Help with T5 Retrofit

Yellowsound · Dec 26, 2016

Hi everyone,

All of my acros are in QT thanks to an AEFW infestation, so I'm taking this opportunity to upgrade my
lighting. I have a Reefbreeders Photon32 over my 60g DT (36"x 18" x 22"), and I'd like add a T5 bulb in the back of the canopy and another in the front. My question is: do I need to add any cooling fans
if I'm adding 2 T5 bulbs? In the back of the canopy, you can see in the photos that I have 2 pieces of egg crate laid on top each other & off-set -w/ mosquito netting sandwiched in-between- to make sure no jumpers can get out; otherwise, the back of the canopy is open.

Any thoughts/suggestions greatly appreciated!

Steve

Reefing Madness · Dec 28, 2016

Yellowsound · Dec 29, 2016

Thanks for the bump!!

Seems like the target temp is 95 degrees for optimal performance, so I'll have to see what temps are like after adding the T5s.
Next question: does anyone know how to wire cooling fans to the T5s? I'd only want the fans to come on when the T5s come
on each day. I did see a post where someone said you need to use fans that are 120V to be compatible w/ the T5 PSU, instead of
12V fans. Not sure if it's entirely doable if I wire the fans to a dimmable retrofit, but I'd welcome any input/help with this.

Thanks!

DLuce510 · Dec 29, 2016

Well, if you just want them on your canopy that's easy but if you want to add them to a fixture you can wire them to the ballast, just make sure they are AC. If you use DC they will need a converter and if you want to have them dim you will either have to do it manually or wire it to a controller which has proved difficult and I have been unable to do. Here's my fixture I put fans on.

Yellowsound · Dec 29, 2016

Hey DLuce510,

I want to install the fans in my canopy (which also has a Reefbreeders Photon32), but I want to wire them to the T5 power supply
so that they come on/off with the T5s. The things I'm wondering are:

-if I wire the fans to a dimmable T5 retrofit, would the dimming affect the fans? I'm assuming the fan speed will ramp up/down as the lights intensify/dim. Maybe that's fine.
-where in the chain do the fans get wired? Before the ballast? After? Is it just red-to-red, black-to-black to get them connected?
-would I need to do anything special to accommodate the add'l power draw of the fans? For the fans in my sump cabinet, I used DC fans and had to get a PSU that was large enough to power the two fans. I don't know how that consideration transfers to AC power.

Sorry if these are stupid questions- I just want to make sure I don't burn my house down.

Mike in CT · Dec 29, 2016

Are your t5's going to be on a timer? Could you just plug the fans into the same timer, or plug the fans into a simple timer and have it turn on aprox the same time?

DLuce510 · Dec 29, 2016

Wire lights before ballast, if they're DC they will need a converter. If you go to Frys electronic they have a plethora of fans

DLuce510 · Dec 29, 2016

And yes (most likely) the wiring will be self explanatory. Black to black so on.

Yellowsound · Dec 29, 2016

Mike in CT: I'm hoping to eliminate the need for an additional receptacle, and also have the fans come on at the same time as the T5s. I could definitely wire the fans separately, but then I need an add'l receptacle
and timer to run the fans. If I can get the fans wired to the T5s, I'll kill 2 birds w/ one stone.

DLuce510: I'm assuming you meant "wire FANS before ballast...," yes? So, like this:

power -> fans -> ballast -> bulbs

Is that right?

DLuce510 · Dec 29, 2016

Yellowsound said:
Mike in CT: I'm hoping to eliminate the need for an additional receptacle, and also have the fans come on at the same time as the T5s. I could definitely wire the fans separately, but then I need an add'l receptacle
and timer to run the fans. If I can get the fans wired to the T5s, I'll kill 2 birds w/ one stone.

DLuce510: I'm assuming you meant "wire FANS before ballast...," yes? So, like this:

power -> fans -> ballast -> bulbs

Is that right?

Yup, that's right. If your fans come with a plug you can cut it off and wire it in, if your using computer fans like me buy the 2 prong kind and wire it in. I keep saying to get AC because then it just wires right in. I ended up with DC and I had to disassemble the converter to get it to fit in my fixture. The easiest way to actually do this if it's just going in the canopy, not the fixture would to be just run a extention cord with a 3 way.

Yellowsound · Dec 29, 2016

Sweet.

...and will there be any issues if I hook this up to a dimming module on my controller? I'm guessing the fan speed will follow the
dimming up/down...?