Electrical Help with T5 Retro setup

[kimoyo]

but if i do cut them does that change anything( i couldn't do it without cutting)??i'm assuming it doesn't but need to ask....

As long as you put the cut wires in the same socket its like they are connected. So no, it won't change anything.

 

[joseney21]

well one small detail i've overlooked while doing all the wiring.....
it doesn't seem fulham provides enough wire to make jumpers for connections and to go from end to end on a 48" fixture. looks like i'm going to HD tomorrow to get some more 18 gauge wire.....

 

[FRY]

just make sure you get #18 awg type awm 105 degree C 600 volts solid,
dont use bell wire

 

[joseney21]

i have to write it on a little post it and take it to HD, thanks for reminding me to make sure i got the full specs right frank....i would've forgotten.

 

[FRY]

you can mount the ballast close to the sockets with red wires that way you only have to extend 1 yellow wire

 

[FRY]

the yellow and red wires on wh7 are 36" long, yellow end to red end thats 6feet

 

[joseney21]

you can mount the ballast close to the sockets with red wires that way you only have to extend 1 yellow wire

i think that's what i'm going to do.....

 

[FRY]

you can try the ballast with out the jumpers in the sockets and see if it light,some ballast will work infact i have the wh5 with no jumpers

 

[cali_reef]

i think that's what i'm going to do.....

Reading this post makes me think of fire..:Thinking:

One thing you should do before you mount everything in your canopy is to let a qualify electrician who have worked with these types of end caps look it over. I think there is one on this thread :scratchch .

A loose wire in the end caps can start a fire over your tank. Tug on the wires lightly to make sure they are seated properly.

 

[FRY]

that's for sure I have seen a few DIY here and I'm surprise that there hasn't been any accent or fire, if your going to do anything DIY just make sure that your doing it the right way and safely,

frank

 

[joseney21]

i've tugged on all wires (not lightly) and none budge

 

[joseney21]

here are the lights on without reflectors

 

[joseney21]

and here are the lights with reflectors mounted on what will be the top of the canopy. my only question now is whether or not it's safe to mount the ballast right there next to the lights....better yet- where's the safest place to mount the ballast??

 

[joseney21]

i daisy chained the endcaps to the yellow wire in pretty much the same manner that i did it with the red ones. all endcaps on the yellow wire had two wires going into each hole of the endcap. each had a pair of wires used as jumpers and a pair to carry the connection from the previous endcap (or ballast) and to the next encap. all except for the last one which only had 2 wires in 1 hole and 1 wire in the next.i also plan on dropping some liquid elec. tape into the twist caps to further waterproof the setup.

thanks to all those that helped....

special thanks to FRANK

btw the guy at HD tried to sell me bell wire, even after i told him why i needed the wire.when i told him that a friend had advised me not to use bell wire and asked why, he told me bell wire didn't have as high a set of ratings (while suggesting that my project would need the better wire) and then pointed me in the right direction.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

wow really nice work jose.... im curious how they are going to look in the tank... cause im gettin MH bulbs now but those t5's look bright.....

 

[FRY]

joseney very nice work ,if you can i whould put the ballast on the outside of the canopy back were you wont see it,make sure you ground the reflector to the ballast and ground,you can hide the wires with wire loom they have it at auto parts store and home depot, again very nice

frank

 

[joseney21]

thanks, frank. thanks for the help...

btw the lights look great on the tank tony, i don't see any problems with soft corals as some have stated occur when lighting their tanks with t5s.
i currently have from front to back D&D

Blue plus
Actinic plus
Blue plus
Actinic plus

the color is great, and i like the fact that light gets to the coral from all directions equally(i'm assuming this should mean less spots on sps with no polyps, or browned out spots).

my mushrooms are doing fine and actually seem to like this light better than MH. i need to get the rest of my softies and lps back in my tank from a friends tank.i'll post any problems that arise from the lighting (on a separate thread)

 

[NRA223]

Great thread because I'll be doing the same thing very shortly. I'm sure a lot of my questions will already be answered. Maybe I missed it, but which T5's did you purchase(manfacturer)?

Have pics of your tank with the lights on yet?