat issue. the fact that i can lower the lights even an extra 1/4 inch makes up for lumen loss due to lack of reflectors. lumen loss is exponential. I have no issue with it. And i tend to let the plants grow up around the lights anyways. they do not burn. Either way love the light and MINE doesnt get hot. never used an inclosed fixture though. we'll see how they flower my pants over the next few weeks. good luck guys.

 

[AeroKing]

Someone said i lose light from lack of reflectors but not really. reflectors do reflect more light downwards but not that much, much light is absorbed by even the best reflectors.

Good polished aluminum is 95% reflective.

Thats a 5% loss. If 90' of the circumference of your bulb actually points at the canopy, you are losing 75% of the light. Lets even say that 10% light is bounced back by the strip, that's still 65% loss vs. 5%.

1/4" closer is not going to gain you 65% of your total output back.

If you are ok with just adding a shitload more wattage to compensate for the lack of efficiency with your lighting setup, then more power to you. Where I come from, every watt counts.

Truthfully, I'd move to an aircooled HID before thinking about running that much in T5s. I know I could pull off a big grow with all T5s, I also know I could pull off a better show with an HID.

Knally,
You should understand that the point of a lollypop is to focus production. You may be quite content trimming the popcorn off of the bottoms of your plants.
Some of us have no time to trim popcorn and no use for immature bottom growth nugs.
You may see more yield, we yield more premium nugget.

 

[GypsyBush]

To GypsyBush: My T5 setup is in the 2nd post of this thread. I have 5 sq. ft. of grow space with 3 or 4 plants each time for 1 to 1.5 sq. ft. per plant. I veg for 8 - 10 weeks from seed so I have rather large plants.

Right on... so you said you get 2 Ozs per plant right?

So 4 plants will give you half a pund.. right?

Some large colas and lots of smaller buds...

Half a pound of dank (and I see yours IS) is respectable on ANYONE'S book...

You are doing well for yourself...

But... for comparison's sake...

My first run on the tent (16 single colas in 5 sqft w/ 600 HPS) yielded just under 3/4 pound... and that was my first run with it... (and last because I moved, now I get 1# or more per 4x4 tray w/ 600 HPS)

Now... I am getting closer and closer to 1g/1w mark....

Nice pic of the single cola, but I have had a similar top cola on my Dutch Dragon plus the other 2+ foot of the plant to harvest all under T5's.

Thanks!

One way is not better than the other, they are different, so work with what comes easy to you....

But I do love the fact that trimming a single cola is easier... and ALL my buds are nice fat tops, not a single straggler...

But that is just what I like.. fat, crystally, dense and sticky buds...

Once again... different strokes for different folks. It's not always what you have; it's how you use it.

Again, I am not knocking anyone down...

There are growers that have way less than me and put out way more...

It's all about being in your sand box... whatever you are comfortable with, you will excel at...

T-5s are GREAT!!!!

If I thought different, I would not have 600 watts of it running in my op....

I am just not going to let anyone tell me that their T-5 runs cooler than my cooltubed 600HPS... period...

It just isn't true...

But whatever.. I am not here to argue....

 

[GypsyBush]

I really think I hit with my first post...

If you actually read the post you will see that I am NOT knocking down the T-5s...

In fact I made a suggestion on what I thought would be a good use of the light...

But again, it's just my opinion...

Here is a look at the next girls to be ready...

This is a month in...

Hey guys...

Just chiming in with my 2 cents....

I use aircooled HPS for flowering and 400 watts of T-5 for the moms...

T-5s put out a fair amount of heat... and if you are in an enclosed space without OPTIMUM ventilation, the heat will build up....

It is not as easy to cool a T-5 as it is an HID... just slap the single bulb in a cooltube and you're good to go...

But with the T-5, you can't just fit it in a tube... so the next best thing is to have a fan blowing between the lights and the tops of the plants....

On a different note...

T-5s do not have the intensity to give you dense nugs at the bottom, as they are mostly in the shade....

So I would recommend not having bottom branches...

Single Cola Lollipops will make better use of the light as they shade themselves way less than bushes...

Here is an example of what I think would work well for you... (this was flowered with HPS, but I am just illustrating the lack of fluffy, wispy, bottom nugs....

Cheers....

 

[1982grower]

gypsy bush. i love hps to. but i think t5 fixtures of diff brands must make totally diff amounts of heat. The cheap fixtures in my photos can be totally closed in my 2x4x6 wardrobe for 24 hours with no venting and just a tiny fan inside blowing on the bulbs and only brings the ambient temp to about 78. I do have a hps system right next to the t5 system and can absolutely say that the fixture in my closet, not speaking of anyone elses t5 fixture though, runs much cooler than any cooltubed 600. but not sure about the enclosed t5 fixures. but i love a cooltubed hps too!!!

 

[GypsyBush]

gypsy bush. i love hps to.

Every piece of equipment has it's mission... from heavy equipment to a jweler's tools...

Every tool has it's job, time and place...

but i think t5 fixtures of diff brands must make totally diff amounts of heat.

If we are talking about HO T-5 fluorescent lights, regardless of type of reflector, they are all the same... or very similar anyway...

It would be like saying a 600 HPS bulb by Hortilux is way cooler than a Growmax 600 HPS bulb... they are all about the same...

Can I touch my T-5 bulbs... sure, but it is not cool... it's actually pretty darn warm... hot in my book...

As for the cooltube...what can I say.... I have 3x 600 HPS in a daisy chain, and the output of my lights air cooling is around 40F to 50F or 5C to 10C...

