Noob in need

[Oscar420]

I am a first timer here and i was going to start my seedlings off inside for like a month before transplanting outside in april. I bought my CFL's 3 23 W 6500K daylight and 2 26 W 2700K bulbs, i am far from an electrician and i was wondering what are the best and easiest way to mount my CFL's above my grow box? Sorry if this is a re-post i couldn't find it. :smokin:

[bigtopsfinn]

I am a first timer here and i was going to start my seedlings off inside for like a month before transplanting outside in april. I bought my CFL's 3 23 W 6500K daylight and 2 26 W 2700K bulbs, i am far from an electrician and i was wondering what are the best and easiest way to mount my CFL's above my grow box? Sorry if this is a re-post i couldn't find it. :smokin:

Hard to say without pics of the setup. However you do it, think about: 1)safe 2)adjustable. You want those cfl's a couple of inches from the plants, so you must be able to adjust their height/position with ease. Of course, you dont want to burn your house down or let the lights fall on the plants, so just keep that in mind:thumbsup:

[tinytoon]

something like this?

[Oscar420]

Hard to say without pics of the setup. However you do it, think about: 1)safe 2)adjustable. You want those cfl's a couple of inches from the plants, so you must be able to adjust their height/position with ease. Of course, you dont want to burn your house down or let the lights fall on the plants, so just keep that in mind:thumbsup:

I just talked with my buddy and he has like 4 clip on desk lamps that he uses for his architecture work that he is going to lend to my cause. Would that be fine? i figure i can make a pulley system and clip them onto it.

That's a nice set-up toon, i would construct something like that but i just don't have room anywhere... I would get some pics up but i trashed my camera at Mardi Gras last weekend haha.

[bigtopsfinn]

I just talked with my buddy and he has like 4 clip on desk lamps that he uses for his architecture work that he is going to lend to my cause. Would that be fine? i figure i can make a pulley system and clip them onto it.

That's a nice set-up toon, i would construct something like that but i just don't have room anywhere... I would get some pics up but i trashed my camera at Mardi Gras last weekend haha.

Yeah should be ok. Maybe get some of those Y socket connectors, and you could fit double the bulbls

[Roughrider]

Agree that you should be fine with the clamp lights. If you need to make them yourself, it's cheap too. This a pic of a setup sold on ebay for $30.

COMPACT FLUORESCENT GROW LIGHT (http://www.frontiernet.net/%7Emycomputeremailaccount/compact1.jpg)

...which is basically a $10 10" clamp light combined with a $1.50 Y-connector and 2-23 watt bulbs. You can pick all of that up at Wal-Mart for under $20 total, and that will get 4 plants through a couple of weeks of vegging. If you up it to three Y-connectors and four bulbs, you can make it through 3 weeks in 6" pots.

I think the clamp light set up is great. And the clown on ebay who is ripping people off ($45 shipped for something that costs less that $20 to buy and $5 to mail out!) makes me think I'm in the wrong profession. ;)

[jkalb42]

You could take what tinytoon has, get a smaller board and use 2 or 3 fixtures on it. Get some Y connectors to fit in and you have 4-6 cfl's goin in a small space. Easy to do, i have the same setup running 8 cfl's, plus an extra 2 on another light. if you want to see it, it's in my grow log. cfl's are great, you can pack a lot of em in a small area.

[Oscar420]

Hey thanks for the help guys. Yeah i think i might make a scaled down version on toon's setup. I am going to pick up some y splitters today and pick up some other materials.

[Oscar420]

I think the clamp light set up is great. And the clown on ebay who is ripping people off ($45 shipped for something that costs less that $20 to buy and $5 to mail out!) makes me think I'm in the wrong profession. ;)[/QUOTE]

Haha gotta respect the entrepreneurial skills. Maybe we should start up an ebay lighting empire and make millions haha. I am getting the clamp lights tomorrow. i will try to get some pictures up when i have pieced together my set-up. thanks again :jointsmile: