How Long Do T5 Tubes Last

[donkey]

Hi all
just a quick question. how long do T5 tubes last ? do u guys just run them till they burn out or do you change them every year or so . i have two 46inch T5 plant pro tubes at the moment but i have had them for about 2 years now . so im wondering if its time to change them

 

[George Farmer]

The rated life of most HO T5 is around 10-20,000 hours. That's a long time. They do however lose intensity over time, so most tend to change their tubes every year or so.

Plants will actually adapt well to the lower lighting (and spectrums in some cases) as the tube gets older, so it is probably possible to run tubes until they fail. Beware that when you change old for new the plants will need time to adapt to their new lighting. With multiple tubes I always change one tube at a time.

 

[donkey]

thanks mate