DIY Par 38 Mount

[Julian_blnc]

All right guys, Ive seen a lot of people buying PAR38s lately and many people seem stuck in the fact that they have to buy expensive goosenecks to use them. I wanted to share my build on using DIY parts to mount and power a PAR 38.

 

 

What I used is a closet bracket like this

 

Which is available at your local hardware store or

http://www.amazon.com/Crown-Bolt-62704-6-Inch-Bracket/dp/B005C9F9AK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_1

 

Just make sure the length is long enough to hang the bulb over the middle of the tank

 

 

I found a stud in the wall and screwed in there, for the second bracket i used some wall anchors to help with the weight.

 

Now for the actual bulb i used one of these

 

Its a water resistant socket for bulbs,

Not necessary, because only one of my bulbs used it and there both working fine, but i gave me some piece of mind.

 

I tied a knot with the slack from the cords and then zip tied it to the bracket

 

 

Then I used some wire to run from the socket to the plug

 

So that I could plug it into the wall,

The wiring is simple, you cannot wire it backwards because it is AC current so there is no pos and neg wire to say.

 

Just attach the wire into there

 

and it will hopefully turn on.

 

 

I left it uncovered for a while because the look did not bother me,

but eventually i used some more brackets and built a box to cover the bulbs.

 

 

It was an easy project and didn't cost much, and i would recommend it to any person looking for an easy mount for PAR 38 bulbs,

The write up is a little sloppy, so you have my apologies, but I hope this tread helps some people.

 

 

If you have your own mount and would like to share, please share it on this thread.

Constructive criticism is also welcome!

[Hexadron]

Thanks for the DIY!

 

The only criticism I have would be the brackets to mount the PAR38, you could have mounted in the canopy to hide them better. Looks good though

 

Oh I see that you did the canopy after! Nevermind... But for someone starting this from scratch, that may be a good idea.

[Julian_blnc]

Thanks for the DIY!

 

The only criticism I have would be the brackets to mount the PAR38, you could have mounted in the canopy to hide them better. Looks good though

 

Oh I see that you did the canopy after! Gotcha!

 

Thanks, I still have to run the wires through the wall, and maybe i could re do the brackets so they aren't an eyesore, but other wise I'm happy with how it came out.

[Gooburz]

Looks a lot easier than i thought! Ill post pics of mine when its done!

 

Also what size tank is that and how many bulbs are you using?

[Julian_blnc]

34 gallon, 30x18x16 Rapid Led and a Reef Breeders bulb, 10 inches from the surface, I should have 3 bulbs but because in only keeping lps, i think i can get away with it, i keep coral on the inside and macros along the sides of the tank.