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actinic strip lights inside metal halide fixture


astroboy

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Does anyone have any experience in putting LED (actinic) strip lights into an MH fixture. I got a flexible LED strip and ended up attaching to a wood panel which I fastened to the top of the MH fixture. The wood started to char in pretty short order so that's one idea that doesn't work. The main question I have, does anyone know of an LED fixture that will stand the heat within an MH fixture?

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

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I don't have picks,but it's an old style fixture: the MH bulbs are in an a sheet metal housing, the bottom is clear plastic. I'd like to put the LED strips on the reflective surface on the top interior, but it gets pretty hot there, even with fans. 

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Do you have a hood? I think you've already answered your own question about if it'll work (nope, it likely won't) with putting the LED's on the reflective surface. If it's hot enough to char wood, you have a HUGE fire risk from putting anything there. I think you're only hope is to have a secondary "fixture". You could mount the LED's on the wood strip like you did before, but don't mount that wood on the MH fixture - put it outside and not touching it. 

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Heat is the enemy of LEDs, Mark. It'll shorten their life. That's why we take pains to use heat sinks. Take that into consideration as you work on solving this mounting problem.

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I used rapid LEDs and metal heat sink that I then attached with adhered with thermal 2 part epoxy. You can also buy the seat sink from amazon and just cut to size. The rapid leds are aquarium grade and come in all spectrums.

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Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I'll have to break down eventually and get a new lighting system. I don't have the space to put in a strip of LED lights outside the fixture and inside is obviously too hot. 

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