T8 (overdriven) vs T5 florescent lights?

[xcalibir]

I have been trying to learn more about florescent lighting and what the benefits are. I know that under normal operating conditions the T5 lights are much better then the T8 lights. However, I stumbled upon a DIY on how to overdrive a T8 light ballast. This basically doubles the lumen output making the T8 a much better setup then spending so much on a T5 light. I found a 4 bulb T8 on sale for $8 x 2 for the overdrive that is a very affordable light option.

Have any of you tried this and what has been your experience bad or good? Also, is there a difference between the bulbs for the T8 and T5 other then diameter/size?

 

[gdbud]

My thought on this is there a chance of the bulb exploding form being overdriven?
I would not take a chance of contaminating my garden with mercury if the bulbs were to exploded.

 

[xcalibir]

 

[xcalibir]

My thought on this is there a chance of the bulb exploding form being overdriven?
I would not take a chance of contaminating my garden with mercury if the bulbs were to exploded.

That seems like a valid concern. Has anyone heard or experienced this happening?

This is the DIY vid I saw showing how to overdrive the ballast. It seems pretty simple.
http://youtu.be/WJncJmkQPtM

I am looking at it as like a computer, you can overclock the processor on most motherboards and you run a good risk of overheating it. But, with the proper ventilation and cooling of the chip you can run that baby for long after the warranty expired. I know its apple to oranges but I am wondering if the same would be true with the T8, If you kept air circulating and keeping it cool if you would remove that risk greatly?

 

[sso]

bulbs wont blow, just burn out sooner.

was a fair bit of this going on, about 5 years back and before this.

 

[xcalibir]

bulbs wont blow, just burn out sooner.

was a fair bit of this going on, about 5 years back and before this.

I am thinking that as long as you pulled out the fixture and did not change the bulbs in your space you should not have to worry about the bulbs breaking and getting on your plants. I also believe the T8s to have much less mercury in the bulbs then the T5. Don't know for sure if that is accurate.

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

Do they make a T8 bulb that is designed to be overdriven? I run a T5HO 8 bulb bank and it uses 54 watt bulbs versus the 14 watt standard T5. You might do soom research to find out how fast it burns through bulbs, it might end up costing you more.

 

[rafe]

T5's

T5's

My T5's only lasted for 3 months on 24 haours a day. I used them for my cloning room. Normal first time using them. They worked great but was hoping to get more time out of them.

 

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

Mine have been running for almost two years and really need to be replaced but they still work. Maybe you got some bad bulbs? That really sucks man, if you bought it locally I would try to return it.

 

[LiLWaynE]

i am always going thru t5 bulbs.... and as far as the OP is concerned, I don't think its worth the "savings" or safety risk to modify a t8 ballast/fixture in order to get "extra" lighting... would have to run a test and see the numbers, but it just seems like common sense would prove that its just not worth it....

 

[theclosetfarmer]

I've used overdriven T8's for years & I've done a ton of research on the subject. As long as you know what you're doing when you wire it there is no risk in it. when done right the ballasts actually overheat less so they last longer. Now the bulbs will burn a little hotter but they're still cool enough that they won't even burn leaves after prolonged contact. The major downsides are that i have to replace the bulbs about once a year, (they cost about half what T5's do) and it's slightly less efficient. Doubling the wattage gives you about 1.7x the light. With cheaper bulbs & ballasts it might be cheaper but i'm not sure. If you don't know what you're doing you could cause a short circuit that could lead to a fire. My last grow was under 4-64watt & 2-96watt tubes & i got over 2 pounds of great stuff so it works lol. Oh & you don't need tubes designed for it. it doesn't actually pulse the tubes at a higher wattage just more often.

 

[jessicalennita]

It is obvious that t5 performs well as compared to t8 lights because a t8 with an analog ballast loses 50% of its electricity where as t5 will use less than 30 watts.But t5 and t8 would continue to be the reliable, energy efficient choice for multitude of general applications.

 

[supermanlives]

. My last grow was under 4-64watt & 2-96watt tubes & i got over 2 pounds of great stuff so it works lol. .

any pics? that quite a yield

 

[theclosetfarmer]

Nope sorry. Don't even have a camera.

 

[187020]

I believe you...

 

[cactusjack]

Looks like a quiet thread but I'll chime in anyway. Closet farmer is on target. Over the last 15 years I've run HPS, T8, T5, and overdriven T8. 40 years ago I even ran T12!

My fav is overdriven T8. Scrog is my preferred training method so "penetration" of high wattage HPS is not terribly important. Nothing beats a bank of tubes for even illumination of a scrog canopy.

I prefer T8 over T5 since the tubes are more commonly available (which means competitive pricing) and they are generally available over a wider spectrum range than T5.

The only downside of overdriven T8 vs T5 is the tubes wear out a bit faster, but I replace tubes every 12 months anyway, so tube life is not an issue.

"Analog" or magnetic ballasts can't be used for overdriving. Electronic ballasts should be used. They are the most common type these days anyway. I'd avoid cheap ballasts since if they work at all, they are usually considerably less efficient than "name brand" ballasts. Name brand ballasts are available at most hardware stores like Lowes and Homedepot, as well as online from electrical and lighting supply outlets.

 

[quokka]

Have a look at PL-L fluoro tubes.

 

[quokka]

Here is one thread that steered me towards them,

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=128088&page=51

 

[cactusjack]

Yup. PLL are good stuff. I have a large upright freezer set up with 330 watts of PLL in it. The intent was that it would be my final, everything-self-contained "only grow cab". Unfortunately I just keep trying new things. I still use the freezer to grow out new strains once in a while, but I seem to always gravitate back to the 2 ft x 4 ft footprint of my overdriven T8 cab. For my needs, it feels right.