Hi
How often do T5 Tubes need replacing on a Algae Scrubber
Thanks Guys
Hi
How often do T5 Tubes need replacing on a Algae Scrubber
Thanks Guys
Would think 6 to 9 months tops, but only a guess bud.
Thanks Mate
3 months.
Is that even for the HO kind
Yes, T5HO lamps generally need to be replaced every 3 months. Maybe every 4. You really start to notice the difference in growth if you replace them at the 4 month point. Meaning at the end of 4 months, then replacing the lamps, you get a boost in growth which is not quite as noticeable when you replace the lamps at 3 months.
I would recommend replacing them on a rotating basis if it is simple enough. So if you have 4 lamps do one a month.
I better pass that info to the uk users that only replace every 12 months
Out of interest,whats the life expectancy of LED bulbs
LEDs have what is called an L70 date. This is the hours to which the average LED emits 70% of it's initial intensity. So when you see a number like 50,000 hours, 100,000 hours, that is actually the time to 70% of initial output.
Theoretically, an LED will work until it's output just ramps down to a useless level. The driver and other components will likely fail before the LED does. Then, you will have to replace the whole array because 5 years from now, these LEDs will be totally obsolete.
But some fun math:
LED operating 12 hours/day * 365 day/yr = 4380 hours/yr. 50,000 / 4380 = 11.4 years.
at 9 hours/day it's 15 years.
at 18 hours/day it's 7.6 years.
50,000 is a pretty reliable number to use nowadays. You might see 100,000 hours but really, those are padded by using the top of the crop when they do the testing. In a year, I will accept 100,000 hours for L70.
Thanks,that was very helpful
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