PVC growlight stand plans?

I like to use the full 40 Watt output.
You have to be careful with the sale bulbs and read the labels carefully. The are some 25 watt cheapies out there also.

Paul

$7.25 has to be the best price yet. I am going out to buy a couple of the lights. Yes, even in this cold (10 F) weather. I want to replace some old, 'heavy' ones.

Just a heads up here..........
................... I also bought 6 of the HD fixtures for around 7$ each. I returned them all and upgraded to $12 fixtures as I felt the ones I had did not do the job.
.................On the cheaper lights the wing-like reflector shades are missing........As you stand to the side you should not be able to see the actual bulb... If you can see it the light is not directed down wards so you are loosing, I would guess , half of the benefit of burning your electricity.
............ It is even uncomfortable to look toward the light stand because of the brightness emitted into the room.................Instead of being directed down wards to your seedlings...........

...........Problem solved (-;

Shirley >^..^< SB

Edited.....More power to you if you can make your own reflectors........Pun intended heheheh ;~P


This message was edited Jan 10, 2004 12:19 PM

Scooter is right about the reflectors I think the loss is greater than 50 percent though but you could make reflectors to help out.

I made mine out of used lights from the ceiling they have prisim reflectors that direct the light st down these can be seen in most office buildings and have those little squares showing. Are you near a building recycle store? good source. Ernie

These do have "wings" on them, and I think Ernie is right, if these wings aren't big enough I'll make reflectors rather than spend 12.00 more on the one that has the bigger wings. I could buy 6 of the 7 dollar lights and fashion my own reflectors, or just 2 of the 20 dollar lights.

What I do it to take a piece of aluminum foil and place it between the bulbs and the fixture. A great reflector.

Paul

Melissa if you make new or extend your refelectors try to avoid recovering the area directly over the ballast to avoid overheating.

The smoother the surface the more light is reflected. The back of my seed starting stand is white to help out you just can't get to much light.

White or silver color is best and if you use cardboard to extend the wings as I probably would you can cover the extension with aluminum foil. Ernie

Lowes has shop lights with reflectors (albiet narrow ones) that use the 40 watt T12 lights. The cost was less than $7

I'm glad I didn't get the Home Depot ones that only use the 32 watt T8's.

Jim K

Our Lowes didn't have any, I figured the 32's were better than waiting. :-) I only bought enough for 2 shelfs, so If I fill those up, I can hopefully go back to Lowes and get the 40 W lights.

Ernie, we're thinking alike, I bought a big roll of heavy duty foil this afternoon while grocery shopping!
I was thinking white poster board, or foil, maybe both!

Double Posted the above somehow.


This message was edited Jan 11, 2004 1:16 AM

Don't go by the picture on the box!! The $7 lights have a TINY reflector - that isn't even a reflector.

I ended up paying $10 for something better, but even that had to have help. It is stainless steel! So I painted the inside white - hope it works.

Jim

My Home Depot didn't have another option either, it was either the 7 dollar one or the 20 dollar one. I just couldn't justify 4 of the 20 dollar ones.

My Daughters went to the UC Game this evening, and my Oldest son had a Wrestling Match to attend, Hubby is sick, so my 6 year old and I made this our "project" for this evening. He had great fun helping me Measure, mark and cut the PVC. At one point I was in here on the phone, and he came in and said, "Mom, here is a 20 incher" He had measured and marked it all by himself.

I like those PVC racheting "Scissors" I know a hack saw or a jig saw would have worked, but I doubt if I could have cut it straight, so it was better for me to buy the Scissors.

But, anyway... it just didn't seem "sturdy" to me, so I tore it down, and now I need some more T fittings, but I ended up putting 4 15 inch crossbeams on each shelf instead of the 2 the plans called for, and 4 of my T's were threaded inside, so I was short on the top shelf anyway.

I also want to use Scooter's idea of putting casters on the bottom of it. But, hopefully tomorrow, I can at least get some seeds under there.

Melissa ^5 bravo sometimes you just need to as granpa used to say go ahead on er and never hollar whoa in a tight spot.

I think the added bars is just what I would have done had I not used steel to build mine with.

Don't know how shoe put his casters on but there are fittings sold that make that an easy task. I think they are called clamp fittings or snap fittings. They are made by the same people who make the clamp clips for holding plastic on to pvc for little row protectors. Well done Ernie

Good Job Melissa

Paul

Yee Haa...You go Girl!
(-;
§

And, I have lights!
At least on one shelf... I'm going to have to do some tweaking yet after I get some more T's, and find something, (thinking foil baking pans) to put my seed cups in. But overall, I'm really happy with it, and will be even happier if I start seeing signs of life under them there lights!

Somebody asked about support on the shelving. I think the best bet, but certainly not inexpensive, would be try to find some fiberglass trays, you can check restaurant and food supply places, I think they are called "market trays", they have a lip on them so they would hold a small amount of water in case water dripped out of your flats.

