Don't buy ------- T6 fixture!

[rudedog40]

I'm wanting to upgrade to a T5 4-bulb fixture, and saw one listed on the E site that stated it was a 216W 4-bulb T6/T5 fixture with 4 lunar LED's. Went ahead and bought it, since is was $100 less than most other fixtures with a similar configuration. Got it in, and all I can say is - What a piece of junk!! First, it came in with all four bulbs busted. Still fighting with seller to get those replaced, but I even thought of going ahead and buying my own so I could get the fixture turned on. Found out that NO ONE sells T6 bulbs (which these plug-on sockets use). The only T6 bulbs I can find are these cheap Odyssea bulbs that came with the unit. So again, I thought, "I'll just change the endcaps to a T5 end. I was told the T6 ballast should run a T5 bulb". I decided to open the unit up to get the specs on the ballast, and found that there are four individual PCB boards, with heat shrink on them!

Don't have a clue on the specs. I didn't cut off the heat shrink on one of them to see what's inside, but I can tell there's a couple of capacitors and a small transformer based on the shapes. There's also four vent holes where small fans can be installed, but there are no fans inside. It looks like someone is fabricating these things out of their garage.
I'm still debating about replacing the endcaps so I can use T5 bulbs, and try it out. My LFS sells quality T5 bulbs for around $22 each. Figure I can buy two 11K daylight bulbs and see if this POS will turn them on. If they won't come on, I suppose I could buy an actual 4-bulb T5 ballast. Just don't know if I could get it to fit in this fixture. If these homemade ballasts do turn them on, I then have to worry whether the thing will catch on fire because of overheating or something else.

I just wanted to warn everyone here of my lovely experience, so no one else gets burned like I did. Go with the addage, "You get what you pay for", and spend another $100 or so to get a good quality T5 fixture.

 

[reefraff]

Big als online sells T6 lamps

 

[rudedog40]

Looked there. The biggest wattage they have for a 48" bulb is 40W. Only T6 bulb I could find that's 54W is the Odyssea. I hear the Odyssea Blue Actinic bulb isn't even true actinic (420nm or 460nm).

 

[mmm33732]

will a t5 fit a t6 socket? i've had t12, t10, and t8s all fit into t12 sockets with no issues at all in the past. just curious if maybe it would be the same for you so you could get it up and running.

 

[rudedog40]

Nope. T5's are a different beast. The pins are much closer together than the T6. I'll have to replace the endcaps to use the T5's. UPS has my claim, and the last status I have says they have to look at all the info, then get back to my shipper for the claim to be paid. The seller won't send me any new bulbs unless the claim is paid. When I read the fine print of his sale, it states that the bulbs included with the fixture are 'free', and are not covered by normal shipping. I'm still not sure if he'll replace them even if UPS pays him. He had $100 in insurance on the fixture, but he sells all four bulbs for around $50. So if the claim is paid, he makes out either way.

 

[reefraff]

T6 lamps use the same wattage specs as the T12's. A 40 watt T6 lamp will work in the 54 watt unit. You will just be slightly overdriving the lamp.

 

[rudedog40]

Originally Posted by reefraff
T6 lamps use the same wattage specs as the T12's. A 40 watt T6 lamp will work in the 54 watt unit. You will just be slightly overdriving the lamp.

So how do T6's compare to T5's? These T6 bulbs that came with this fixture are supposed to be 54W. So if I replace the T6 endcaps with T5 endcaps, will the 54W T5's work with these homemade ballasts, or do you think they will overdrive them and cause them to fry? I've been looking online at T5 ballasts, and I've found a couple in the $40 - $60 range. They would fit in this fixture. Problem is, by the time I buy the four T5 bulbs (4 @ $23.00 ea. =$92.00) plus the T5 ballast, plus another $20 for a couple of fans, I can spend another $50 and just get a name brand T5 fixture (Nova Extreme).

 

[reefraff]

Doubtful the T6 ballast would light a T5, one of the advantages of the T6 lamp is they can run on a T8 ballast. T5's are harder to light so the ballasts in your fixture may not light them.
The T6 just runs a little cooler and is a drop in replacement for standard fluorescent lamps, same lenght and pin size. T5's are mini pins and a little shorter.

 

[wattsupdoc]

I have not seen any data on the T6 bulbs. Nor do we use these in the electrical industy. IMO, anyone should stay away from buying these units until there is some more info/availability on them. I have heard it from someone else,"well they say its like a T5". But it is not any where close to a T5. There are T5's and there are T5HO's. Not even the NO T5's compare to the HO's. It is my belief that these are at this point, just a gimmick to take your money. Odysea makes about the crappiest bulb out there.

 

[khoi29]

I almost brought one of these fixture of *bay . Go thing I went and spend extra 100 and got the nova extreme .

 

[michaeltx]

the t-6s from my understanding was made specificly for the aquarium industry and before they could take off the newer better t-5s come out making the t-6 obsolete and a dead product. i beleive what is being offered for sale is just old production units that people need to get rid of. there are very few bulb choices etc.. for them aswell.
Mike

 

[xdave]

Yeah, they suk. The light output is way lower. The thing that ticks me off is people include the word "t5" in the subject line so they come up in your search. I wonder how many people have ended up buying them because they didn't have their glasses on.