Can I use t8 bulbs to grow plants?

This is because most growers use these lighting systems for microgreens, seedlings, and plants that they harvest in their vegetative state. However, you can grow plants that flower and fruit in a T5 system. You will need to pick up some 3000K bulbs, however.

And you can also find T5 bulbs with the color temperature of 10,000 Kelvins. Most commonly they are used as aquarium lights. The 10,000 Kelvin color temperature means that they are very blue based lights so they can be used as grow lights for extreme plant growth, because of the cool color of them.

T5 High Ouput (HO) bulbs are the most popular fluorescent bulbs for plant lighting, and they’re the most efficient. T5 fluorescents are more efficient than T8 and T12 fluorescent tubes, and they are smaller in diameter. In fact, “T” refers to the diameter of the bulb. T12 has a diameter of 12/8″, T8 = 8/8″, T5 = 5/8″.

Bloom lamps are used for providing additional side lighting mature, flowering and fruiting plants. You can mix and match lamps in the same fixture, so long as they are all correctly rated (HO or VHO.) You don’t need a ballast. T5 Fluorescent grow light fixtures come with a built in electronic ballast.

The “T” in lamp nomenclature represents the shape of the lamp-tubular. The number following the “T” usually represents the diameter of the lamp in eighths of an inch (1 inch equals 2.5 centimeters). T5 lamps have a diameter equal to 5 times an eighth of an inch, or 5/8″.

What is the difference between T5, T8 and T12 lamps? Fluorescent lamps, or fluorescent linear tubes as they are also known, are categorized according to their wattage, shape and diameter. T5 lamps are 40% smaller than T8 fixtures, but are capable of containing just as much and sometimes more light in a smaller area.

A T8 lamp (on the right in the figure below) is eight-eighths of an inch, or one inch (2.54 cm), in diameter. Both T12 and T8 lamps use the medium bi-pin base, which allows T8 lamps to fit into the same luminaires as T12 lamps of the same length.

In other words, they have different wiring methods. The circuit structure of the LED tube light requires rewiring the fixture in a practice to replace the fluorescent, which will be very expensive. Very luckily, although the LED light does not need the ballast, it is compatible with the inductive ballast.

Changing Fluorescent Tubes to LEDs

LED bulbs can fit directly in your fluorescent light fixtures.

Fixtures with tube-type LED bulbs fit in perfectly.

Step 2: Carefully remove the fluorescent bulbs.

Step 3: Remove the ballast wiring cover and ballast.

Step 4: Rewire electrical supply to opposite ends.

No, removing the ballast does not make your LED conversion consume less electricity. The ballast is an essential component which converts and regulates power delivered to a fluorescent tube. LEDs also require this power conversion and regulation; it can not be avoided.

In a fluorescent lighting system, the ballast regulates the current to the lamps and provides sufficient voltage to start the lamps. Without a ballast to limit its current, a fluorescent lamp connected directly to a high voltage power source would rapidly and uncontrollably increase its current draw.

A replacement ballast costs about $10-25 depending on capacity and brand. The bite is that an electrician trip charge (which includes 30 or 60 minutes work) is going to be $75-150 probably – for about 5 minutes work on each light fixture.

Simple Explanation Hot and Cold Cathode Lamps: Fluorescent lamps work by ionizing mercury vapor in a glass tube. This causes electrons in the gas to emit photons at UV frequencies. The UV light is converted into standard visible light using a phosphor coating on the inside of the tube.

When you turn on a fluorescent tube, the starter is a closed switch. The filaments at the ends of the tube are heated by electricity, and they create a cloud of electrons inside the tube. The fluorescent starter is a time-delay switch that opens after a second or two.

There are two types of ballasts in the fluorescent family: magnetic and electronic. Magnetic ballasts are actually the older ballast technology. Both T12 linear fluorescents and two-pin CFLs use magnetic ballasts. Fluorescent T8s and 4-pin CFLs, meanwhile, use an electronic ballast.

Ballast Factor. IESNA Definition: the fractional flux of a fluorescent lamp operated on a ballast compared to the flux when operated on the standard (reference) ballast specified for rating lamp lumens. Ballast factor (BF) is the measured ability of a particular ballast to produce light from the lamp(s) it powers.

The ballast takes in electricity and then regulates current to the bulbs. A typical ballast will generally last about 20 years, but cold environments and bad bulbs can decrease this lifespan significantly. You can get a new ballast at a hardware store or home center and install it in about 10 minutes.

Typical F40 ballasts weigh about 3.5 lbs., and F96 ballasts weigh about 8 lbs. Negotiate with hazardous waste brokers, transporters, waste management companies, and disposal sites to obtain the lowest fees. Costs range from $0.55/lb. to $2.10/lb. Average cost is $1.50/lb., which equals approximately $5.25 per ballast.

They consume eight to 10 watts when operating with the lamp in the circuit. The ballast will consume about four watts when the lamps are removed although the ballast is still energized. Electronic ballasts start and regulate fluorescent lamps with the use of electronic components.