Can you daisy chain brooder lights together?

Hello all just a quick question.

Can you daisy chain brooder lights together?

I have been wanting to setup a CFL grow and one way that I have thought of doing it is to daisy chain 6 brooder lights together that I already own. With there being only 2 wires in the cord all I would need to do is strip the cords back, cut then down to the desired length, and wire nut them together right?

The main reason for wanting to do this is because I don't want to have to plug in 6 different plugs for 6 different light fixtures. If I could plug in a single cord for all six plugs it would make it much neater and simple wiring design.

Before I touch anything I wanted to check with some folks that actually know how to work with electricity, instead of electrocuting myself with false "knowledge".

Thanks for the help!
jixan

Yes you can wire them together. You have two options, in series or parallel - both should work fine for your application.

Gastanker said:

Yes you can wire them together. You have two options, in series or parallel - both should work fine for your application.

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Thanks for the reply Gastank.

I have made up a image showing what I have planned to do in my head. Is this the correct way to wire in parallel?



Thanks,
jixan

Bump itty bump bump.

i would help you but i don't even know what "brooder" lights are...

jixan said:

Thanks for the reply Gastank.

I have made up a image showing what I have planned to do in my head. Is this the correct way to wire in parallel?

View attachment 2149560

Thanks,
jixan

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Yes that looks right, just make sure to test your voltage and if the wires are heating after you wire it all together. I did something close to that last night for a cab and I made sure to test it all day today before i installed it just to make sure it isnt over loading. Also I added a fuse between the lights and the plug just to make sure I dont draw to much, you might want to add that as well.

Snoogins

Hey Nuglets, its just a clamp light.

Here is a picture.
View attachment 2151080

jixan said:

Hey Nuglets, its just a clamp light.

Here is a picture.
View attachment 2151080

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thanks man, that's funny. i guess i actually have 6 of them in my room then. lol. i use them for my uvb bulbs. appreciate you taking the time to post that pic man. +rep for you kind sir.

jsamuel24 said:

Yes that looks right, just make sure to test your voltage and if the wires are heating after you wire it all together. I did something close to that last night for a cab and I made sure to test it all day today before i installed it just to make sure it isnt over loading. Also I added a fuse between the lights and the plug just to make sure I dont draw to much, you might want to add that as well.

Snoogins

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Hey jsamuel24,

Cool, thanks for the reply. Would you mind taking a picture of your setup, I would love to see how you integrated the fuses into the splicing. I will be running 12 42 watt bulbs with this setup.

I am also running into a little design snaffu. I am trying to figure out how to mount the lights securely in place. Here is a picture showing the board I have right now.



Right now the plan is to gorilla glue the porcelain base to the wood.



Then take a clamp ring (like shown in the picture below, I don't know if that is the right name for it or not, please someone correct me if I am wrong) fasten it around the cable on top of the wood to secure the lamp in place.


The small metal ring I am referring to as a clamp ring that would install above the board.

Will that be an adequate mount? There will never be any significant pressure on the lights when they are hung because I will be fastening mounting hardware on the board before its will ever be in use. I am just worried about the potential of that slipping and falling. That is why I would also be gorilla gluing the base to the underside of the board.

I would really like some suggestions to whether this sounds like a reasonable mounting solution or not.

Thanks again,

jixan

gotta respect a guy who's got his own miter saw...yea man! i'm a tool nut myself.

Why not use a 6 outlet powerstrip and then plug that in? I'm always sketchy about wiring my own lights. Ever been shocked doin it? LOL

some people have a DIY mindset. plus some of us understand the basics of wiring and electricity.

nuglets said:

thanks man, that's funny. i guess i actually have 6 of them in my room then. lol. i use them for my uvb bulbs. appreciate you taking the time to post that pic man. +rep for you kind sir.

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Ah thanks man thats really nice of you. Yeah the "brooder" word comes down from the farmers. They used these clamp lights to incubate chicken eggs with. So there you go. More fun facts.

ihavealotofquestions said:

Why not use a 6 outlet powerstrip and then plug that in? I'm always sketchy about wiring my own lights. Ever been shocked doin it? LOL

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I actually considered doing that, but when I plugged everything together it just didn't seem very solid. That with with zip ties supporting everything together as well. It probably would have been fine, but I just didn't want to have to trust it for 3 months above my plants. That is why I'm trying the clamp light approach, I already had 6 of the clamp lights as well so it was nice to not have to buy anything additionally as a lights source.

As to being shocked, I am experienced enough working with electrical wiring that everything be extremely well covered in wire nuts and electrical tap.

nuglets said:

gotta respect a guy who's got his own miter saw...yea man! i'm a tool nut myself.

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Hahah, yeah it runs in the family my father is a finishing carpenter and I think I have caught the bug in my adult years. Nothing like wood working. Teaches you patience and concentration. I can also think of another thing that does that...growing.

I've been considering getting some of these.. I just want one that has a horizontal socket.. anyone know of anything like it?

Well I had some time to work on the lights last night, I will post pictures when I get finished with the setup.

ihavealotofquestions said:

I've been considering getting some of these.. I just want one that has a horizontal socket.. anyone know of anything like it?

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They don't make a horz model. Brooder lamps are different from a standard clamp shop light. Shop lights usually have plastic sockets and are rated for 100w or less bulb. The brooders have ceramic sockets and are rated for a 250w heat lamp. With a set of good metal shears you could cut out one side of the hood and make a horz mount.

jixan I do know that lights (even cfl's) with a reflector give more light to your girls. Maybe you could round up some sheet metal and make a hood for your light bar. One last thought, be careful with the glue. Many types of glue can react with the rubber insulation on the lamp cord.

WattSaver said:

They don't make a horz model. Brooder lamps are different from a standard clamp shop light. Shop lights usually have plastic sockets and are rated for 100w or less bulb. The brooders have ceramic sockets and are rated for a 250w heat lamp. With a set of good metal shears you could cut out one side of the hood and make a horz mount.

jixan I do know that lights (even cfl's) with a reflector give more light to your girls. Maybe you could round up some sheet metal and make a hood for your light bar. One last thought, be careful with the glue. Many types of glue can react with the rubber insulation on the lamp cord.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the word of caution. I actually have finished the light fixture is a picture of it hung up. I'm going to leave it on all day tomorrow so I can keep an eye on it and make sure nothing is getting hot and what not. Here is a picture.



The only reason that I don't have the last socket doubled up is because I set down my last Y-spliter somewhere and can't locate it at the moment. The CFL's in it right now are 23 watt 2700k. I have 12 42 watt 6500k for flowering when I get my tent and start my indoor grow.

Thanks again!
jixan