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Re: DIY Hood / PFO Endcap Experience?
>I have read posts from George Booth saying that he never had problems with
>standard NO fluorescents without fancy endcaps in his canopies without cover
>glasses for years... I am sure there must be someone on this list that uses
>compact fluorescents in a DIY hood without cover glasses... I guess I just
>want reassurance! My plan would be to have the light fixtures about 5-6
>inches above the water. I also plan to have an exhaust fan.
I have several small DIY fixtures made with AH Supply parts (reflector and
sockets) that I use over 5.5 gallon tanks with no cover glass. The lights
are about 3-4" above the water surface and use no fan (no hood either for
that matter, the fixture is a stainless steel and aluminum bracket that
snaps into the rim of the tank). The only problem I have had is that the
water from the Tetra Brilliant filter (air-powered foam block) makes little
splashes and ultimatly get spots on the reflector. It's the same stuff that
you get on the glass of a tank when the water level drops from evaporation,
but it cleans off of the reflector easier. The CF tube gets some on it too,
but it's not as noticeable as the stuff on the reflector. The sockets and
other electrical components seem fine after about a year of use like this.
BTW, I highly recommend the use of a GFCI on an installation like this.
-Bill
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Waveform Technology
UNIX Systems Administrator