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How-to: Make your own 70w MH Pendant


Mirepa

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gotboostedvr6

thanks for the reply also which ballast do we use for pc's powercompacts

- T8 and T8HO

- T12 and T12HO

- T5 and T5HO

- PL and PLHO

???

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I live in an old house that doesn't have grounded electric outlets. I usually use those 3-prong to 2-prong adaptors.

 

Is it unsafe to use a MH light setup like this?

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Mirepa showed me this a couple weeks ago and i finally got around to getting a fixture for my 70w MH.

 

i was at home depot looking for some other things and i happened across this 300w halogen work light that looked like it would fit perfectly. and it was only $10 so i picked it up. it came with a switch but i was too impatient to try and figure out how to wire it in ( i found out what i needed to do AFTER i had put it all together heh) so i just clipped it out and wired it straight in. it's going to be on a timer anyway so a switch would be pretty useless. i don't have a picture of it in it's original form and i couldn't find it on the home depot website. it's a Husky brand outdoor work light. couldn't find it on the Husky website either. i'll post a pic of the box when i get home if people are curious. here's my finished product.

 

the light came with a little stand and that black part screwed to the back was what the light pivoted on. i couldn't figure out a way to use the stand and have the light point downward so i tossed the stand and now that bracket is a convenient place to hold the ballast :)

224150032_df332c87f4.jpg

 

the wiring for the switch was contained in this little box. since i took the switch off i just threaded everything through the hole that was left and stuffed all the wiring inside the box. nice and neat!

224150035_4a7ffede02.jpg

 

halogen bulbs are narrower than MH bulbs. since it it also a work light it was probably expected to be tossed around a little bit so around the sockets there is a ceramic lip on one side to keep the light from coming out if it got shaken. i just took a pair of pliers and snapped off a piece of the lip so i could get the light in :)

224150036_2c17af29f0.jpg

 

 

 

I live in an old house that doesn't have grounded electric outlets. I usually use those 3-prong to 2-prong adaptors.

 

Is it unsafe to use a MH light setup like this?

it's my understanding that building code for quite a while has been to have grounded outlets, even if they aren't 3-prong. my old place was like this. i had the owner install some 3-prong outlets and i asked if they were grounded before and they were. so the adapter should be fine. just attach it to the wall-plate with that screw in the middle to ensure it's grounded.

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Are you worried about heat issues with that 300w work light? I've got a few in the garage and basically wrote them off in my head because they put off a ton of heat.

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Are you worried about heat issues with that 300w work light? I've got a few in the garage and basically wrote them off in my head because they put off a ton of heat.

Since the fixtures are designed to handle the heat from a 300-500 watt halogen, they'll work great. What we're doing here is retrofitting a halogen light to a 70 watt metal halide light. The metal halide doesn't put off nearly the heat that halogen does.

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Oh, got ya, you switched a regular MH lamp into the work fixture. I thought you were just sticking the work fixture (300w lamp and all) over your tank. I was talking about tank temps, wasn't worried about the fixture itself. If it couldnt handle the temps from the bulb the manufacturer put in it then there are much bigger problems/hazzards than hot water.

 

In that case I need to find a MH bulb b/c I've got like 12 of these work lamps in the garage.

 

So which 70w bulb is it that everyone is recommending??

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The Astra Lux 14000K seems to be the one to go with. But if you find one, whisper to me where because so many seem to be trying to find them, and no luck.

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Oh, got ya, you switched a regular MH lamp into the work fixture. I thought you were just sticking the work fixture (300w lamp and all) over your tank. I was talking about tank temps, wasn't worried about the fixture itself. If it couldnt handle the temps from the bulb the manufacturer put in it then there are much bigger problems/hazzards than hot water.

 

In that case I need to find a MH bulb b/c I've got like 12 of these work lamps in the garage.

 

So which 70w bulb is it that everyone is recommending??

 

I'm using the black and yellow worklamp from Harbor Freight with a 70W MH bulb in it... I prefer the sockets in these lamps versus the sockets in the Regent fixtures. The bulb seems to fit much more tightly. Heat is not an issue since it was a 300W lamp before, and they are solid.

 

I use Ushio 10K bulbs. I had a 20k but I sold it, I think it was an AB brand.

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  • 1 month later...
Obsessed Reefer

Ok. This post helped me a lot when I plan to upgrade.

 

Mirepa:

 

What was the approx. total cost? I know the ballast and the bulb were the most, but how much?

 

Thanks

 

Jesse

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Mine broke down like this:

lamp fixture (Cooper worklight from Wallyworld) - $8.50

ballast from ballastwise.com (including shipping) - $37.24

bulb from MyReefShop.com w/ship(Astralux 14K) - $45.00

Total - $90.74

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Obsessed Reefer

Yea. That does help. Uhh. I dont know which to do. make my own one of these, or the the kit from aquabuys. This would be cheaper, but i cant find the brinks light.

 

Mirepa, do you sell these?

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Look around. It doesn't have to be a Brinks, Regent or Cooper. Main thing is it has to be a 300-500W halogen. The smaller halogens are smaller than a 70 bulb. I've seen several kinds running roughly $10. Goodluck with your decision.

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That's probably the best kind. Note that it has a more complex reflector than the regent, likely does a better job of throwing light around the tank. Be very careful when putting the metal halide bulb in it though. Some have noted in thread above that a tab has to be removed. The cooper I had woould only fit in one way, and I ended up detaching the bulb clips from the housing (removed one screw) so that the bulb would go in easier, then I reattached the screw. Should work great!

SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND!!!

 

Astralux1400070W091206post.jpg

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