# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Odd idea for a strip light housing - what do you think?



## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

OK, among the myriad of weird ideas I have, this one keeps re-surfacing, and I'm wondering if this might be feasible. 

I'm thinking of using a length of PVC tubing cut lengthwise as the "strip light housing" and putting in an AH Supply retrofit kit inside of it. Would this work? The AH Supply website says it needs at least 2" clearance, but the shape of the reflector is parabolic, and, if they wouldn't fit on the inside, the tubing would be strong enough that I could mount the ballasts on the outside in the back, as shown on a stardard retrofitted strip light housing on the AHS website. 

Here's what I'm thinking of doing.

1) Get a length of big plumbing tubing with an inner diameter of 5 or 6". Probably I'd try this first over a 24" wide 15 gal or 20 high. Cut the tubing LENGTHwise down the center, creating two half-tube lengths.
........ ALT on 1) I could cut it OFF-center, making one "housing" in which the inner volume includes the widest point (diameter) and has come back smaller a bit. The remaining piece would be too shallow to be useful. Depending on the price of the material (which I have not yet researched) this might be too expensive an alternative. (ie, to make it worthwhile, two housings would need to be yeilded)

2) I'd rough up the outer surface of the plastic tubing with sand paper (so the paint would stick), and then prime and paint it (low-lustre black to match my wrought iron stands). This way, I could have a low-lustre, low-profile strip light housing. I could also drill ventilation holes wherever I needed them, and put some acrylic (painted to match) on the ends to enclose it. 

3) I wouldn't have to do much to the inner part of the half-tube, as the reflector would take care of sending the restrike from the bulbs back into the tank. I would put foil backing where the ballasts would be attached, or use some metal strapping (epoxy glued to the inside like a catwalk) to keep the ballasts suspended away from the tube material, and keep them well ventilated for heat dissipation. 

4) This custom strip light would sit on a glass canopy (the ones made for double-wide strip lights) over the tank.

So........... opinions? 

I really don't want the heavy lid-like appearance of a custom wood canopy that covers the entire tank. My "fish nook" (formerly the "dining room" - HA!) has a rather low ceiling, so anything with that much mass on the top looks very awkward, and top-heavy. Aesthetically, I like the look of a simple strip light much better, and a rounded one would be very nice - the more low key and simple, the better.

Is this feasible? Is plumbing (PVC) tubing cost prohibitive? Am I nuts?

Any and all input is greatly APPRECIATED!

Thanks!
-Jane


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## KRiley (Jun 30, 2005)

Jane to tell you the truth I dont know. Looking at my AH lights right now....and im curious also. Im curious if they would get to hot, and catch the PVC on fire. Let me think on that one for a while and get back to you. Another way to do it would be, get a 8 ft legth of 1x10 the smooth kind from your lumber yard...cut that to 24 inches. Then get a 1x4 at the same 8 ft legth. Cut two side pieces. And if you really wanted to cut the end pieces. This is a really easy project to get a light up fast. Just a thought.


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Here's a DIY hood using a rain gutter.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Cool, thanks for the link Betty! I never even thought of rain gutters, but they can be metal, right?

Hmm, Riley, I hadn't even thought about the PVC catching FIRE, just melting. But fire...... eeek, I have a fear of fire (bad kitchen fire as a kid, I was so scared I ran out into the February snowdrifts in just my underwear, closely followed by the family dog). But PVC IS FLAMMABLE, isn't it? 

Eeeek........ those raingutters are sounding more practical! Or learn to work with the lumber. 

Thanks!
-Jane


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

The aluminum gutter would work better. Light would reflect the heat better. The PVC would probably work if you installed your reflectors with standoffs and leave the ends partly open for venting. I use 1" stock to make my light fixtures. I leave the ends partial open for venting and mount my ballast on the outside to avoid heat building up. I like the gutter idea I might try that the next time I need a fixture.

