T5 ballasts compared - Page 11

The Grim Reefer · #**251** 11/01/2006, 12:55 AM

4 lamps per ballast,

Clams OK under 4 assuming you use reflectors

More light where you need it than with PC's

www.fulham.com for diagram

horkn · #**252** 11/01/2006, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by greenstarfish03
So if I understand this correctly I can run up to 4 39W T5 bulbs on EACH ballast? That is good for future expansion I guess.

It also looks like I will get more light in my tank w/ 2 39W T5 bulbs then I was getting w/ 2 96W power compacts? I assume I will save energy as well then b/c I will get more light output w/ way less energy consumption. That is cool!

What things do you think I could keep w/ 4 39W T5s over my tank? What would I need to keep a clam?

yes, each w7 will run 4x39 of t5ho.

i run 3x39 of t5ho off of one w5 ballast.

4x39 of a that 70g is a little low IMHO. personally,i would run 5 or 6 on that tank. but with careful bulb selection, and IC or ati reflectors, you could easily keep clams and sps even with 4 bulbs- but they would have to be up higher in the tank.. probably.. depending on sps and clam species....

The Grim Reefer · #**253** 11/01/2006, 10:05 AM

Perhaps I read too much into Greenstar's posts.

If you are talking about running 4 T5's with 2 96 watt PC's you are Ducky, Like Horkn said 4 T5's alone is probably not enough for a clam.

stereomandan · #**254** 11/01/2006, 06:20 PM

Just to add another point of data, I have an Icecap Dynamic spec T5 ballast running two 54W T5's. The bulbs are UVL Super Actinic, and ATI Blue Plus.

The current draw is 0.96A @ 122V.

That reading was after the lamps were warmed up for a few hours.

For comparison, I also have an Icecap A4 ballast(basically an IC660), and I run one 48" 6.5k GE daylight T8 bulb and one 36" T12 VHO UVL Super Actinic on it.

The current draw is 1.29A @122V.

Goes to show efficient the T5's are, and also how much the IC is overdriving my T8 bulb!

Dan

daytriper · #**255** 11/01/2006, 07:08 PM

D@D megatwins t-5 link Has anyone heard of this?
Can you get them in the USA?
http://www.aquacadabra.co.uk/deltec...n_t5_lights.htm

If you can please leave link.

I was going to use pc for my new light hood but now I want T-5. MY tank is 6 foot long I am going to use 3 250 6.5k and I want T5 bulbs to blue it up.

greenstarfish03 · #**256** 11/01/2006, 11:52 PM

I will go w/ the 2 10K 96W PCs and the two super plus actinic t5s for now, but all I have in the tank are shrooms and LPS's. When I get more dollars now that I'm using the t5s I can add one or two more t5 rather easy to the first ballast. At that point I could probably get some sps and or a clam right? I guess when my PC bulds need to be replaced I will swap them out w/ two more t5s for a total of 4 or 6 if I have added the others by then. W/ 6 I could keep most anything?

Do you guys use plexiglass between your bulbs and the water? If so does it get really salty and block the light?

The Grim Reefer · #**257** 11/02/2006, 03:19 AM

With 6 lamps you will be able to keep most anything. 4 T5's and a couple of PC's with fresh lamps should be safe for clam or SPS. Short term I would run 1 UVL super actinic T5 and 1 ATI blue Plus T5 with the 10K PC's. That will give you a nice look and add a little mojo as far as intensity.

BLockamon · #**258** 11/02/2006, 12:40 PM

Someone please educate me...what's the big deal with End of Life and the Workhorse ballasts. Is someone claiming that they will overheat, start a fire, what?

I find it hard to believe that the Workhorse ballasts would be unsafe if a bulb burned out. After all, they are UL and cUL listed and are used extensively in the commercial world (where burn til it dies is the norm). I'd venture to guess that they probably have at least 10x the number of ballasts out there as any of the others...probably closer to 100x.

However, I could be wrong. Anyone know for sure what the concern is and how valid it is?

Thanks.

The Grim Reefer · #**259** 11/02/2006, 01:23 PM

It's more than just end of life but anyway. As T5 and PC fluorescent lamps age the internal resistance in the lamp decreases and it can allow excessive current to run through the system. That could hurt the ballast or overheat the endcaps or wiring. Fulhams own PC ballasts have EOL protection so I am not sure why they didnt include it on the WH.

horkn · #**260** 11/02/2006, 01:29 PM

per tom at aquactinics, using a workhorse ballast on bad bulbs didnt prove dangerous at all in the few days they tried this test. he also said thata it would be a good idea to change the bulb as soon as you can if one is shot, but they said that nothing went wrong.

i can provide a quote from him if you feel its needed.

The Grim Reefer · #**261** 11/02/2006, 01:38 PM

If there is no danger why does Fulham provide EOL on their PC ballast?

horkn · #**262** 11/02/2006, 01:41 PM

dunno, ask fulham

i bet eventually there could be danger, which is why tom @aquactinics said its best to replace the bulb as soon as you can.

