earthstone71
Active Member
Where can you buy t5 lights? Also what is the difrerence between the t5,,t8,t12? I went to my local home depot and lowes and did not see any t5 bulbs but i did see the others available.
lighting?
- Thread starter earthstone71
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KaliSmok3
Well-Known Member
heres something i found...
The T5 is the newest technology and is more expensive than the T8 in many applications. The 5 number indicates the diameter of the bulb in eighths of an inch. So, a T8 is 8/8 inches in diameter, or 1 inch, and the T5 is 5/8 inch.
T5's are in metric lengths whereas T8's like their T12 predecessors are standard lengths, i.e. 48". The equivalent T5 is about 46 inches long.
T5's like to be in a very warm environment whereas T8's operate more efficiently at lower (around 80F) temps.
The T5 may not have a higher lumen per watt output than the t8, and the T8 can be cheaply overdriven, where at 4x0DNO (overdriven normal output) it would greatly outshine the brightest T5HO, for the same length.
For tomatoes, or peppers, use 4 to 6 overdriven 48" T8's, at a CCT of 5000 to 6500 degrees kelvin. I would recommend the philips advantage 850 series, F32T8, which is about 5 bucks or less a lamp. Keep the tops of the tomato plant within a couple of inches of the lamps and buy the determinate, short bushy, cherry type tomatoes. Careful not to overwater/overfertilize, remember to keep temperatures above 65 but below 90*F (tomatoes adore warm temperatures, and detest cold drafts). It should be mentioned also that most plants do not share the tomatoes love for a hot environment, and ususally the problem is to keep the plant's environment at temperatures of less than 85. Lettuce requires far less light and cannot usually tolerate high temperatures without bolting.
In summarizing, I would recommend T8's and go out, buy another 4F32T8 electronic ballast or two and try 2x overdriving. You will have success if you do your homework and follow steps and instructions carefully.
Attempt at your own risk of course.
Play safe!
The T5 is the newest technology and is more expensive than the T8 in many applications. The 5 number indicates the diameter of the bulb in eighths of an inch. So, a T8 is 8/8 inches in diameter, or 1 inch, and the T5 is 5/8 inch.
T5's are in metric lengths whereas T8's like their T12 predecessors are standard lengths, i.e. 48". The equivalent T5 is about 46 inches long.
T5's like to be in a very warm environment whereas T8's operate more efficiently at lower (around 80F) temps.
The T5 may not have a higher lumen per watt output than the t8, and the T8 can be cheaply overdriven, where at 4x0DNO (overdriven normal output) it would greatly outshine the brightest T5HO, for the same length.
For tomatoes, or peppers, use 4 to 6 overdriven 48" T8's, at a CCT of 5000 to 6500 degrees kelvin. I would recommend the philips advantage 850 series, F32T8, which is about 5 bucks or less a lamp. Keep the tops of the tomato plant within a couple of inches of the lamps and buy the determinate, short bushy, cherry type tomatoes. Careful not to overwater/overfertilize, remember to keep temperatures above 65 but below 90*F (tomatoes adore warm temperatures, and detest cold drafts). It should be mentioned also that most plants do not share the tomatoes love for a hot environment, and ususally the problem is to keep the plant's environment at temperatures of less than 85. Lettuce requires far less light and cannot usually tolerate high temperatures without bolting.
In summarizing, I would recommend T8's and go out, buy another 4F32T8 electronic ballast or two and try 2x overdriving. You will have success if you do your homework and follow steps and instructions carefully.
Attempt at your own risk of course.
Play safe!
earthstone71
Active Member
Thanks for the info it was helpful, seeing how the room is going to be cooler.
smutpeddler
Well-Known Member
get the t5s. go to htgsupply.com plants will finish 1 month quicker with t5s. probably even a month sooner than that with high intensity.