Flurorescent light replacement

10 years ago

This is a little technical but I will post it anyway.

I only have two fluorescent light fixtures and they use the 24 inch tubes. The inexpensive tubes I use don't seem to last very long being on 15 hours a day. LED lights are rapidly replacing fluorescent lights and supposedly last much longer. So, I bought a pair of LED tubes on eBay for $9.99 each with free shipping to see how they would work. They take 110 VAC on the two pins on one end so I removed the ballast transformer and rewired the fixture. The light, to my eye, appears to be the same as the cool white fluorescent tubes they replaced but brighter.

Unfortunately, they came with instructions for rewiring that were not helpful at all...but I am a retired electrical engineer and had no problems.

Featured Answer

irina_co

10 years ago

According to the books - about 600 foot candles. But some need more, some less. Species Saintpaulias - definitely need less, pale leaved ones - too. Dark leaved varieties can do higher.

It is not that simple - even if you get a lightmeter. If it is on the windowsill - the light level changes during the day - and different in summer and in winter. If you have plants under lights - most of the light plants absorb is in red and blue - so the same light level by the lamps of the different spectrum - can be too much or not enough.

You set your lamps - and then observe how your plants behave - leaves are stretching - you need more light, hugging the pot - and bleaching - less. You can change the distance between the plants and the fixtures and the time of exposure to find a sweet spot.

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Comments (7)

Leon Ash
10 years ago
I'm new to AV growing & I haven't gotten a light yet.

Can I get a LED lamp that needs no re-wiring ?
bouldergrower
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I am sure you can but I really don't know anything about them. I just wanted to switch to LEDs with a minimum investment. I just found this on Home Depot's website:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Electric-2-ft-2-Light-19-Watt-White-LED-Full-Spectrum-Linkable-Grow-Light-74302/206384735

It looks a little odd with no reflector and what looks like individual points of light along the tube. Mine looks just like an ordinary fluorescent tube.

On second thought, these lights are directional and probably don't need a reflector.
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irina_co
10 years ago
I got several LED 48" fixtures from Costco for $29.95. Seems that they are a bit brighter than AVs need - the light green leaf AVs got bleached. Our Houzz contributor 1beautylover2012 - Hi Polina - reduced the amount of hours to compensate for brigher light. I taped non-woven white fabric directly to the tubes - they are barely warm - to diffuse the light. I think her idea is better - because it saves the electric $$.

Seems that LEDs are the future. And the cost started coming down significantly.
Leon Ash
10 years ago
What brightness do AV's need and how do you measure it ?

I'm quite sure that LEDs will be the only ones available soon; they're already becoming rare.
Rosie1949
10 years ago
I read these posts about lighting with envy. Really wish I had a spot for a shelf like AnneC showed in her pix. (another thread) I miss my light fixtures, but no place to put one (or several!) in this house without displacing some people! And they won't go for that. darn. Rosie
aruzinsky
10 years ago
"Can I get a LED lamp that needs no re-wiring ?"

Yes, an LED bulb (warm white recommended) for household lighting that screws into a standard E27 socket. Look for "60 watt equivalent" bulbs that use less than 9 watts and cost less than $3. Also, buy a clip on fixture with reflector that costs about $7. I suspect that, at least, 4 African violets will grow well under one 8.5 watt bulb, on 16 hours/day.