500w CFL?

DKskater75

DKskater75

Well-Known Member
So I bought two of these high power CFL's the other day (2 500W Fluorescent HO GROW LIGHT CFL HYDROPONIC - eBay (item 260283040568 end time Sep-10-08 18:45:00 PDT)). Has anyone ever used these before? I thought they just plugged into an outlet, but I had to wire them up to a receptacle. And I can't figure out how to run them both off the same switch if anyone knows anything about that. Anyway, my other question was how far I should be keeping these lights from my plants. They haven't even sprouted yet, but will they be fine at an inch or two away like normal CFL's? Or should I keep them farther away?
 
Hayduke

Hayduke

Well-Known Member
I have not used those cfl's but am using cfl's 10-42 watt. I would wire plugs on them and plug them into a power strip which is connected to a timer.

Those are two 65 watt cfls though not 500W. They say they are equivalent to 500w of incandescent. My 420watts is supposed to be = 1500watts, no way! Most of the successful cfl grows I have seen are 8 or more 42 watters in a very small space, with lights all around plants. The lights are bright but little penetration so they need to be close. Also those 65 watters are usually the 6500K blue spectrum bulbs for veg, though they do make the 2700K's (red)

Home Depot has 100 Watt cfl lights also similar to what you got, I think they were about 70 bucks, but again 6500K
bongsmilie
 
Hayduke

Hayduke

Well-Known Member
sorry, but as for the distance, I have read to judge by heat. I am definitely no expert but personally I would be a little cautious and go 3-4" and let them grow to the light. Also those lights have a cover I assume you will remove, so your distance you refer to is the distance to the bulb itself. I stressed my ist batch of clones a little by putting them directly under 6-42 watters at about 2-3", but if a seed is in the intense light, the only worry is heat, because that is all it has ever known. As opposed to clones in a covered diffused light environment.:peace:
 
DKskater75

DKskater75

Well-Known Member
Well for now there is no need for a timer, although I didn't think about wiring plugs to them to solve the two at once problem. I'm just using these to veg and then have a 400w hps for flowering. They are a bit hotter than regular CFL's and I left the cover on it too, didn't even think about taking it off haha. I guess I'll keep them about 4" away just to be safe. I do need to figure a way to get the second one set up though, I'm sure one isn't enough to veg 8 plants.
 
Hayduke

Hayduke

Well-Known Member
Mine are hot!!!!!! I have to keep house ac on 73. I have a 265cfm blower exhausting my 24 cuft box, so turns over 10 times a minute. The best I can do with the box shut is 82-83. I imagine mine are as hot as a 400w hps with the ballast outside of box, maybe hotter. (and same amount of money spent, and right now more watts used) oh well;-)
 
DKskater75

DKskater75

Well-Known Member
Yeah I have three different fans running and it's hard to keep the temp below 85 with the hps on. It's off right now and it's still 82. Do you know if they sell plugs that can be wired straight to a hot and neutral?
 
Hayduke

Hayduke

Well-Known Member
I am no electrician but isnt that he same as black and white? and a lamp cord or cut extension cord would be at most 3 wires one a ground.
 
DKskater75

DKskater75

Well-Known Member
True, I guess that would work. And yes, black is hot and white is neutral. My problem is the light only has those two instead of a ground as well like the normal wiring in houses. If it had three I could easily wire the two together. I guess I will try with an extension cord and just wrap it with electrical tape.
 
iamthatguy

iamthatguy

Well-Known Member
Not to bumb you out or anything but if you live near a Costco they have the exact same light for $9 in California. I just bought 2 of them.

Anyway I cant tell from any of the posts if you finished wiring it up but to wire them inline just take one white wire from one light and one black wire from one light and connect them. That will leave you with a black wire from one light and a white wire from the other and just cut the end off an extention cord and connect the extension cord end to the black and white wires. In this scinerio you have 2 wires conecting at 3 junctions.