Hawk


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Lumber's going to result in a heavier hood. I built one for my 55 and I think it's too heavy. That's why I book marked the rain gutter hood page. It looks light weight and easy to deal with in terms of getting into the tank. I really need to build something for my new 120 and I'll probably use the compact screw in fluorescents... maybe in a rain gutter.. dunno yet as I have some measuring to do to see if it would work. I'd need 18 of the 20 watt bulbs to make that work at 3wpg or 24 to get 4wpg.


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

Another thing I have done on some small tanks is gut the plastic fixture and mount the light kit in it. The only think I do different is put the ballast outside on the back to help control the heat build up.

Hawk


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Great link for the rain gutter hood. I think I might try that for a hood I'm think of making for a 29 gallon. Though, instead of a rain gutter, how about air conditioning duct? Not the coil type, but the hard retangular types that you see people in the movies crawling through. 

You can make them or purchase them wider so that you can potentially mount 2x55w ah kits in there. So basically a metal shell with the reflectors and bulbs screwed in it. Cut leftover metal strips to glue onto the sides. And more extra metal strips that can cover the ballast that's mounted inside. Hmmm, Good idea? 

-John N.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hmmm, would the sheet metal edges be safe? If there is a way to injure myself on something, its likely that I will *sigh*. 

Betty, are you thinking of the spiral CF bulbs? I used a hood made for reptiles which had regular screw in sockets, in order to fit large sprial CF bulbs. They were much less expensive than the aquarium light fixtures, and the dimensions were such that I could fit larger bulbs (the economy hoods meant to use two tubular incandescents can't accomodate the wide base of most spiral CFs, where the "self-ballast" is located. Lots of websites with spiral CF bulbs will list the width dimensions.

Anyhow, I've learned that when mounted horizontally, you have to reduce the "wattage" of the bulb by roughly 1/3 to even 1/2 to figure out how much is going into the tank. The re-strike on spiral bulbs is enormous, which really cuts down on their efficacy when mounted horizontally. However, when I made a temporary setup using clamp-on shop lights I was amazed at the brightness, using the same two bulbs as I had used in the horizontally-mounted economy hood! I simply used two clamp lights, with a large, highly polished bell-shaped reflector, and the bulb screwed in so that it was vertical as the bottom of the "bells" rested on the glass canopy. Granted, they're wide enough that I had to move everything around to access the tank (not a long-term solution) but the way the restrike happened, it all got pointed down into the tank. It was REALLY bright!

The long slim CF tubes are parallel to the water surface, so I've now been thinking that they're more efficient at putting the light down into the tank.

However, in the back of my head, I'm still thinking there might be a way to make a strip of "pendants" using these clamp-on lights with their terriffic reflectors. Then, the wattage would be mostly "used" by the tank.

Ah, ........ ideas, ideas!
-Jane


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

I used vinyl rain gutters for my AH lights. I'm very ahppy with them. I used 1/2" standoffs to mount the reflectors and I cut holes in the rain gutter for ventilation. It isn't pretty, but my hood covers it.

Vinyl Rain Gutter Hood


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

JERP, what material are the gutters you used? Metal? Or Vinyl? It looks like the ballasts are on the inside (I really like the idea of the "standoffs" - I'm learning more terminology, LOL!). 

Interesting!
-Jane


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

They're just the regular vinyl rain gutters with two end caps. The reflectors are mountied inside with the spacers between the reflector and the gutter. The ballasts are mounted to the outside of the rain gutter. I'm used to regular flourescent lights where the ballasts need to be close to the light. I don't know if that is true anymore. One change I would recommend that you do a better job of tying down the wiring than I did.

The staggered metal braces allow me two swing the front fixture up and out of the way. Please don't look at the tank itself. That was my 70T just before I tore it down. It was too tall for me to maintain, so I didn't.

standoff

light lifted


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

Jerp that's what I am going to do. I need to redo some light fixtures to fit on a different tank I will do the vinyl gutter fixture. thanks for the post!!

Hawk


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Thanks, JERP!

