cfl temperature vs T5 ho temperature

mkay420

Active Member
just a quick question.... tube fluoros usually run cooler than cfls, has anyone used T5 ho fluoros on a grow and used cfls on a different grow but basically the same setup? was there a noticable difference in temperature between them? my cfls run fairly hot compared to the T8 tubes i have and i was wondering how much difference in heat i would have replacing my t8s with t5s HOs....

i have considered replacing all of my cfls with t5s but i have yet to use them so i am not aware of how well they work... any inut on how hot they run and their effectiveness vs cfls would be greatly appreciated!
 

pastafarian81

Well-Known Member
cant tell you the difference but t5ho feel only slightly cooler. I'll pull out my digital thermometer this afternoon and see if i can get you a decent answer.
 

mkay420

Active Member
that would be great! i figured the t5 is cooler than a cfl even though the output is still decent.... what size, watts, and lumens are your t5s?
 

Hassan

Active Member
temps in my box run higher with my t5 HO than cfl. The t5 is 4 foot with reflector tho, temps rise by about 5 degrees when its on. T5 is 56 watts
 

mkay420

Active Member
yeah i would have to get the 2 foot t5s. my box is 2x2x3. im doing a semi stealth grow so i tried to keep it small. i bet the 2 footers wouldnt really raise my temps hardly at all and if i converted to all t5s it may even go down but i think i would be losing some lumens that way... right now im sitting at about 13940 for just one autoflowering roadrunner and a super lemon haze which i will toss into flowering when the auto is done.
 

doobnVA

Well-Known Member
I've got a 4 ft, 52W T5 HO tube. It's on constantly and never even gets hot to the touch, whereas my CFLs get hot enough to burn skin. I've got my plants in a 4x8 room, so the lights don't affect the temperature that much. I would definitely say that T5s emit less heat than CFLs, though. If you're growing in a small, enclosed space (like a box), and you're worried about heat... go for the T5s.

As far as I know, the 52W T5 tube puts out 5000 lumens. 2ft lamps are 48W (I think) and 2000 lumens.

You can get a 2ft, 2-lamp fixture for less than $100. There are also 4-lamp fixtures, if you're worried about lumen output (4x2000=8000 total lumens)
 

Hassan

Active Member
what's a good place to buy those 2 foot 2 lamp fixtures for under $100? This 4 foot is too long for my use. Right now I have it verticle and its only useful when the plant gets tall enough
 

mkay420

Active Member
i think that for the rest of y grow i will be staying with cfls just due to the cost of the t5s. i am going to do a little research and post some things in a little bit on this subject still so dont go away....
 

doobnVA

Well-Known Member
thanks doobn +rep

No problem =)

I'm completely enamored with my T5, and would recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat.

Can't wait til I get my student loan "overpayment" in October... I'm going to get one of the 4-lamp fixtures, I think. Early xmas present for me!
 

Hassan

Active Member
hm those t5s are pretty cheap but at 14.95 thats gotta be for bulb only so youd still have to get a fixture
 

Hassan

Active Member
No problem =)

I'm completely enamored with my T5, and would recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat.

Can't wait til I get my student loan "overpayment" in October... I'm going to get one of the 4-lamp fixtures, I think. Early xmas present for me!
yea going to have to decide on 2 or 4 bulbs but definitely going to pick one up I think. Was really bummed that I couldn't use my current t5, wasn't paying attention to the size when I ordered lol. CFLs are a pain for top lighting tho with all the adjusting so this sounds a lot better
 

mkay420

Active Member
yeah im pretty sure they are just bulbs after having taken a second look at it.... i already have a couple fixtures i could use haha i justhave to remove them from where they are now and im not so sure its feasible
 

Hassan

Active Member
Under $100 really isn't a lot of money considering you get multiple bulbs with fixture/reflector
 

mkay420

Active Member
yeah but i paid ALOT less than 100 for my cfls, wish i could afford some good t5s right now for my side lighting instead of the crappy t8s i got but this is my first indoor grow and i think i want to make sure i can handle the stress of trying to keep my roomate from finding out and shit before i sink any more money into my box.
 

doobnVA

Well-Known Member
Yep, "lamps" are just the bulbs w/o a fixture. Really any floro fixture that accepts a T5 bulb should work.

If you don't want to shell out the cash for a 2 lamp fixture, SunBlaze has T5 "strip lights" (just one bulb in a fixture) that are like $30 or less, and you can daisy chain more than one of them together (they also have fixtures w/ reflectors that will hold multiple strip lights)... so you could pick up just one, and then add more when you have the cash.
 
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