Even adding those, this still would end up cheaper than commercially available light carts. Do you know how much I spent on a 3 light floracart years ago to grow african violets? It was a bunch!

Seedling trays are cheap =)
http://www.novoselenterprises.com

I picked up seedling trays at Lowes for 97 cents each ;-)

The closest Lowe's to me is 90 miles away.
Sound like it is a great place for the garden addiction....LOL

I've found that the plastic seedling trays aren't rigid enough to use without some sort of shelving for support. They buckle if there's too much weight in them. I wrapped hardware cloth around my shelves and it works pretty good.

Last year I also made a table top version from extra PVC. Looks like this except there's a support bar across the top where the light hangs http://www.indoorgardensupplies.com/Images/f220-l_web_full.jpg

I haven't set it up this year yet. I was thinking mabe I'd paint it with that plastic paint so it's not so ugly and put it on top of our TV stand in the livingroom.

This message was edited Jan 23, 2004 5:15 PM

If your TV is on as much as mine (my husband never turns it off and I rarely watch it) Poppysue, it will be perfect!

Sue,
.....Cute light stand =)

I lined my shelves with wire mesh also, starting to get a lot of weight on the unit...glad I did it.

I'd like to see it after you set it up Poppysue

I used Insulation board as support on mine. The thick stuff that is silver. It works pretty well, and it's really warm in there. :-)

Does anyone know if a waterbed heater could be used as a heat mat? This was given to me and it looks just like a heat mat for plants....with a thermostat and everything....any reason why this would'nt work?

anahi, They're a fire hazard without water to cool them. I wouldn't try it.

OK,I broke down and made one...I think I went a little nuts....I said to myself if everyone felt 14 inches is too short than I'll go 24 inches so I can have brug cuttings and other stuff on there...not just seedlings.......

ITS HUGE!!!

Almost to the ceiling.....

I just had to get extream.....

Good for you CC,
........How stable is the stand being that tall?
I made my uprights 20" ,I need to stand on a step-stool to water the trays on the top shelf.......lol

YAY for you CrestedChik!!

I was worried about the stability ,yet I want to be able to take it apart,so today I'm gunna cement the sections together and where the conectors meet the sides I will not cement.I will drill screws into them on the top and the bottom.Also ,its so tall I am woried it will be top heavey so I may somehow attach it to the wall.Its going in my sons bedroom since he's staying in Hawaii......

CC
I used 1" dry wall screws on all of the joints on my stand.

If you need to modify it all you have to do is unscrew it.
If you glue them they are permanet.

Paul

I am sure you all have COSTCO all over your country too. I had made wood units, bought pvc units, used used wire shelving but the heavy duty 5 shelf wire rack that costco sells for $80 canadian is the best yet. It is exactly four feet so my bulbs don't hang out or not cover everything; the castors are great easily moved, the shelves are very adjustable and comes apart easily for storage for the next growing season. Can do 20 flats on one unit which with plugs gives me between 600 and 1400 seedlings on one unit. Now the problem is finding 4 times that space for the transplanted babies.

Jagonjune sounds like the six shelf pair I got from costco for $69. They are pretty neat because they can be put up as one six foot high or two three foot ones. They came with eight casters and all the cute little end plugs to seal the open uprights and to make them less apt to cut you from the raw edge.

As to the space it takes to move the started plants I am lucky green house is 16 x 32 no problem for me.

For 69 bucks I think its a better deal than making one out of pvc. Each shelf is rated to hold 600 lbs. Ernie

Scheesh !! No costco, lowes or logees here =(

thanks poppysue for the forwarning. I never thought of it as a fire hazard. Good thought.

Scooter the things are relly pretty heavy so shipping would not work for you.

Some one posted they saw them at walmart but don't know if they are the same.

You could be just like me I just drove 170 miles round trip four hours total to get some plastic and the place wouldn't take charge or debit cards. the plastic was $85 and I had $87 but not enough for the tax. I don't carry a check book so the trip was all for naught. So I guess the moral is be prepared lol. Ernie

Don't know if this is the same as Costco, etc., but Sam's Club sells Gorilla Racks and they are GREAT! The very heavy duty ones are around $80. They are 6' long. Menard's sells them too but are much higher. The heavy duty are 4' wide and 6 shelves high but you can break them down and make like a workbench 8 feet long and 3 shelves each. We have 3 in my sewing room, and 3 in the storeroom. They are GREAT! I think I will have to rig one up for lights. Think DH will notice? :) (What a bummer, Ernie!)

Krooger gorilla racks are different still good and would make good light stand. Thats what I went to town to get then discovered the wire racks.Ernie

eweed - would the ones you got have an edge on them with a zigzag pattern on the edge? They have some of them at Sam's too and maybe at Wallyworld too, I don't know. I've seen that kind as Baker's racks too around here.