When I touch my reflectors or the ducting, they feel COLD, not cool... I am pretty sure you could chill a beer inside of one of my hoods...

I worry about heating my op.. not cooling it... at least in the wintertime...

I am not here to argue though...

I love HPS and I love T-5 and I love CFLs... they ALL have their place... and time...

I was merely suggesting that short plants would be best suited for the less intense light...

Many small plants that are all bud...

But that is just me... some people like to have shade farms...

The cheap fixtures in my photos can be totally closed in my 2x4x6 wardrobe for 24 hours with no venting and just a tiny fan inside blowing on the bulbs and only brings the ambient temp to about 78.

I am amazed that in a sealed room the heat is not building...

Somehow you are breaking the laws of physics.., or your op is in a really cold place...

Heat builds.. if there is nowhere for it to go, it will start accumulating and rising...

As it heats the objects nearby, the cylcle becomes more vicious...

But I am really glad you have found something that WORKS FOR YOU...

It usually takes a long time to dial an op in ....

I do have a hps system right next to the t5 system and can absolutely say that the fixture in my closet, not speaking of anyone elses t5 fixture though, runs much cooler than any cooltubed 600.

Again... I diagree 100%...

Properly aircolled lighting brings very little heat into the op... the bit that it does is in form of radiation heat... meaning it does not warm the air, only objects nearby...

This means that it is actually warmer 3" from the reflector than it is in, on or around the reflector...

For you to do that with ANY light, you need to enclose it and have good airflow over the light... totally dedicated and separate from any other ventilation function....

but not sure about the enclosed t5 fixures.

Regardless of reflector used on the T-5s, the bulb is what gets hot... and of they are rated at a certain wattage, there will not be MUCH difference in brands... as far sa heat is concerned...

but i love a cooltubed hps too!!!

If it is done right, you can do amazing things with one... or ten...!

But the same can easily be said about the T-5s, if thei fit the mission description....

Listen, I am not knowcking anyone or their op down... I am glad to see us all here growing and learning and growing with our grows....

You and everyone else that posted pics have beautiful healthy grows... and THAT is what matters...

but I refuse to agree with something I know better...

Cheers...

 

[justatoker]

try this with any other hid. back of my arm is holding the entire weight of the fixture on the bulbs. i can hold the bulbs no prob. mild breeze and they feel like 85 surface temp. been running for 23 days straight. i let the leaves touch lightly. little to no heat. reflectors add heat stress and are not needed in my setup. i love these light on a lighter note. lol

pretty sure thats not a HOT5..it looks way too thick.

 

[1982grower]

my fixture is 1 inch thick. different brands sure can produce diff amounts of heat. the ballast is 1 reason. even hps come in multi ballasts for heat and reliability reasons such as the digital 1s. they run much cooler. t5ho the same. the ballast brands could make a huge diff. also the thinner 1s like mine have more surface area exposed than an enclosed unit. enclosed units have fans installed from the factory. theres more heat power. deff diff brands could have totally diff heat specs. some may just produce hotspots. the hot 5 fixture is not thinner.

 

[GypsyBush]

ALL H.O. T-5s have digital ballasts...

I agree brands may vary to some degree, but not to the extent that most brands put out heat and yous don't put out any...

If your light puts out ANY AMOUNT OF HEAT, without exhaust HEAT WILL BUILD UP... period... no two ways about it...

Either you have an exhaust you are not telling us or you are breaking the laws of PHYSICS...

 

[1982grower]

honestly i dont want to. but i could close the door and take a pic after an hour or 5. i'm not saying they dont make any heat but very little. i cant show more. i dont lie. the backside of my arm was holding the whole 3 pounds the fixtures prob weighs. its just mildly warm. the large surface are dissipates heat evenly and only the ambient temp of the room rises. from about 72 with door open to about 77 with closed. if they didnt do this i'd be saying they do get hot. its not like i win a prise for temp. these lights run very little heat is all i'm saying. you can let plants touch them. thats all i'm saying. i know nothing of build quality in the ballast but obviously some get hotter cause some are saying theirs burn the plants and some dissagree. just my experience.

 

[GypsyBush]

Heat builds up... if it has no place to escape...

If heat is not building up, then it must have a place to go... some passive exhaust or leak somewhere...

a fan inside a sealed room would only make sure the heat is evenly distributed...

I know I am being a pain in the ass dude... but they put out heat.. and heat builds...

there has to be some unknown factor at play here, because a sealed room with a heat source will get hotter...

I can drop it... and I will... but I go away saying that in a sealed room with a heat source (even a small one), heat will build...



Ps. I am really glad it works for you... because that is what really matters....

 

[justatoker]

But its till not a HIGH OUTPUT T5 is it? My HOT5 has really small diameter bulbs.. about 1/4 the thickness of those bulbs in that pic... So im guessing that it isnt a HIGH OUTPUT T5 is it? My 6 bulb T5 does get warm and causes heat build up.There even hot to the touch after a few hrs on. And the room/box w/e does get hot if not vented even with HOT5's .

 

[GypsyBush]

But its till not a HIGH OUTPUT T5 is it? My HOT5 has really small diameter bulbs.. about 1/4 the thickness of those bulbs in that pic... So im guessing that it isnt a HIGH OUTPUT T5 is it? My 6 bulb T5 does get warm and causes heat build up.There even hot to the touch after a few hrs on. And the room/box w/e does get hot if not vented even with HOT5's .

I don't want to argue endlessly, but you do have a point... not all tubes are the same...