DIY lighting

[DRVNFAST]

I saw on another thread a couple of different options as far as going to home depot and buying the neccesary hardware to DIY. I cannot find that thread and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I have been looking at ahsupply.com, and I am looking for alterantives to them. I need 60 watts for my 29 gallon tank. 30x12x18

Thanks

Brian

 

[DRVNFAST]

Nevermind I found it. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=7716

 

[loganj]

I'm using three setups that were built from parts I got at Lowes. If I can help you in any way, feel free to post any questions you may have.

 

[justDIY]

yup - i'm on board as well if ya need any help.

also, I revised my findings on that post, resulting in considerable cost savings and a slight loss of light output.

fwiw

 

[jsoong]

just DIY, mind if I bud in & ask a question on that light post - Why do you need to get the new Syvania ballast instead of the shop light ballast?

I have some cheapo shoplights which I've wired for my house plants, using the existing ballasts. I was thinking the same system might work for an aquarium as well.

Also, if the shop light is no good, would a "high output industrial grade shop light" be the same - I saw that at HomeDepot for $35 or so, and they claim to put out 30% more light because of "improved ballast"

TIA.

 

[loganj]

If you don't mind, I'll but in and answer although justDIY can probably add something to my answer. You can use a shop light with the standard ballasts and you'll maybe get 40w output from a 48" T-12 tube. The HO shoplight may be using T-8 bulbs...I'm not sure as I haven't seen that one yet. Anyway, if the 30% claim is true and it is using a T-12 tube, you'll be getting about 52w from the same 48" bulb...for $35.00. If you buy the Sylvania ballast (about $25) and the el-cheapo shop light (I saw some on sale at Lowes for like $5 a piece), then you'll get about 64 watts from that same T-12 bulb. The thing about those of us who play with DIY lighting is, if we think we can get away with it, we'll push a zillion watts through a flashlight bulb . Seriously, the name of the game is high intensity lighting for low $$. What you can get by with really depends on what you want to use it for. The standard shop light would do fine on a FO or unplanted FW tank. On a heavily planted tank or a reef, it won't measure up. HTH.

 

[peterp]

Hum, wiring a straight balast to 2 tubes I am OK with, how do you join 2 sets of leads to one tube? Preferably without making a lot of sparks

I am guessing the 4x32 is intended to be a 4 tube balast, that gets pushed into 2 tubes?

 

[peterp]

Hum, maybe this diy lighting thread should be moved to the DIY forum?

Anyway I visited the local HomeDepot and CanadianTire stores they only have two brands of ballasts philips and advantage, the advantage looks exactly like the philips with a different label . They are labeled as magnetic ballasts and two light only.

They also had a shop light with 2 48inch t12 bulbs labeled as HO but it looked dimmer than the normal ones next to it, and cost 70$cdn. Canadiantire had the more interesting one it had 2 48inch t8 bulbs and the box said 50% less power 2x the light output for 20$cdn. They also had a fixture labeled commercial grade indoor/outdoor but I did not even want to ask the price of it

 

[justDIY]

wiring a 4 bulb ballast into 2 bulbs is pretty straight forward.

a 4 bulb ballast will have 8 wires coming off it, usually the color codes are standard, a black wire is your mains hot, a white wire is your mains neutral, a pair of yellow wires are your ballast neutrals, a pair of red and a pair of blue are your four hot bulb-leads

so you hook the black and white up to the power (don't forget the ground wire either, it usually just screws onto the ballast).

combine the pairs of red and blue, so each two wires goes to a single socket.

then each yellow wire goes to the opposite socket.

a note on overdriving sockets ... a socket has two "poles", which normally are left separate for magnetic ballasts, but for electronic overdriving, you want to short those poles together, so you need a wire that jumpers from one pole to the next on each socket. ??Does that make sense?? Let me know if you need some pics, I think I got a modified shoplight laying around.

-----

bummer about availability in canada... all I can offer is keep searching! if all else fails, shop around online for a fulham workhorse 5 or 7 - they cost more than the ballasts at home depot, but also offer more power.

 

[jsoong]

There seems to be quite a bit of interest on the DIY lights, overdrive, etc. Maybe we can make this a sticky? Because I know by the time I get around to actually building the canopy, I would have lost the thread!

Or better yet, if just DIY would be so kind as to write a bit of an article with some pics. that would help a lot!

TIA

 

[peterp]

Search continues HomeHardware caries sylvania magnetinc ballasts but only a 2*40 and a huge&heavy 2*96.

 

[loganj]

Check this out...I'm guessing they ship to Canada. It will run two 65w PC's.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/productdetail.jsp?xi=xi&ItemId=1613486984

 

[peterp]

Thanks!
Seems they are known as Acklands Grainger here. and have locations all over the place.