Conduit & Hanging Lights ???

[1boatnut]

So I plan on using conduit to make hangers for my light fixtures.

Currently I have 2 pieces of 10' conduit @ 1/2"

Do you think 1/2" conduit is sufficent to hang lights on that weigh somewhere between 5-7lbs?


I plan on a very simple type set-up.
Conduit secured to back of stand with a 90 degree bend over the tank. Drill hole about 1/2" in from the end of the pipe & hang the fixture

[fredfish13]

should be fine. I had one 10' piece of 1/2" and cut it in half to hang my aquaticlife 4x24 T-5 fixture. been fine for over 2 months.

[jkf1983]

I would think so. But why not just hang it from the ceiling with a stainless cable? Might be easier too.

[indydog1]

i would not make a sharp 90. a curved one would hold better.

[1boatnut]

I plan to make something like this:http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...LAID=525429605

Instead of using 2 hangers though,I will cross all4 to the middle and only use 1 bracket per light.

[badazztealcobra]

How tall and wide is the tank ??? I would think if possible to try to make it from one stick of conduit. Like up from the back of the tank, bend towards the front of the tank, then bend left, then bend back towards the rear of the tank again, then bend back down.

Depending how good you are with a conduit bender in your hands you could make it pretty nice, then slap a coat of black paint on it and be done.

The link you posted is coming up dead, do you have just a picture ???

[1boatnut]

Originally Posted by badazztealcobra

How tall and wide is the tank ???

Its a 125 gal
72x18x21
I think from the floor to the top of the tank is around 56"

Originally Posted by badazztealcobra

I would think if possible to try to make it from one stick of conduit.

Yes,thats what I plan on doing.

Originally Posted by badazztealcobra

Depending how good you are with a conduit bender in your hands you could make it pretty nice, then slap a coat of black paint on it and be done.

I suck. Yes my intentions are to paint it black

Originally Posted by badazztealcobra

The link you posted is coming up dead, do you have just a picture ???

Sorry..I attached a photo.
In this picture it shows 2 brackets for 1 light.
I plan to just use 1 bracket per light ,for a total of 3

I already cut and bent 3 pieces of conduit.
All I did was bend them at a 90 degree like in the photo.
Now the fun comes to secure them to the stand,which is about 6" from the wall

[cubsfan16]

I went with the single piece of 3/4" and painted it black. I need to still make a minor adjustment as it is not perfectly level. Sorry for the crappy pics

[1boatnut]

Originally Posted by cubsfan16

I went with the single piece of 3/4" and painted it black. I need to still make a minor adjustment as it is not perfectly level. Sorry for the crappy pics

I like that.
I made 3 seperate pieces,and used only 1/2"....That was what worried me.I did hang 1 light just to see,and it seemed fine.
I have not installed them yet. Maybe later today?
I kinda did just like the pic in my last post.

Well if I decide to change,conduit was 1.69 for 10'.

Heycubsfan16...What did youi use on the conduit to attach your hanging kit with?
What are they called,and where did you get them?
They almost look like whats attached to my light fixture already,but those would be nice as I only drilled holes to put my S hoook in from the hanger

[cubsfan16]

I'm not sure what the are called, they were part of the hanging kit I got from reefledslights.com there is a close up pic on their site. I bet you could find them at a homedepot or lowes

[jkf1983]

This is the cable I used you could just hang them from the ceiling as they're intended or you could use your bracket. Either way, the kit includes all mounting hardware and is very nice. Cable and hardware was even nicer than what had come with my old ati powermodule.

[jkf1983]

Link....
http://reefledlights.com/shop/hanging-kit/

[1boatnut]

Thanks guys..
The lights came with cables that had a S hook on the end so I don't need cables.
the part going into the pipe is what interests me,and would work out well.
Maybe I van take the picture to HD or Lowes and see what they have.

Thanks again

cubsfan16, I really like how you did the 1 piece application.
I'll post some pics on mine soon.
They are not painted yet though

[jkf1983]

Something like this should be perfect then... drill a hole through the conduit and have a nut on each side.
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...YnrDeowGnqb3Ay

[cubsfan16]

Looking forward to seeing it

[1boatnut]

Originally Posted by jkf1983

Something like this should be perfect then... drill a hole through the conduit and have a nut on each side.
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...YnrDeowGnqb3Ay

Yep,that will work

Thanks

[1boatnut]

Partially finished.
Still need to paint and get part for ends to hang better.

[SaltyAl]

How are you attaching the other end of the conduit? To the back of the tank? The stand? I think I want to hang my light to keep the cats off it.

Al

[lexiz1]

1/2" EMT will hold 5-7 lbs. But if you want something a little stronger use 1/2" rigid conduit. It is stronger and will not rust from the salt. Both are available at local hardware stores.

[1boatnut]

Originally Posted by SaltyAl

How are you attaching the other end of the conduit? To the back of the tank? The stand? I think I want to hang my light to keep the cats off it.

Al

Al,I just used regular conduit straps.
1 at the top part of my stand and 1 the bottom.

Also I have mine resting on the floor behind the tank.
If I were in need to lower the lights,the only way would be to either cut the conduit,or get longer hangers.

Also I have to move my outer lights over a bit.
I guess I did not compensate for the light spread,and instead just centered all lights. Now I have shadows (darker) at both ends of the tank.

[1boatnut]

Originally Posted by lexiz1

1/2" EMT will hold 5-7 lbs. But if you want something a little stronger use 1/2" rigid conduit. It is stronger and will not rust from the salt. Both are available at local hardware stores.

Thanks,but too late