Need info on ATI T5 exhaust temps

[james1990]

I have done countless searches on google and came up with nothing in the archives.

I am playing with the devil and going to keep my 48" 8x 54w power module in a canopy I built. This is not a thread on if I should do this or not, but how I can make this work. The top is completely open and I have a pair of 4" PC fans on each side of the canopy built in. There is going to be seriously air flow surrounding this light.

The only mistake I made was placing the canopy fans too low on the canopy. The light needed to be mounted a few inches higher than the fans so I'm worried the exhaust on the side is only 2-3" from the canopy and retain too much heat.

MY QUESTION:
What should the exhaust temps be under normal operation? Where is the best place to take this reading with a thermometer? I am taking the temp now 2-3 inches away from the light and getting 115-117 degrees F. this is with the light OUT of the canopy and just running in the middle of my living room for 8 hours.

[james1990]

bump

[james1990]

bump

[jdraider75]

I can't remember what it is but I read an old t5 thread the grim reefer had way back it was in there. Try posting in t5 q&a forum.

[DiscusHeckel]

If I remember correctly, the temperature at the exhaust should be around 42C (around 108F) if the fans are set at the correct voltage.

[james1990]

seems like I'm hovering around 117 under all 8 bulbs

[DiscusHeckel]

Originally Posted by james1990

MY QUESTION:
What should the exhaust temps be under normal operation? Where is the best place to take this reading with a thermometer? I am taking the temp now 2-3 inches away from the light and getting 115-117 degrees F. this is with the light OUT of the canopy and just running in the middle of my living room for 8 hours.

In my opinion, the best place to take temperature reading is just over the cool spot of T5 tubes, i.e. the labelled end, which should be placed under the cooling vents. I have checked this with ATI.

If the fans are set at the correct voltage, then you should get around 35C, which is the optimum temperature for T5 tubes to operate. In my case, 9V is ideal. Note that this setting varies with ambient temperatures, i.e. the warmer the mabient temperature the higher the voltage setting should be.

If you look at my tank thread (post #5), you will see a few photos of the experiment I conducted to decide the correct voltage setting for my light unit.

I hope this helps.