Best T5 HO conversion options? Worth considering at all?

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NewGrower2011

Well-Known Member
So as I was looking at old equipment and looking at options - I also was looking at veg LED options if I was going to try and veg in the same pots I flower in - so covering that larger footprint with veg focused spectrum would mean a new investment. I've got multiple T5 HO fixtures that now sit idle unused and I noticed there are some T5 HO specific LED conversion tubes (AgroLED for instance).

Are these T5 conversion bulbs worth a damn? Was thinking of a 6 or 8 bulb fixture and they were supposed to be top end ballasts (fulham) so would like to benefit from that original investment. The wide footprint is what I'm after for this - covering a 4x4 with veg spectrum/light levels being the goal.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
NewGrower2011 said:
So as I was looking at old equipment and looking at options - I also was looking at veg LED options if I was going to try and veg in the same pots I flower in - so covering that larger footprint with veg focused spectrum would mean a new investment. I've got multiple T5 HO fixtures that now sit idle unused and I noticed there are some T5 HO specific LED conversion tubes (AgroLED for instance).

Are these T5 conversion bulbs worth a damn? Was thinking of a 6 or 8 bulb fixture and they were supposed to be top end ballasts (fulham) so would like to benefit from that original investment. The wide footprint is what I'm after for this - covering a 4x4 with veg spectrum/light levels being the goal.
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Absolutely. They're basically strip builds but on a t5 tube.
 
fragileassassin

fragileassassin

Well-Known Member
In on this discussion! I have also been looking at these lately, though I havent gone far in my looking yet.
New 5x5 veg room and sounds like we have a similar situation going on.
Using 2 4 foot 8 bulb T5s I got for a crazy deal local.
They are 432w with all of the bulbs on, so theyre pulling around 4 amps each with em all on and it puts a big dent in my available breaker space down there. Ive already found out I cant use my shop vac with them both on lol! I was good for a minute but i think my chiller kicked on.
Luckily mine have 4 switches and i can turn on pairs of two and will likely run 4 bulbs each really close.

Are you looking at the bulbs that are supposed to be drop in replacements?
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
fragileassassin said:
In on this discussion! I have also been looking at these lately, though I havent gone far in my looking yet.
New 5x5 veg room and sounds like we have a similar situation going on.
Using 2 4 foot 8 bulb T5s I got for a crazy deal local.
They are 432w with all of the bulbs on, so theyre pulling around 4 amps each with em all on and it puts a big dent in my available breaker space down there. Ive already found out I cant use my shop vac with them both on lol! I was good for a minute but i think my chiller kicked on.
Luckily mine have 4 switches and i can turn on pairs of two and will likely run 4 bulbs each really close.

Are you looking at the bulbs that are supposed to be drop in replacements?
Click to expand...
Ya he talked about having unused fixtures
 
N

NewGrower2011

Well-Known Member
Yes, the unaltered drop-in versions are what I'm looking at. The theory/thinking being these were Quantum BadBoys which the supposed 'quality' of that brand fixture was really in the ballasts used being the Fulham workhorses, etc. So for T5 ballasts they were supposed to be top-end.

I do see there could be 'losses' in the conversion or use of the T5 ballasts versus just using LED(s) - i.e. strips - and dedicated LED drivers. I could mod the existing fixtures to the point of gutting them and using them for frame - and reflectors would be pointless now given directional lighting of LED versus the need before since the tubes were omni-directional.

Another reason for not using T5 bulbs as-is comes down to their fragile nature; Pop one bulb and there goes your crop - I wouldn't smoke anything that a bulb had ever broken over given the mercury/etc and glass shards/etc. So brighter, less current, safer from breakage, etc.

I found some suppliers/sellers exist out there so we're not limited to the 'hydro shops' marking shit up; I found one site online with 5k bulbs for 54w HO fixtures and they were $15 each and around 3k lumens each I think. Amazon/GrowersHouse have those AgroLED ones specifically being marketed for horticultural use were $21-25 each - no surprise there.

The other consideration is just DIY angle-iron and some strips/drivers or finding a commercial strip fixture that isn't jacked up too much over DIY cost; But contemplating the options for these old fixtures was the real goal here. Otherwise they just gather dust in a corner - no one I'm involved with would even want them anymore since they'd just go LED themselves. Well there's 1 person I could gift them to for their first run - that's about the only use I foresee for them otherwise.
 
