A
AndyBotwin
Guest
OK, more details on my DIY CFL fixture as seen here:
First of all, I can't take the credit for this idea. There are a variety of PVC fixtures online, so I looked at several and came up with a rig that would work for my space. The basic components to make a 6 bulb setup like mine are these (all PVC parts are 1 1/4" size):
1 small piece of straight PVC for connectors (3 feet or so)
4 90° 'L' pieces for the corners
6 'T' connectors to hold the bulb fixtures
6 light sockets that will fit in the 'T' connectors (see below for what I used)
1 lamp or extension cord. 15 feet should be plenty
1 8" piece of metal ducting (2' long or however long your fixture will be)
Misc stuff you may already have like wire nuts, electrical tape, wire stripper, zip ties, PVC cutter, flat white spray paint
Start by laying out the whole thing out on the ground using the 'L' and 'T' connectors with the bulbs in the sockets. You can see that in my fixture I offset them to save width, since I knew I wanted to use the larger 42w bulbs. Once you've got an idea of of how your frame should look based on the size you need, begin cutting the small bits of straight PVC that will connect the L and T pieces together. I suggest getting all the pieces cut and put together to make sure it's correct before starting work on the wiring. Here's a closer look at the underside of mine so you can see how the PVC is assembled:
Now that you've got your PVC frame completed, it's time for the more time consuming (and possibly frustrating) part of the process - wiring. If you are not experienced with wiring, there are lots of online resources that you should probably read before continuing. It's not rocket science, but no grow is worth losing your life or home if you screw up, so please be careful.
The light fixtures I use are weatherproof pigtail sockets like this:
They cost around $5 in Lowes or Home Depot, but can be found online for a couple of bucks each. I can't say for sure if these are the same as the ones in the store, but it looks like it: http://www.hardwareandtools.com/Cooper-Wiring-124-BOX-Rubber-Pigtail-Lamp-Holder-4186144.html. I chose these sockets because they're made for outdoor and damp environments, which is ideal in a grow space. They also have a rubberized coating that just happens to fit right into a 1 1/4 PVC pipe. See the picture below:
I wanted the maximum flexibility out of this fixture, so it was a no brainer to use something that could be installed without permanently attaching it. Just slide the socket into the T, and it snugs into place. I did find that a couple of mine are getting loose, so I may wrap them with some electrical tape just to make them fit a bit tighter. If you want to go with something cheaper, there are a variety of other sockets for sale at home improvement stores. Just grab a PVC T connector and take it over to the electrical section to see which ones will work for you.
The wiring is done in parallel, which means black wires connect to black, and white wires connect to white all the way around the circuit. Pick your starting point and wire up the first socket to two pieces of lamp cord, one going in each direction. If your fixture is small like mine, you'll be able to wire some of the side sockets directly together saving a bit of time. But the goal here is that every socket has a black & white wire coming from one side, connecting to the socket itself, and then continuing on out the other side. I used wire nuts for each connection and then wrapped it all in electrical tape. Eventually you'll make your way around to the end where the cord will come out. Drill a hole in the place you want your cord to be (see above picture) and feed it into the PVC. Make your last connection from the plug wire to the black and white wires coming from each direction on your fixture.
I suggest using a lamp cord or something similar that is fairly thin and flexible. A thickly insulated cord will only cause you headaches as you're jamming the wire into the pipes. This is all harder to explain than it is to do. The key is to make sure that you don't mix up your black and white wires at some point in the circuit. Mainly it's just an arduous process to strip all the wires and get them connected. For some folks, firing up a bowl will help with this, and for others, it will ensure that something will be screwed up and each connection will have to be checked again.
When you've got it all wired up and tested, the final step is to get your reflector mounted. Hopefully your piece of metal ducting is already split, which will save you some cutting. Trim it down to the proper length, then give the underside a coat of flat white paint. Drill a few holes along each edge, then attach it to the frame with zip ties as seen below:
The final step is to drill a couple of holes in the top of the reflector and attach a chain or other hanging device. I'm using a ratcheting rope hanger from my local hydro store. Here's what it looks like when completed:
I like this fixture for several reasons.
1. It's cheap. The sockets are the most expensive part, and I could have gone cheaper with those if I wanted.
2. It's adjustable. Many CFL growers just mount a bathroom fixture at the top of their grow area and adjust the height of the pots as needed. I wanted a lightweight and durable rig that I could raise and lower like a 'real' grow light.
3. It's flexible and reusable. I can spin any of the T connectors to move the location of the bulbs if I need to. I can also take off the reflector and put this on the side or back of my grow space for supplemental lighting. Or I can easily disassemble it and reuse the parts to make another fixture with a completely different design.
Thanks if you've made it this far, and I hope this was helpful. I wish I had more pics, but I'm in the middle of a grow so I don't really want to disassemble it right now. Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any questions. 
