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InvisibleCDS
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Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs???
    #9464188 - 12/19/08 08:09 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

So imagine you have a few stacks of monotubs, three high, separated by some 2x4s used to elevate the tubs high enough to fit some kind of light or allow some light to get to the lower two tubs (The tubs would be covered by press&seal or saran wrap)...

What would be the cheapest way that would work? One way I thought of would be to have one small CFL per tub, but that would require one bulb, one plugin-bulb-adapter, and one 6' extension cord per tub, as well as one power strip for every six tubs. Needless to say that gets expensive after anything more than a few tubs, at $1.25 per cord, $1.25 per adapter, and $1.36 per bulb...

Would simply running a few strands of white x-mas lights through and over each level of tubs be sufficient?

Whattabout just having a few 4' dual-tube florescents hanging in the middle of the room? Would the two lower-level tubs get sufficient light, considering that there would be only about 3" of clearance between the bottom of the next tub, and considering that the light would have to come in at an angle???

If I went with the florescent method, would I have to rotate the tubs vertical position every few days to ensure the bottom tubs get the same amount of light as the top ones, or would the amount the bottom ones get still be sufficient?

And if I went with the white x-mas light method, would the light be bright enough to penetrate the press-n-seal tub-tops?

Here is a drawing of what the setup would look like...



-Thanks


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Offlineinvisible girl
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: CDS]
    #9464207 - 12/19/08 08:15 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

Do you have the mono tubs already to go? Check out this link for good cheap bulbs. Most bulbs are over 5000K.

http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/compact_fluorescent_32_ctg.htm


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OfflineJuke Adro
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: CDS]
    #9464294 - 12/19/08 08:44 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

How about the sun, sit em next to a window its free :wink:


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OfflineRogerRabbitM
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: Juke Adro]
    #9464314 - 12/19/08 08:47 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

I've lit my mini-greenhouse with a 48" fluorescent fixture hanging vertically.  This way, all shelves get the same light, even the bottom ones.  You could do the same with your tubs.
RR


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InvisibleBEEP
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #9464342 - 12/19/08 08:56 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)



like that? hanging on the side? i have one of thoose long floresent lights. do the mushrooms grow sideways?

:billy i know that, my paint shop skillz need imropvment. :tongue:

any info on the direction of mushroom growth? i dont mean to hijack the thread im sure lots of people in the future will wonder the same thing.


Edited by BEEP (12/19/08 09:36 PM)


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Offlineronjohn7779
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #9464360 - 12/19/08 09:01 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

Even cheaper and better would be to buy LED lights at walmart. They sell them for around 3-5 dollars at mine. They're a small circular disk with several leds covering the top (they also come in square form with a plastic covering on top too).  At my location, even has different types of LED lights that simulate different kinds of light...i.e. soft white, multi-colored, singled colored, bright white, Day light...ect. They all have independent power sources (small batteries) and they claim you can get several thousand hours of use. You might want to look into that.

You could just drill/cut a small hole on top of your tubs and tape one or two of these suckers in or you could just lay them on top of you're plastic clear top or glass. If you do go this route you can find these in the hardware department. I will warn you not all walmarts carry the same merchandise. The one location that is 5 miles away from the closest one by me doesn't carry this product in stock, but it's worth checking out. I'm also sure as hell these will be more bright than christmas lights and they'll be safer to use as they produce no heat and you won't have a lot of electrical cords running around. You'll drop your risk of fire down to zero too.


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Edited by ronjohn7779 (12/19/08 09:03 PM)


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InvisibleJ3illy
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: BEEP]
    #9464377 - 12/19/08 09:05 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

Quote:

JoelKl1 said:
like that? hanging on the side? i have one of thoose long floresent lights. do the mushrooms grow sideways?




If it's a 48" tube I imagine it comes down much further than that.


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Offlinerev 766
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: J3illy]
    #9464697 - 12/19/08 10:14 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

at wal-tard they have an "under cabinet" florescent light for about $8. they do the job pretty well. they have a casing around them, and are designed to be hung under a cabinet, obviously. but the thing is, they are the perfect length for an 18 gallon monotub.


