Still No Useable Fluorescent Lamps

When I ordered my fluorescent plant light fixture, it was to include four 48" fluorescent lamps (tubes). When the fixture arrived, the lamps were not included. Apparently, they were on backorder. I contacted the vendor and they sent the lamps. But, when they arrived, the package exhibited a discouraging crease in the middle. Sure enough, when I opened the package, all four tubes were broken at the same location along the tubes. It looks like the package had been folded in transit. I contacted the vendor again and they are sending another shipment of the tubes. I am already behind schedule on getting my seedlings started in the basement.

I hung the fixture using the easily adjustable wire cable hanging system I had ordered separately. It was fairly easy to assemble. I'm glad I bought this additional wire hanging system. Now, with two easy adjustments, I can quickly change the height of the fixture above the plants on a continuous basis. This will allow maintaining a constant distance of the fixture above the plants, as the plants grow. To make these adjustments using the hardware provided by the fixture's manufacturer would be much more difficult. They provided screw-in hooks and chains to accomplish the same thing, but the installation of the chains and adjustments in the height would not be as easy, and would have to be made in increments corresponding to the length of the chain links. Also, I am glad I spent a little bit extra and ordered a fixture that was fairly light weight. Making the height adjustments with a much heavier fixture would be difficult and less secure.

The installation consisted of screwing two wire anchors into the joists above the table that I will be using to support the plants. The other ends of these wire cables get attached to special connectors that grip the middle of wires attached to the fixture. At each end of the fixture, there are two locations where short wire segments get attached to the fixture by screwing in the terminations by hand. Then, these wires are gripped in the middle by the grippers at the end of the cables that are suspended from the joists. This allows the fixture to be leveled above the plants, to focus the light directly on the plants.