T-5 info

[williamrandel]

:? Can anyone offer a little information on T-5 lighting..... is it better than pc or vho ....where can you get it..... cost/ life.... is it worth it. any help would be very welcomed

 

[reefrunner69]

I am no lighting guru, but I thought T-5 referred to the lamp diameter and pin spread, rather than output. T-13 are standard 1" diameter flo. bulbs, anf T-5 is about 5/8" or 3/4" diameter. Hagen makes T-5 bulbs I think. At any rate, I would not say they are better than any other NO flo bulb, if anything they have the detremint of being difficult to get waterproof endcaps for.

 

[williamrandel]

true about the size . im sorry i didn't make my question clear. i have heard that you can "overdrive" them and get alot of light and they are brighter than PC's

 

[reefrunner69]

I do not believe you can get the intensity of PC's with an overdriven NO bulb. You can however overdrive NO and achieve very close to the same intensity as VHO. I do not believe it matter whether it's T-5 or T-13, unless I have missed something about the T-5 bulbs.

 

[williamrandel]

thanks for the info. i have seen a site or two ( mostly german and UK) where this has been the latest thing in reef lighting. i just can't find anywhere stateside that has all the details. what i have learned is that an IC660 with 4 t5 54 watt lamps seem to be the trend. i just wondered if any one else had seen or heard this and if it would work, i have such limited space under my canopy that the t5 size would fit best

 

[fishfreek]

Of course wouldnt overdriven bulbs fade and lose their spectrum faster than regular NO bulbs?

 

[reefrunner69]

I'm not a huge fan of ReefCentral, but it is still one of the largest hobbiest resources out there. I did a search using the keyword "overdriven" and I came up with a slew of threads. You might try refining the search to "T-5" and come up with even more that are specific to your situation. Here are a few of the threads that had T-5 in the title.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=174066&highlight=Overdriven

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=173739&highlight=Overdriven

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=174162&highlight=Overdriven

 

[loganj]

AFAIK, overdriving a NO bulb doesn't result in a significant loss of life or spectral shift. They do run a little warmer though. I'd use restraint in how much I put through them though. You're OK with an Icecap...they'll run any fluorescent bulb safely. I wouldn't, for instance, try to run a pair of 20w NO's on a ballast designed for 8' 59w lights...be a bit overkill I think.
The next revelation in reef lighting will be LED IMO.
Logan J

 

[Bang Guy]

I believe the T-5 bulbs are HO and when overdriven by an IceCap they are more intense than PC and don't have the reflector problem that PCs do. Unfortunately the bulb typs are still limited. I wish URI would start producing them with an internal reflector... I'd be all over them for sure.

 

[williamrandel]

so if i used an IC430 of Workhorse 7 for 2 54w t-5's i should be ok

 

[michealprater]

IT5 lamps are smaller in size (length and width) which makes T5's well suited for the low-profile, elegant fixtures that are especially popular for upscale retail, hospitality and commercial spaces like display cases or wall-washing. Its smaller scale allows for sleeker fluorescent direct/indirect surface mounted and pendant fixtures.

It should be remembered that the main characteristic that distinguishes T5 lamps from other families of fluorescent lamps is that they are designed to peak in their lumen ratings at 95°, compared to 77° for T12 and T8 lamps. This thermal characteristic provides higher light output in confined applications where there is little or no air circulation, and it provides more usable lumens per watt in indirect fixtures.

Fixtures for T5 can offer more uniform distribution (less "hot spots"), wider on-center spacing and shorter drop lengths for pendant-mounted fixtures. T5/HO fixtures can use fewer lamps to deliver light levels similar to other fluorescent technologies.

Facilities have found applications for T5 HO lamps in coves and cornices and in new direct/indirect fixtures, like the SIMKAR TDPW, designed to take advantage of the smaller-diameter lamp. Care needs to be taken to limit the use of T5 HO lamps in low ceiling applications because this lamp is very bright and can cause discomfort from glare if not shielded properly.

Some industrial fixtures also use T5 HO lamps, and the lamp is appropriate for many applications that require a high lumen-maintenance rating of 95%. This lamp only loses 5% of its initial lumen rating in the first 40% of its rated life.

I read this on another forum. Hope it helps.

 

[williamrandel]

thanks for the detailed info. after doing more research, i think i will probably end up with a MH / VHO combo. probably diy to save money

 

[michealprater]

You welcome, I personally really like MH/VHO combos. I think you will be very happy with that setup.

 

[reefrunner69]

so if i used an IC430 of Workhorse 7 for 2 54w t-5's i should be ok

I should think so, yes.

