So I decided to replace my 3 x 250w MH fixtures and 4x 39w PC fixture with three LED fixtures.
My electricity bill in the summer is insane due to the heat that the MH creates- not just because of the lights themselves, but also the fan over my sump to drive the temperature down, the extra work the AC has to do, and the dehumidifier running to take care of the extra humidity.
The plan was to go with 3 x 18" x 8" heat sinks with splash shield, each having 51 LEDs (18 cool white, 18 neutral white and 15 blue). This is a bit more than is typically recommended to replace a 250w MH, but my tank is 30" tall, so I'm going a little above recommendation. Additionally, I'm trying to duplicate an XM 10kk look, so I went with 2:1 white to blue rather than the typical 1:1.
I went with parts from reefledlights.com, since they have some nice custom gear- anodized, pre-drilled heat sinks, splash shields, hanging kits, and solderless connections.
Because I was replacing multiple lights with one fixture, I wanted to have dimming for the lights. I ended up with 7 different channels between the 3 fixtures, so I can simulate dawn/dusk as well as high noon full intensity.
Here's some pics of the progression..
First the blue LEDs..
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Then the 'high noon' whites..
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And the cool whites..
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All the wires between the LEDs and to the outputs done..
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Then the optics..
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And the splash shield..
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Then the fan on the top..
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I added terminal blocks for hooking up to the drivers..
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Got the driver box built and the drivers mounted..
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I got all the output wires into terminal blocks, power wires combined, wired to plugs, and plugged into a DC-8, and control lines wired to terminal blocks..
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Got all the drivers tested- they all fired up and dim, ran through all the strings on all three fixtures.
Here's a shot of testing the blues..
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Got the lights installed, but before I did, I got out the PAR meter and measured some spots...
Before..
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After..
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Yes, I turned down the LEDs to only be slightly higher than the MH fixtures (55%). I'll acclimate them to the new light over the course of a couple months.
I also reoriented the fixtures to be parallel to the long axis of the tank. Here's a shot with the change in direction..
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I figure I've got about $730 in each fixture. Here's a parts list-
3 x 18" x 8.46" drilled tapped anodized heat sink
3 x 18" splash shield
3 x hanging kit
54 XP-G R5 Cool White on star (High Noon - 6-6.5k, BJB solderless connector, ripple optics)
54 XP-G R5 Cool White on star (Premium - 7.5k, BJB solderless connector, ripple optics)
45 XT-E Royal Blue on star (Premium, BJB solderless connector, ripple optics)
3 x Inventronics 40w 700ma dimmable driver
12 x Inventronics 40w 1050ma dimmable driver
3 x NXT 200mm fan
3 x Fan power supply
20' of sheathing
1 x tube of heat sink compound
6 x 50ct 4-40 screws
3 x 20g wire
6 new hooks for reorienting the fixtures.
My electricity bill in the summer is insane due to the heat that the MH creates- not just because of the lights themselves, but also the fan over my sump to drive the temperature down, the extra work the AC has to do, and the dehumidifier running to take care of the extra humidity.
The plan was to go with 3 x 18" x 8" heat sinks with splash shield, each having 51 LEDs (18 cool white, 18 neutral white and 15 blue). This is a bit more than is typically recommended to replace a 250w MH, but my tank is 30" tall, so I'm going a little above recommendation. Additionally, I'm trying to duplicate an XM 10kk look, so I went with 2:1 white to blue rather than the typical 1:1.
I went with parts from reefledlights.com, since they have some nice custom gear- anodized, pre-drilled heat sinks, splash shields, hanging kits, and solderless connections.
Because I was replacing multiple lights with one fixture, I wanted to have dimming for the lights. I ended up with 7 different channels between the 3 fixtures, so I can simulate dawn/dusk as well as high noon full intensity.
Here's some pics of the progression..
First the blue LEDs..
Then the 'high noon' whites..
And the cool whites..
All the wires between the LEDs and to the outputs done..
Then the optics..
And the splash shield..
Then the fan on the top..
I added terminal blocks for hooking up to the drivers..
Got the driver box built and the drivers mounted..
I got all the output wires into terminal blocks, power wires combined, wired to plugs, and plugged into a DC-8, and control lines wired to terminal blocks..
Got all the drivers tested- they all fired up and dim, ran through all the strings on all three fixtures.
Here's a shot of testing the blues..
Got the lights installed, but before I did, I got out the PAR meter and measured some spots...
Before..
After..
Yes, I turned down the LEDs to only be slightly higher than the MH fixtures (55%). I'll acclimate them to the new light over the course of a couple months.
I also reoriented the fixtures to be parallel to the long axis of the tank. Here's a shot with the change in direction..
I figure I've got about $730 in each fixture. Here's a parts list-
3 x 18" x 8.46" drilled tapped anodized heat sink
3 x 18" splash shield
3 x hanging kit
54 XP-G R5 Cool White on star (High Noon - 6-6.5k, BJB solderless connector, ripple optics)
54 XP-G R5 Cool White on star (Premium - 7.5k, BJB solderless connector, ripple optics)
45 XT-E Royal Blue on star (Premium, BJB solderless connector, ripple optics)
3 x Inventronics 40w 700ma dimmable driver
12 x Inventronics 40w 1050ma dimmable driver
3 x NXT 200mm fan
3 x Fan power supply
20' of sheathing
1 x tube of heat sink compound
6 x 50ct 4-40 screws
3 x 20g wire
6 new hooks for reorienting the fixtures.