a step beyond T5's .....I found T4's - Orchid Board

johnblagg · #1 11-20-2011, 09:07 AM

ok while looking around my Favorite hardware store I notices these lights and think wow wouldnt those work well for on my shelves above the orchids.....so I buy some and a electronic ballast I think will probably run them.

Long story short they work great and I get 65 watts concentrated into a 18 inch area and each ballast will run two of the 6500 k bulbs.

The bulbs are perfectly flat so they go in places the twisty cfls are not suited for and allow a reflector to be used behind them with ease as well

Cost is $37 for each ballast and $13 per bulb so a grand total of $63 for 135 watts of t4 ho light

I have been running two sets for a couple of months now and man do the chids love them blooms are non stop under them so far

johnblagg · #2 11-20-2011, 09:13 AM

sorry the ballast pictures did not turn out well ...they are a electronic ho ballast and run bulbs from 48 watts up to 98 watts and all that you do is hook the bulbs up to them schematics are on the ballast and its very straightforward and simple.....

I remove the base of the bulbs and solder new lead wires in place of the pins and then seal with clear silicone caulk myself.

silken · #3 11-20-2011, 11:47 AM

Wow. Never heard of such a thing! They would be so convenient in many places. I'll certainly be on the lookout for them and hope to hear more about how they perform and how long they last.

camille1585 · #4 11-20-2011, 01:19 PM

Silken, these types of bulbs are quite popular here in Europe for terrariums and such, although it's usually bulbs with 1 fold, instead of 3. I use them, and am very pleased. How long they last doesn't really matter, since they still should be changed regularily like with regular fluorescent tubes, if you want maximum light output.

John, are these the ones we discussed on google+ a while back?

Merlyn · #5 11-20-2011, 01:32 PM

I agree they may be convenient but totally cost inefficient for the space covered ! I get 324 watts of 6500k T5 light covering a 4' x 2' space for $165. Do the math, more than twice the space for nearly the same cost !

trdyl · #6 11-20-2011, 01:56 PM

Thanks for posting John. I have not seen these yet. I am pretty sure as with anything the cost will eventually go down.

stefpix · #7 11-20-2011, 02:23 PM

I saw them at Home Depot. How do they compare with T5s? Also I wonder what is the spectrum like. I read that many new bulbs have very little blue and red and a lot of green, so even if they look bright to the eye they are not very useful for growing plants. I am also considering a UFO led lamp. I wonder how it would compare to this as well.

johnblagg · #8 11-20-2011, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camille1585

Silken, these types of bulbs are quite popular here in Europe for terrariums and such, although it's usually bulbs with 1 fold, instead of 3. I use them, and am very pleased. How long they last doesn't really matter, since they still should be changed regularily like with regular fluorescent tubes, if you want maximum light output.

John, are these the ones we discussed on google+ a while back?

yes Camille they are

johnblagg · #9 11-20-2011, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merlyn

I agree they may be convenient but totally cost inefficient for the space covered ! I get 324 watts of 6500k T5 light covering a 4' x 2' space for $165. Do the math, more than twice the space for nearly the same cost !

lol lets just do the math indeed ..... $65 for 130 watts and hmmm 18 inches x 2 is 3 feet long x 2 feet wide at least ..... now if I want to add 2 more lights and make it 260 watts in the same area I have $130 invested if I add yet again 2 more I have 390 watts and $195 invested .....? but I also have lights I can fit anywhere I want and I can buy them at home depo off the shelf ....plus I can put that light where I want it not where they will fit.
I would almost bet 65 watts in 18 x 18 inches is a bit more than 81 watts in a 12 x 24 area

johnblagg · #10 11-20-2011, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trdyl

Thanks for posting John. I have not seen these yet. I am pretty sure as with anything the cost will eventually go down.

actually these are the lights they use for outdoor flood lights I just purchased the bulbs having noticed they are t4 lights---- and the ballast was a electronic high output one off the shelf as well I just bought the parts and assembled them to see how they work .

And Camille is correct that they are also called pl lights ....lol problem is I find the replacement bulbs on the lighting isle and half the time no way to use them due to the ballast being built into the wall fixture ect ....I decided to try them with a electronic ballast on a spur of the moment whim and was very happy with the results so I bought more