Home Made Grow Lights

[Bigmallly]

Just a quikki Vikki..............are your chains going under or over the tubes? Let me rephrase that........are the chains supporting the tubes or the light fixture?

[vikkib]

Yikes!

I really can't believe how quickly my shallots are coming on since going under the light. I have some on the window sill and some under the light and the difference is HUGE and they've only been in for two 8ish hour sessions!

I've sown some chillies, peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and basil seeds today... I even put a couple of melon seeds in pots... maybe this will give me half a chance at getting a fruit over the size of an orange this year!

[veggiechicken]

[Bigmallly]

Lighting all those oil lamps took a lot of energy.......

Very good VC.........

[lottie dolly]

Thank you oh wise ones,1 thing i could do is,we have a 5ft tube in kitchen,have a look see what the mtre does,with it on at night,and of during the day,mmmcould i have had a light bulb moment,

[veggiechicken]

Lighting all those oil lamps took a lot of energy.......

[Bigmallly]

Don't know how true it is but years ago when I worked in tailoring, we were instructed to leave the lights on during our breaks as it cost more to power them up than it did to leave them on. I know it doesn't help LD but some useless info nevertheless.

[veggiechicken]

That's a good link BM - as you can change the supplier to make it more specific.
I've been leaving mine on overnight as I always left a little light on in the kitchen for the dogs - now they have this thing instead.

[Bigmallly]

Don't know if this is of any help LD.

Energy saving light bulbs, running cost comparisons

[veggiechicken]

You need to look at the wattage of the bulb, so Vikki's is 21w, multiply that by the number of hours it would be on - in BM's case 9 hours - so 9x21w = 189w. You could run it for 5 days and use less than a kilowatt of electric - then see how much your electricity provider charges per kilowatt/hour.
The running costs are very low, Lottie - unless you have more tubes, or bigger brighter tubes and you leave them on longer.
Of course, I could have this completely wrong - it has been known

[vikkib]

I have been following this thread,i think i understand what tubes and chains and stand ext,BUT,how long do you leave the light on for,and best time of day or night,plus,does anyone have a rough cost of running said light,i have a spare room,and space to knock something together,including a timer,

From what I understand you're trying to achieve a full day's sunlight for the plants so I plan to leave the light on for 7 or 8 hours and then turn it off and exclude other light from the plants the rest of the time.

I don't think day or night matters unless you get cheaper electric at night. I'm planning or running them during the day as it will be easier for me to keep them in the dark at night.

Not sure about the cost of running it. My maths is awful and my utility company specialise in the dark arts of confudlement! ; )

[Bigmallly]

I cannot help with the cost LD as my bills are included in my rent. I have my timer set from 14:00 to 23:00.

[lottie dolly]

I have been following this thread,i think i understand what tubes and chains and stand ext,BUT,how long do you leave the light on for,and best time of day or night,plus,does anyone have a rough cost of running said light,i have a spare room,and space to knock something together,including a timer,

[Bigmallly]

Nice job Vikki, I must say I prefer the pipe in white, all you need now is a timer.............

[vikkib]

Is Basildon near you Vikki as you can pick up 2 of these 30w for almost the same price. Just link them together.

30W - T4 Mini Slimline Fluorescent Fitting C/w Triphosphor Tube - QVS Electrical Supplies | Electrical Wholesaler

It's very near where I work BM but in the end I called a friend who is an electrician and explained what I needed and he very kindly popped to a wholesaler a got me a slimline, 21w, 3ft, T5, fitting with a cool white bulb.

So, thanks to your fabulous pics and help I now have:



Tube and fittings about £8.50
Light: £20
Chain: I have a pile from when I made jewellery!

I've stuck paper up on the back wall and I'm planning on getting a curtain or maybe some blackout fabric to hang over the front to reflect the light back and limit the chances of someone seeing it from the street and getting suspicious!

Edit - a quick trip out and a bit of blackout fabric acquired!