Yeah, you already said vinyl..... I don't know why I missed that the first time around. Leftover Holiday Dumb, I guess. 

And the pict of the standoff confirmed it was just what I was picturing.

Thanks!
-Jane


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## whiskey (Oct 9, 2004)

Yes it will work Jane, and don't worry about the PVC catching fire, it won't in normal operating conditions. Now if the light shorts out, that is a whole diffrent matter.

I have my lights mounted directally to my wooden hood, and my balasts mounted directally to the back of my wood hood (wood burns easer than pvc







). I would drill a bunch of cooling holes in the top of the pvc though (above the reflector don't drill holes in that) because the trapped hot air above the glass may get the tank really hot.

I would concider remotaly mounting the balasts (down in the stand or something) just for heat reasons, and so you don't grab it while moving the strip. They don't get that hot, I can hold my hand on it while running, but it is still a supprize if you are not expeting it. Plus it is one less electric device to potentially drop in the tank (dont' ask). Which reminds me INSTALL GFI OUTLETS FOR ALL AQUARIAM APPLIACTIONS, AND IF IT FALLS IN UNPLUG FIRST THEN RETRIVE!!

Some pics of my 180 lighting:

The 2*55W AH supply kit mounted to hood lid. (balasts are mounted in the back of the hood I can't get a pic of that).



















This is a 1*55W AH supply kit that I mounted into a gutted 15W, 24 inch plastic fixture. This is very simaler to what you want to do with your PVC pipe/vinal rain gutter.

TOP









BOTTOM









FRONT









If you have any questions, let me know.

Whiskey


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Cool!

THANKs, Whiskey! The pictures help a whole lot!

Yes, this is what I'm picturing doing with the PVC pipe. By the time I purchase a used strip light, it doesn't make sense to just buy it to gut it and use if for a housing, only. 

If I put the ballast further away, I could put the wires inside a rubber sleeve, right? Or, I could use a short "standoff" to mount it in the back, with some ventilation around it. And, yes, I'd drill holes in the pipe for ventilation of the bulbs too. 

The pictures are VERY helpful. The ones on the AH Supply site are OK, but not as close up or as understandable, somehow.

Thank!
-Jane


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## whiskey (Oct 9, 2004)

> Originally posted by Jane of Upton:
> Cool!
> 
> THANKs, Whiskey! The pictures help a whole lot!
> ...


I agree, I had one, so I used it. The same thing can be done with gutter pipe, wood, or PVC.



> If I put the ballast further away, I could put the wires inside a rubber sleeve, right? Or, I could use a short "standoff" to mount it in the back, with some ventilation around it. And, yes, I'd drill holes in the pipe for ventilation of the bulbs too.


Yes, you could wrap the wires in some sort of rubber sleve, but the long cord the kit comes with (the flexable one with the bulb connector) is very flexable and water proof. It is already wraped in a sort of rubber boot (4 wires in one like an extention cord), and it is feet long. This wire gets connected using the supplied butt connectors to the wires comming out of the balast (don't worry, it is easy).

The wires that come right out of the balast should be bent as little as possible (this means the ones that connect to the bulbs, and to the power), meaning bend them into place, attach those wires to the other ones and leave them alone (secure them just after the connection so they don't break or pull apart). They can break if you bend them back and forth too many times as they are single strand. Don't worry, the other wire is plenty long enough, and you can bend that one all day long.

The kit comes with 1/2 inch (I beleave) standoffs for just this purpose, I have never used them, but I keep them because one day they will come in handy for something.



> The pictures are VERY helpful. The ones on the AH Supply site are OK, but not as close up or as understandable, somehow.
> 
> Thank!
> -Jane


No prob, if you want to be moving the strip light around all the time, you may want to mount the balast to the back of the strip like I did mine, but if you are going to perty much put it somewhere then leave it your best bet is to mount the balsast remote.

Although I still beleave mounting the lights in a hood beats those two options.









Whiskey


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Thanks everyone, for the great ideas, feedback and details!

I really appreciate your help!
-Jane


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