OR

Bonect the black wire from one light to the black wire from the other light and the white wire with the white wire and then connect the extension cord end. In this scinerio you have 3 wires conecting at 2 junctions.
 
DKskater75

DKskater75

Well-Known Member
those are just normal cfls in hoods lol.

/65watts*
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That's funny, I didn't know normal CFL's have built in ballasts and had to be wired to circuit breakers. Also a 65w CFL gives out about 3,000 lumens, where as these give out 7,000.


Not to bumb you out or anything but if you live near a Costco they have the exact same light for $9 in California. I just bought 2 of them.

Anyway I cant tell from any of the posts if you finished wiring it up but to wire them inline just take one white wire from one light and one black wire from one light and connect them. That will leave you with a black wire from one light and a white wire from the other and just cut the end off an extention cord and connect the extension cord end to the black and white wires. In this scinerio you have 2 wires conecting at 3 junctions.

OR

Bonect the black wire from one light to the black wire from the other light and the white wire with the white wire and then connect the extension cord end. In this scinerio you have 3 wires conecting at 2 junctions
Click to expand...
.

Thanks for the info... Are they really as powerful as these are for just $9? I do live about 20 minutes from a Costco haha. As for the wiring, no I haven't figured it out yet. But I will try connecting the two lights together and then adding just one plug to it. That seems like the simplest way to do it.
 
Hayduke

Hayduke

Well-Known Member
DKskater75 said:
True, I guess that would work. And yes, black is hot and white is neutral. My problem is the light only has those two instead of a ground as well like the normal wiring in houses. If it had three I could easily wire the two together. I guess I will try with an extension cord and just wrap it with electrical tape.
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I had an electrician tell me one time that the ground in residential wiring is bullshit. That they are rarely effectively grounded. Whether from loose connections at the common ground or not even tied into a metal post or pipe in the ground. But I don't know. think about all the stuff you plug in that does not have a triple prong plug on it 1500 watt heaters, hair dryers, toasters. I would either tape it off or try to connect ground from cord to the fixture. But again you should talk to someone who really knows!:peace:
 
DKskater75

DKskater75

Well-Known Member
Well, I just got it to work! Went down to home depot, picked up 20 feet of wire, ran them both from two different outlets. Then I taped the two lights together and hung it up on a pully system. So now I can have one on at a time or both on at once just by using the light switches.
 
Hayduke

Hayduke

Well-Known Member
DKskater75 said:
That's funny, I didn't know normal CFL's have built in ballasts and had to be wired to circuit breakers. Also a 65w CFL gives out about 3,000 lumens, where as these give out 7,000.
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The lights at home depot also say they put out more lumens. They are lights of america brand. Supposedly cfls get have been and are getting more efficeint at putting out light. My buddy has used the 65w of these and they burnt out real fast, so keep your receipt when you buy bulbs. Hd and lowes sell the bulbs for 10-14 bucks so I would think the costco price is for the bulb only.

my lights are also wired to the circuit breaker, they just have a convienient plug and cord cuz they are meant to be moved. If your security lights get moved...no more security:bigjoint:

Agree with the wiring in series, I knew that but wasn't thinking.
 
DKskater75

DKskater75

Well-Known Member
from the ad...


Each fixture uses 65 watts of electricity but puts out 500 watts!​

This statement, btw, is pure bs.

$60 for two of these is actually a pretty good price.
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Yes, I know that these aren't actually 500w bulbs. I should have just wrote 65w, but that doesn't get people's attention. Anyways I was just saying that these are not your ordinary 65w CFL bulbs.
 
Hayduke

Hayduke

Well-Known Member
DKskater75 said:
Well, I just got it to work! Went down to home depot, picked up 20 feet of wire, ran them both from two different outlets. Then I taped the two lights together and hung it up on a pully system. So now I can have one on at a time or both on at once just by using the light switches.
Click to expand...
Nice! I think this gives you versatility. Got any sprouted yet?
 
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