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InvisibleCDS
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: rev 766]
    #9464855 - 12/19/08 10:50 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

The main thing here is price, if I wanted to use vertical 4' tube florescents, I would need five of them if I wanted all the tubs to get equal light... That would cost at least $50-$75, which would be more than it would cost to give each tub its own CFL (at $57 plus power strips), and even then the light would come in from one side only. I suppose I could rotate the tubs to give both sides equal light, if that is even necessary... Will the fruits grow toward the light side and cause diagonal stems, or will they pretty much grow straight up? (The tubs are opaque BTW)

Don't forget that the tubs only have about 3" clearance from the translucent top of one tub to the bottom of the next- that was why I initially thought I would need an individual light for each tub, because it would need to be right above the center of the tub otherwise the angles would be all wrong, but depending on the total amount of light needed, I suppose a vertically hanging 4-footer would be good enough???

On that note, how many vertical 4' tube fixtures would I need to give each tub sufficient light? Would I need one per stack of tubs, or one per two stacks (as per my above drawing)... Would two total be sufficient?

And does the light have to come straight down on the fruits or will light from any angle be fine to produce nice straight fruits?


-Thanks


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OfflineDamion5050
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: CDS]
    #9464895 - 12/19/08 11:00 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

Just hand 1 4 foot fluro tube in the middle of all the tubs.. You only need one they don't need a bunch of light they are not weed plants..


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OfflineRogerRabbitM
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: Damion5050]
    #9466052 - 12/20/08 08:52 AM (15 years, 1 month ago)

First of all, think in terms of best, not cheapest, because cheap is never best.

The light can come in from the sides.  If you're worried about crooked fruits for some reason, simply rotate the trays every day or two.  Another method is to use small fluorescent fixtures near each tub rather than one large one, as you see from an old pic of one of my mini greenhouses below.  However, it's easier to hang a larger fixture from one end and just let it dangle there.  It's all good.  As long as you have nice bright light, it really doesn't matter how you do it.
RR


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Offlinegrod31
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #9466071 - 12/20/08 09:02 AM (15 years, 1 month ago)

so... what lights are like mandatory or something now. im sure they can help. but i have never lit a monotub and i am allways happy with my results. cept some crappy MS grows. to answer the ops question i would say dont light the tubs.


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InvisibleCDS
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: RogerRabbit]
    #9469689 - 12/20/08 10:17 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

So as long as I have some light, whether direct or indirect, I will be fine.?.

And therefore, either of these setups should work?:


Horizontal 4' Florescent


Vertical 4' Florescents


-Thanks


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Offlinedead
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: CDS]
    #9469741 - 12/20/08 10:28 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

They will work...


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InvisibleShroominit
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: CDS]
    #9469761 - 12/20/08 10:31 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

Here is a question, what if you stacked every other tub the opposite direction? So looking from the top it would be a plus shape, like this:




Then still hung just 1 light above them from the top?


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InvisibleCDS
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: Shroominit]
    #9483574 - 12/23/08 02:16 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

Actually these tubs are a lot wider at the top than at the bottom- IDK if any of you are familiar with WalMart's standard gray 18gal tubs, but they are more trapezoidal than rectangular:



With that f'd up bevel-top thing, they are about as wide at the top as the bottom is long... Unfortunately they were the only thing available for $5 a piece.

The good thing I realized is that when stacked, there is still room for light to get past even when they are stacked directly on top of eachother (cross braces permitting), and therefore, a great distance between tubs is not necessary to allow lighting of the bottom level tubs.


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InvisiblePremedman1
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: CDS]
    #9483834 - 12/23/08 03:28 PM (15 years, 1 month ago)

That's the same tubs I use.

I just cut a small hole in the top and run a 5 watt nightlight through it.


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InvisibleCDS
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Re: Cheapest way to light a bunch of stacked monotubs??? [Re: Premedman1]
    #9488263 - 12/24/08 08:50 AM (15 years, 1 month ago)

Do you ever have any problems with the high humidity affecting the electrical connections?


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