At request by smokey regarding to my Disaster Post

[KTV]

Out of the request of Smokey I'm going to write up a bit about my experience with DIY ODNO(overdrive normal output) flourescents.

While you might have read elsewhere on the internet that Overdriving your lights is the solution to cheap lighting, if you have read my disaster story, this was not the case for me.

I built the unit using instructions I found on the net. While they were right that it did produce more lighting, there was a substancial amount of heat produced by the bulb. While I doubt this was the cause of the fire, I believe the actual cause was the melting and burning of the endcaps from this heat.

There might have been other factors like the fact that I did not use a reflector to disperse the light/heat from the enclosure. I simply painted the enclosure white inside because it was proposed that this is good enough, once again from online sources.

Looking back at what I've done, I think that certain precausions should be taken by everyone when doing some DIY. Before you try something out, make sure you only absorb about 50% of what people say and use common sense, get some expert experience, and do your own research on material compatibility before you do go ahead.

I've since then built another enclosure, a combination of power compact flourescents and t12 flourescents with actual reflectors. While a little more expensive than 4 over driven T12 bulbs, I feel much safer. The lights are designed to do what they're supposed to do.

I'm surprised I was so careless this time as I am usually a very risk adverse person. Fear electricity, and especially around water. If you must do something, do it right the first time. You might not a second time. The same reason you wouldn't want to crawl under a car without jackstands, because if that car comes down, you don't have a second chance.

[Smokey]

Thanks you for sharing; the words of expierence.

Smokey

Please be careful;

[Garhan]

KTV,

I have been running a DIY canpoy on my 55 gallon. It holds 8xT-8 32/F tubes. I just rebuilt the electrical section after 3 years of operation. During those 3 years there seems to have been enough heat and moisture build up that it slowly cooked both the 2 x 4 lamp ballasts and some of the end caps shorted out (rust) over that time line. I have since put both ballasts outside the canopy along the back panel. I am hoping for 2 things less moisture exposure to the ballasts and cooler operations of the same. Well three and less moisture due to heat within the canpoy as a overall.

Cheers,

Garhan

PS. How was your trip to Edmonton ?