First of all, I can't take the credit for this idea. There are a variety of PVC fixtures online, so I looked at several and came up with a rig that would work for my space. The basic components to make a 6 bulb setup like mine are these (all PVC parts are 1 1/4" size):
1 small piece of straight PVC for connectors (3 feet or so)
4 90° 'L' pieces for the corners
6 'T' connectors to hold the bulb fixtures
6 light sockets that will fit in the 'T' connectors (see below for what I used)
1 lamp or extension cord. 15 feet should be plenty
1 8" piece of metal ducting (2' long or however long your fixture will be)
Misc stuff you may already have like wire nuts, electrical tape, wire stripper, zip ties, PVC cutter, flat white spray paint
Start by laying out the whole thing out on the ground using the 'L' and 'T' connectors with the bulbs in the sockets. You can see that in my fixture I offset them to save width, since I knew I wanted to use the larger 42w bulbs. Once you've got an idea of of how your frame should look based on the size you need, begin cutting the small bits of straight PVC that will connect the L and T pieces together. I suggest getting all the pieces cut and put together to make sure it's correct before starting work on the wiring. Here's a closer look at the underside of mine so you can see how the PVC is assembled:
Now that you've got your PVC frame completed, it's time for the more time consuming (and possibly frustrating) part of the process - wiring. If you are not experienced with wiring, there are lots of online resources that you should probably read before continuing. It's not rocket science, but no grow is worth losing your life or home if you screw up, so please be careful.
The light fixtures I use are weatherproof pigtail sockets like this:
They cost around $5 in Lowes or Home Depot, but can be found online for a couple of bucks each. I can't say for sure if these are the same as the ones in the store, but it looks like it: http://www.hardwareandtools.com/Cooper-Wiring-124-BOX-Rubber-Pigtail-Lamp-Holder-4186144.html. I chose these sockets because they're made for outdoor and damp environments, which is ideal in a grow space. They also have a rubberized coating that just happens to fit right into a 1 1/4 PVC pipe. See the picture below:
I wanted the maximum flexibility out of this fixture, so it was a no brainer to use something that could be installed without permanently attaching it. Just slide the socket into the T, and it snugs into place. I did find that a couple of mine are getting loose, so I may wrap them with some electrical tape just to make them fit a bit tighter. If you want to go with something cheaper, there are a variety of other sockets for sale at home improvement stores. Just grab a PVC T connector and take it over to the electrical section to see which ones will work for you.
The wiring is done in parallel, which means black wires connect to black, and white wires connect to white all the way around the circuit. Pick your starting point and wire up the first socket to two pieces of lamp cord, one going in each direction. If your fixture is small like mine, you'll be able to wire some of the side sockets directly together saving a bit of time. But the goal here is that every socket has a black & white wire coming from one side, connecting to the socket itself, and then continuing on out the other side. I used wire nuts for each connection and then wrapped it all in electrical tape. Eventually you'll make your way around to the end where the cord will come out. Drill a hole in the place you want your cord to be (see above picture) and feed it into the PVC. Make your last connection from the plug wire to the black and white wires coming from each direction on your fixture.
I suggest using a lamp cord or something similar that is fairly thin and flexible. A thickly insulated cord will only cause you headaches as you're jamming the wire into the pipes. This is all harder to explain than it is to do. The key is to make sure that you don't mix up your black and white wires at some point in the circuit. Mainly it's just an arduous process to strip all the wires and get them connected. For some folks, firing up a bowl will help with this, and for others, it will ensure that something will be screwed up and each connection will have to be checked again.
When you've got it all wired up and tested, the final step is to get your reflector mounted. Hopefully your piece of metal ducting is already split, which will save you some cutting. Trim it down to the proper length, then give the underside a coat of flat white paint. Drill a few holes along each edge, then attach it to the frame with zip ties as seen below:
The final step is to drill a couple of holes in the top of the reflector and attach a chain or other hanging device. I'm using a ratcheting rope hanger from my local hydro store. Here's what it looks like when completed:
I like this fixture for several reasons.
1. It's cheap. The sockets are the most expensive part, and I could have gone cheaper with those if I wanted.
2. It's adjustable. Many CFL growers just mount a bathroom fixture at the top of their grow area and adjust the height of the pots as needed. I wanted a lightweight and durable rig that I could raise and lower like a 'real' grow light.
3. It's flexible and reusable. I can spin any of the T connectors to move the location of the bulbs if I need to. I can also take off the reflector and put this on the side or back of my grow space for supplemental lighting. Or I can easily disassemble it and reuse the parts to make another fixture with a completely different design.
Thanks if you've made it this far, and I hope this was helpful. I wish I had more pics, but I'm in the middle of a grow so I don't really want to disassemble it right now.
Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any questions. 