Xcoregamerskillz

Xcoregamerskillz

Well-Known Member
NewGrower2011 said:
Yes, the unaltered drop-in versions are what I'm looking at. The theory/thinking being these were Quantum BadBoys which the supposed 'quality' of that brand fixture was really in the ballasts used being the Fulham workhorses, etc. So for T5 ballasts they were supposed to be top-end.

I do see there could be 'losses' in the conversion or use of the T5 ballasts versus just using LED(s) - i.e. strips - and dedicated LED drivers. I could mod the existing fixtures to the point of gutting them and using them for frame - and reflectors would be pointless now given directional lighting of LED versus the need before since the tubes were omni-directional.

Another reason for not using T5 bulbs as-is comes down to their fragile nature; Pop one bulb and there goes your crop - I wouldn't smoke anything that a bulb had ever broken over given the mercury/etc and glass shards/etc. So brighter, less current, safer from breakage, etc.

I found some suppliers/sellers exist out there so we're not limited to the 'hydro shops' marking shit up; I found one site online with 5k bulbs for 54w HO fixtures and they were $15 each and around 3k lumens each I think. Amazon/GrowersHouse have those AgroLED ones specifically being marketed for horticultural use were $21-25 each - no surprise there.

The other consideration is just DIY angle-iron and some strips/drivers or finding a commercial strip fixture that isn't jacked up too much over DIY cost; But contemplating the options for these old fixtures was the real goal here. Otherwise they just gather dust in a corner - no one I'm involved with would even want them anymore since they'd just go LED themselves. Well there's 1 person I could gift them to for their first run - that's about the only use I foresee for them otherwise.
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Makes sense to me, man. I was just asking some questions, but it looks like you got it figured. So yeah, looks like a good use of old equipment.
 
B

burnpile

Well-Known Member
https://store.waveformlighting.com/products/photontube-t8-led-grow-light-tube-for-horticulture?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIidmdrIi73gIVUoJ-Ch0VZA6sEAAYASAAEgKcG_D_BwE

or maybe these: http://www.thriveagritech.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/T5-LED-Lamp-Flyer.pdf.

The agro led look good although they use more power, I have some of the blue ones and white ones. After I bought this stuff I changed to cobs and quantums so all the t5 is unused now. They have a note "not compatible with hydrofarm agrobrite fixture" but that's what I used them in, maybe something changed since I bought them last year.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
I've used a T8 fixture and fortunately, they have all kinds of LED replacents at home depot and Lowe's. T5s are much harder to come by in drop in replacement and much more pricey.
 
Airwalker16

Airwalker16

Well-Known Member
burnpile said:
https://store.waveformlighting.com/products/photontube-t8-led-grow-light-tube-for-horticulture?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIidmdrIi73gIVUoJ-Ch0VZA6sEAAYASAAEgKcG_D_BwE

or maybe these: http://www.thriveagritech.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/T5-LED-Lamp-Flyer.pdf.

The agro led look good although they use more power, I have some of the blue ones and white ones. After I bought this stuff I changed to cobs and quantums so all the t5 is unused now. They have a note "not compatible with hydrofarm agrobrite fixture" but that's what I used them in, maybe something changed since I bought them last year.
Click to expand...
Your first link is for T8s. Also, the waveform ones are way too expensive.
 
Xcoregamerskillz

Xcoregamerskillz

Well-Known Member
OneHitDone

OneHitDone

Well-Known Member
NewGrower2011 said:
Another reason for not using T5 bulbs as-is comes down to their fragile nature; Pop one bulb and there goes your crop - I wouldn't smoke anything that a bulb had ever broken over given the mercury/etc and glass shards/etc. So brighter, less current, safer from breakage, etc.
Click to expand...
:lol:
Like that is something you ever hear of with T5 Growers. Don't be swinging hammers around in your grow.....

NewGrower2011 said:
I found some suppliers/sellers exist out there so we're not limited to the 'hydro shops' marking shit up; I found one site online with 5k bulbs for 54w HO fixtures and they were $15 each and around 3k lumens each I think. Amazon/GrowersHouse have those AgroLED ones specifically being marketed for horticultural use were $21-25 each - no surprise there.
Click to expand...
I challenge you to load one fixture with "AgroLed" or any other T5 "LED Replacement" and another with a set of Hortilux Power Veg T5 or Even a set of GE Ecolux 6500K and report back on which light gave you better quality growth :peace:
 
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