 

[loganj]

Thinking in terms of bulb life that the Icecap would be the better choice.
Logan J

 

[kevqtmn]

A T5 HO 54 Watt has great color rendering (higher CRI than any Metal Halide) and very little color shift. I am just not sure the availability of a specialty lamp - meaning a kelvin temp over 4100. By the way, you do not want to overdrive your lamps. You cut down the lamp life cycle tremendously.

I am interested in manufacturing a high quality aluminum fixture with the T5 HO and a specular reflector.

 

[Guest]

A T5 HO 54 Watt has great color rendering (higher CRI than any Metal Halide)

This is only a true statement when dealing with the 4100K MH lamp. When the MH lamps reach 5500K and up to 20000K, The CRI is in the 90's. T-5 cannot compete with that..The cost is also going to be hard to keep down...

They do have little color shift though...Been doing a lot of reading on them... I still think MH is the way to go to reproduce the UV rays of the sun. Flourescent lighting no matter what wattage, had its limitations when it comes to the correct UV rays.

 

[alrmc4]

i have just made the decision to jump into t-5s if you are interested 1st check out this http://dougc3.home.mindspring.com/Reefpage/Index.htm and this http://www.korallenriff.de/ati-test1.html .i am ordering today i have lots more links just do not think i am getting them in here right :x

 

[gooyferret]

This is only a true statement when dealing with the 4100K MH lamp. When the MH lamps reach 5500K and up to 20000K, The CRI is in the 90's. T-5 cannot compete with that..The cost is also going to be hard to keep down...

They do have little color shift though...Been doing a lot of reading on them... I still think MH is the way to go to reproduce the UV rays of the sun. Flourescent lighting no matter what wattage, had its limitations when it comes to the correct UV rays.

Timbo,
That is the MOST Incorrect statement i have ever seen and you need to read a little farther into research. JMO First off UV rays of the sun will never be in comparison to any Bulb wheather its flouresent, or MH. Kelvins is how we determine the wavelength and sufficent light needed in comparison to the sun. To say that a 14k MH compared to a 14k T5HO is different is just being goofy. Also timbo wattage has NOTHING to do with UV rays just a mere understanding of how much electricity is consumed by the bulb.
With that off my chest Let me give you an example you have:
1 39watt T5HO 10k flouresent bulb
then you take 1 400watt MH 10k bulb
Each one is running at peak performance, and using the same reflector efficency.
Now you place each one on the top of a tank. BUT to make things fair on electricity being used we will have to multiply the amount of T5's being used by 10 and thats being generous considering im not including ballast rating. So we have 10 T5HO's running and 1 MH using the same amount of electricity. So your telling me that wattage has to do with everything...HMM lets rethink that, maybe wattage has nothing to do with it (of course it dont)! OR some people say that MH penetrates the water better than T5's...Hmm thats dumb considering im guessing water dosent say: "hey MH your light can come through but T5 stay out!" So now its time to replace bulbs at the end of the year are you going to wanna spend about 100 or 30 on a bulb? Think about it Just my .02cents HTH JMHO

 

[gooyferret]

This is only a true statement when dealing with the 4100K MH lamp. When the MH lamps reach 5500K and up to 20000K, The CRI is in the 90's. T-5 cannot compete with that..The cost is also going to be hard to keep down...

They do have little color shift though...Been doing a lot of reading on them... I still think MH is the way to go to reproduce the UV rays of the sun. Flourescent lighting no matter what wattage, had its limitations when it comes to the correct UV rays.

Timbo,
That is the MOST Incorrect statement i have ever seen and you need to read a little farther into research. JMO First off UV rays of the sun will never be in comparison to any Bulb wheather its flouresent, or MH. Kelvins is how we determine the wavelength and sufficent light needed in comparison to the sun. To say that a 14k MH compared to a 14k T5HO is different is just being goofy. Also timbo wattage has NOTHING to do with UV rays just a mere understanding of how much electricity is consumed by the bulb.
With that off my chest Let me give you an example you have:
1 39watt T5HO 10k flouresent bulb
then you take 1 400watt MH 10k bulb
Each one is running at peak performance, and using the same reflector efficency.
Now you place each one on the top of a tank. BUT to make things fair on electricity being used we will have to multiply the amount of T5's being used by 10 and thats being generous considering im not including ballast rating. So we have 10 T5HO's running and 1 MH using the same amount of electricity. So your telling me that wattage has to do with everything...HMM lets rethink that, maybe wattage has nothing to do with it (of course it dont)! OR some people say that MH penetrates the water better than T5's...Hmm thats dumb considering im guessing water dosent say: "hey MH your light can come through but T5 stay out!" So now its time to replace bulbs at the end of the year are you going to wanna spend about 100 or 30 on a bulb? Think about it Just my .02cents HTH JMHO