T5 grow light housing

T5 grow lights are one of the best light for growing plants especially in the fall, winter and early spring seasons as these seasons tend to have shorter days and not as much sunlight as in the summer. But there are so many different T5 lights that it might be hard to choose which the best one is. Although that how good or bad a grow light is usually is determined by many factors because T5 lighting consists of many components and parts, however one of the more crucial parts of any fluorescent light fixture is their housing.

A housing is not just a piece of metal that covers up all the different components of the grow light. Housings main purpose is to protect the hardware that is inside of the light and the bulbs so that these components don’t get damaged by outside elements such as moisture, heat as well as so that they stay in tact even if the light receives shock if it bumps into something or falls. But to be able to do that the housing of the lights need to be made from certain materials as well as have certain features.

Materials

There are two main materials that are used to make T5 grow light housing. Most of the time steel is used to create the housing because it not only is extremely durable material but it will also be able to endure the heat that comes from the bulbs when they are turned on for a longer period of time. And the second material that also is used to make the housing of T5 lighting is aluminum, more precisely high grade aluminum which ads a lightweight effect to the light while still being able to protect the bulbs and the hardware of the light.

Finish/texture

Then there are the texture or the finish of the housing that also plays an important role to the durability as well as the look of the light. The main options here powder coated housing or housing without the powder coating and if there is any type of texture to the housings or the steel or aluminum has a smooth texture.
If the housing is powder coated then that coating adds thicker, more durable finish to the metal that will be better at withstanding different conditions as well as prevent rusting from happening so your light fixture lasts you longer. But if the powder coating is not used the material of the lights housing can wear down quicker and you might have to replace your light quicker.
The second thing here is the texture of the housing. The truth is that the texture doesn’t have any real effect on the housing or its performance. Texture usually is added for style purposes to give the T5 light fixture a certain look. So really it depends on you weather you want grow light with texturized or smooth housing.

Shape

Shape is also an important feature of T5 housings because it affect how the housing looks as well as how it will fit in your space. The two main options for T5 fixture shapes are lamps with simple rectangle shaped housings and lights with polygon shaped housings where the top part of the housing tapers in forming a type of trapeze shape. And even though the shape of the housing won’t influence the way the light fixture performs all that much it will definitely influence the way it fits and looks in your space so keep that in mind when buying your T5 lighting.

Louvres

When it comes to housing for T5 lights more and more manufacturers are adding louvres and slots on the sides of their housings. These little openings aids with heat distribution and lets the light cool down quicker because the heat can escape through these louvres. And although they are a nice and useful addition to many T5 light housings if you have a light without these louvres it is also fine because of the fact that T5 lights by themselves doesn’t emit that much heat and can cool down efficiently even without added louvres.

Hanging mechanism

Almost all T5 light housings nowadays have light hanging mechanisms attached to them which relieves the task of hanging up the light. Usually there are three directions in which you can hang up your light and they are vertically or horizontally to the wall or overhead which is the most used hanging direction for grow lights. But for the lights who come with housings without these hanging mechanisms or at least hooks where you can attach some type of chain or string the process of hanging up the light can prove to be very difficult.

Color

And lastly there are the color of the housing. Although it is not important in which color the housing is for the grow light to work properly and for housing to be able to protect the rest of the lamp the different colors of the housing gives a certain style element to the housing and lets you fit your light to the room in which you will be placing your T5 grow light. The most common colors seen on T5 light marker are white, green, brown and silver however I am sure that there are manufacturers that would be willing to tailor the color of your T5 grow lights housing to your wishes.