# DIY CFL grow light *dual socket*



## AquaNeko

DIY CFL growlight *youtube.com*

Found this while googling.

Awesome

Everything is off the shelf.


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## Ciddian

that is awesome.. 

How would one cap off the ends? I really wouldn't mind doing something like that for my rack set up.

And.. because I am not electrical smart.. Black to black and white to white?  lol


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## Calmer

Yep
Black to black 
White to white
That way the hot part (black) of the receptacle is in the bottom centre and not the (white) sides. It saves getting a zap every time you change a bulb.
Also switch breaks the black wire if you are installing one.


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## BillD

If you want something you can cap the ends on, use white vinyl eavestrough, which you can cap. The trough is cheap, the caps less so, but still very reasonable. The outside of the trough can be painted any colour you like.


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## juanitow

Calmer said:


> Yep
> Black to black
> White to white
> That way the hot part (black) of the receptacle is in the bottom centre and not the (white) sides. It saves getting a zap every time you change a bulb.
> Also switch breaks the black wire if you are installing one.


I've always wondered about that. Since we're on alternating current, both white and black wires are live and there shouldn't be a difference between them... no?


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## Calmer

Good question 
The black is the feed wire and the white wire is the return and grounded at the service. It's the wave form that goes positive and then negative only on the black wire.
You get the shock from the black (hot) wire but not the white wire as long as everything is wired properly.


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## juanitow

Thanks! For the purpose of clfs, I don't think it matters. I've connected those fixtures were you clip the top onto a separated wires of an extension chor. There is a connector/puncturer at the top to puncture each wire of the ext chord. I haven't found a difference which orientation I attached teh cfl
How would you go about wiring two sets of fixtures? black wire to black wire of fixture1. white wire of fixture 1 to black wire of fixture 2, white wire of fixture 2 to white wire?


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## Calmer

juanitow said:


> Thanks! For the purpose of clfs, I don't think it matters. I've connected those fixtures were you clip the top onto a separated wires of an extension chor. There is a connector/puncturer at the top to puncture each wire of the ext chord. I haven't found a difference which orientation I attached teh cfl


It will work but if you inadvertently connect the hot wire to the threaded part then when someone changes the bulb and touches the metal part of the bulb they will probably get zapped.



juanitow said:


> How would you go about wiring two sets of fixtures? black wire to black wire of fixture1. white wire of fixture 1 to black wire of fixture 2, white wire of fixture 2 to white wire?


That is wiring them in series and you will half the voltage to fixture 1 and the other half of the voltage to fixture 2 provided they are both the same type of fixture. You want to wire all the blacks together and all the whites together; parallel wiring. That way both fixtures get the full voltage drop.


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## juanitow

Calmer said:


> It will work but if you inadvertently connect the hot wire to the threaded part then when someone changes the bulb and touches the metal part of the bulb they will probably get zapped.
> 
> That is wiring them in series and you will half the voltage to fixture 1 and the other half of the voltage to fixture 2 provided they are both the same type of fixture. You want to wire all the blacks together and all the whites together; parallel wiring. That way both fixtures get the full voltage drop.


you sir, are awesome.


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## Calmer

juanitow said:


> you sir, are awesome.


Thanks but it is my occupation. 
If you want to read some interesting stuff on LED aquarium lighting then these 2 threads are really good:
http://www.barrreport.com/general-plant-topics/5988-led-wholesalers-rig.html
and 
http://www.barrreport.com/general-plant-topics/5998-different-kind-led-light.html
It's easy to get lost in those techy posts but I came away with a better understanding of LEDs though.


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## AquaNeko

I have read before some people have 'diffused' the lighting by using steelwool to rub the reflector part as it was getting too hot due to the reflection on thier plants.

Tho for tanks it should work out well if you had say two light setups side by side for more lighting.


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