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Old 05-21-2005, 08:16 AM   #51
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I just picked up 4 of thoese 48" Home Depot lights. They all have the good SL15 ballast in them. The thing I noticed with them is that they fit my Perfecto hood, which has two light fixture positions. So I just need to paint them black.

So my question is, when running the F32T8 bulbs (not the T12), is the wattage 32 watts, or do you count them as 40 watts when doing the wpg figure? I've seen some posts on other message boards that says they put out just as much light as a T12. I mean:

Standard T8: 4x32W=128W/90g = 1.4wpg
Standard T12: 4x40W=160W/90g = 1.7wpg

But when I do the 2X ODNO, it becomes:
2XODNO T8: 4x32Wx1.5=192W/90g = 2.1wpg
2XODNO T12: 4x40Wx1.5=240W/90g = 2.7wpg

I'm not looking into doing any high-light plants, nor do I want to get into CO2 at this point. So how do I calculate a T8 for wpg, and should I even bother doing ODNO at this point? I'll probably keep the ballasts just so that I have them if I ever do need them. Should I avoid going into the 2.? wpg arena.
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Old 05-24-2005, 01:13 PM   #52
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From what I understand, the WPG rule is such a rough measure that yes, since it is a 4 foot bulb, the T8 still counts as 40 watts.

In actuallity, it is quite possible for the T8 bulb to be contributing more usable light than a T12. But that depends on the exact T8 and T12 bulbs you are comparing, and since the WPG rule doesn't really take that into account... just say it is 40W.
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Old 05-25-2005, 07:52 AM   #53
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Then I'll stick with the T8 bulbs in a standard configuration. That will provide 1.7wpg and keep me from having to switch to pumping in CO2. If I ever want to overdrive, I'll have the ballasts to do it.
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Old 05-25-2005, 08:16 AM   #54
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The screw in fluorescents DO have ballasts. They are built into the base, and sealed in epoxy, so the chances of modifying them are pretty slim.
-Dave
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Old 12-20-2005, 09:07 AM   #55
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running multiple lights of the same wattage doesn't increase anything does it? for example, two 20 watt bulbs, that'll simply increase where the light reaches? or would it actually help boost the wattage?
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Old 12-20-2005, 09:39 AM   #56
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yes it boosts your total wattage from 20 to 40
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Old 03-18-2009, 03:50 AM   #57
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does pumping 80 watts into 40 watt bulbs really mean they are putting out more? is the 40 watt label on the bulb what they are meant to be run at or a max for the bulb?do you have anyway of testing to see if putting the extra wattage into the bulbs really does anything?
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