The Grim Reefer · #**263** 11/02/2006, 01:46 PM

From Fulham's site:

Specifications Common to all RaceHorse Ballasts

Frequency: 50/60 Hz

ATHD: Meets ANSI C82.11 - 1993

Protection/Output: Open Lamp, Shortened Lamp, End-of-life

Protection/Overcurrent: Fuse

Protection/Voltage Transients: MOV (PER ANSI C82.11 - 1993)

EMI/RFI: FCC PART 18-B

Regulatory Approvals: UL & cUL Listed Type 1 Outdoor

High Power Factor: >.98

Open Circuit Voltage: 600 V RMS MAX.

Min. Operating Temp.: -20* F (-30* C)

Max. Case Temp.: 158* F (70* C)

Lamp Starting Mode: PROGRAM PREHEAT START

Class P: Thermal

Sound Rating: A

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lack of EOL and hard start is enough for me to avoid them (the workhorses) myself. I still say if you have one laying around and want T5's why not but I would strongly suggest using good VHO rated endcaps.

Aquactinics · #**264** 11/02/2006, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
If there is no danger why does Fulham provide EOL on their PC ballast?

Per Fulham:

The reason EOL are on the PC ballasts is that the electros are very close to each other while on T5 lamps they are on either end of the lamp.

Thank you,

Tom
Aquactinics

The Grim Reefer · #**265** 11/02/2006, 02:04 PM

Fulham also clams the hard start is no big deal either, The companies that developed the T5 lamps disagree with that too.

greenstarfish03 · #**266** 11/07/2006, 06:56 PM

I just got new moisture proof endcaps and bulbs from reefgeek. How do I connect the wires to the endcap?? This is probably a silly question I am assuming the in side must come out or something but I don't want to break it. I have a wire diagram so I'm not asking about that I literly need to know how the end cap works. If you want to see a pic look on reefgeek

goreefer · #**267** 11/07/2006, 07:19 PM

It's fairly simple. Strip off about 3/8" of the insulation from the end of the wire and simply insert it into the end cap.
Depending on your wiring diagram if you need a jumper I found it easier to insert the jumper first, and then insert to other wire.

FishTri · #**268** 11/07/2006, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Per Fulham:

The reason EOL are on the PC ballasts is that the electros are very close to each other while on T5 lamps they are on either end of the lamp.

Thank you,

Tom
Aquactinics

Not sure that's 100% accurate...

Early generations of biax (PC) lamps had problems where, at end of life when the lamp would fail to start, the base of the lamp would overheat resulting in burning plastic. Not 100% sure why, but I think it was because the starter circuit built into the base of the lamp would continuously try to fire a lamp that would not cooperate. This resulted in the overheating.

Most reputable ballast manufacturers now include end-of-life protection in their PC ballasts. If the lamp fails to start, the ballast will quit trying to make it start.

Linear fluorescents (e.g. T12, T8, T5, T5HO) do not have starter circuits in the lamps, so they do not experience this type of overheating.

fwiw.

FishTri · #**269** 11/07/2006, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
Fulham also clams the hard start is no big deal either, The companies that developed the T5 lamps disagree with that too.

I'm not familiar with Fulham or their products, so if I'm off base, please let me know.

I'm assuming we're comparing an "Instant Start" (Hard) to a "Program Start" (Soft) ballast.

If you have ten or fifteen on/off cycles a day, then the number of starts adds up quickly and pretty soon your lamp fails to start. A soft-start ballast would have helped. But that's not the kind of use an aquarium system gets.

If you turn your lights on only once a day (and they burn all day before you turn them off) then it might not make much of a difference if you start them hard or soft. You'll use up your lamp life before you use up all of the "starts" the lamp would have given you.

If you change your lamps after a year because, even though they still turn on they've lost their initial qualities, you never get to the point where a hard start or soft start mattered.

Does that make sense?

The Grim Reefer · #**270** 11/07/2006, 11:30 PM

Typical commercial use of a lamp wouldn't be off and on several times a day. More typical would be perhaps 2 on off cycles a day.

All that aside I wont run WH ballasts because their performance is below the real T5 ballasts but their power usage was higher..

FishTri · #**271** 11/08/2006, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
Typical commercial use of a lamp wouldn't be off and on several times a day. More typical would be perhaps 2 on off cycles a day.

All that aside I wont run WH ballasts because their performance is below the real T5 ballasts but their power usage was higher..

I think you've got the real issue. The cost of running the ballast (efficiency) and the light output are the key factors for long cycle aquarium use. Hard or soft starting isn't gonna make much of a difference.

In my 9-5 life we see a lot of T5HO applications where a motion sensor turns the fixture on and off all day as forklifts pass under the fixture. There (with 10-15 starts per day) the soft start makes a big difference in how long the lamp lasts.

The Grim Reefer · #**272** 11/08/2006, 12:09 PM

Way back when I was looking at the T5 stuff originally the one company that listed the life with different ballasts decreased life by 25% with hard start ballasts. That was based on a duty cycle that didn't include off on cycles within it. I believe it was based on 14 hour cycles.

somethinfishier · #**273** 11/08/2006, 04:56 PM

2 questions, Can the WH7 power 3x39 t5s? Can the IC660 power Vho and t5s in the same series?

The Grim Reefer · #**274** 11/08/2006, 05:04 PM

Yes and Yes. The 660 can ever run PC's with the other 2

somethinfishier · #**275** 11/08/2006, 05:21 PM

Thanks Grim. Nice fast reply.