Suspending lights from ceiling?

[jezzeaepi]

I am trying to figure out the best way to suspend my lights from the ceiling. Obviously safety is a big factor here, since I dont want my MH's to come crashing down into the tank, so Id rather overbuild and spend a bit more for piece of mind. All the relfectors and mounting hardware together will weigh around 35 pounds, so I will need something strong.

Pictured below is what I am working with. Yes I have leet ms paint Skillz =P

The blue thing is my tank, the grey thing is my stand, the black things are the three reflectors that I would like to suspend(2 lumenarcs and a pfo), at the top, and the red squares represent where in the ceiling there are studs that can be used for mounting.

So, how do I fill in the blank part of the image? hehe. Im a noob when it comes to DIY. I imagine I want to mount some sort of bar or grate thats anchored at those 4 locations, and then I can suspend the lights from that... However after walking around the hardware store for a while yesterday I came up short on finding all the pieces I would need.

This is the last step before my tank is up and running, so I am really anxious to get it done. If you have any tips, no matter how obvious they may seem to you, let me know =)

Peace
Jesse

 

[ReefferMan]

i would place a support between the studs to ensure integrity then you can hang the lights centered like you want. Best of luck.

 

[DonW]

35lbs is not much weight. Run to lowes and get a piece of 3/4" square aluminum tube. Screw all your lights to it. The drop cables straight down from the studs. I think pfo cable kits come with a scew that will go right into the stud.

Don

 

[burning2nd]

i did right thur the droped ceiling... right to the stud.. 4 small wood screws
eh 1/2" long at most i think smaller tho

 

[Brenden]

I built my setup similar to what Don said. I had 8 reflectors/ballast on mine with 2 3/4 square aluminum tubes. It was connected to 3 studs and never had a problem.
(this does not mean I agree with anything Don says)

 

[Scooterman]

35LBS? are you including the ballast with that?

 

[DonW]

I built my setup similar to what Don said. I had 8 reflectors/ballast on mine with 2 3/4 square aluminum tubes. It was connected to 3 studs and never had a problem.
(this does not mean I agree with anything Don says)

Your worse than my wife and kids.

Don

 

[burning2nd]

i would be woryed if only useing sheet rock.... but as long as its solid work a few screws would work,

 

[DonW]

Most toggle bolts at in 1/2" drywall on 16" center has a weight limit of 200 lbs.

Don

 

[jezzeaepi]

I'm keeping the ballasts on the floor since the PFO dual ballast weighs a ton! I will eventually get a small cabinet to house all of that stuff to clean up the look some, but for now it will just be chillin on the floor.

Thanks for the help,
Jesse

 

[trido]

I just used plant hanger hooks for all of my lighting fixtures hung from the ceiling in my Laundry room. I dont believe any of them are mounted to a stud.

There are a couple types of wall anchors you can buy off the shelf that can support up to 50 Lbs. of weight without any studs. You would be amazed at how strong sheetrock is after it is mounted to a wall or ceiling. It someitmes wears me out tearing it off the walls during the demo. phase of a remodle. It rarely comes off as a whole sheet.

 

[bbehring]

my single 250w mh / T5 hood unit came with a cable suspension kit. Most hood mfrs sell these kits or provide with the unit. Mine had 4 cables, 2 at each end. The cables connect into the hood with a screw attachment with a nib on the end of the cable so it doesn;t come through the screw attachment. The end that connects into the ceiling is nearly the same only has a toggle bolt wiht an insert end that allows the bacle to swing/adjust back and forth. I simply toggled through the drywall with all 4. My fixture weighs about 35lbs. As donw indicated the drywall is capable of supporting this small weight, es[ecially since it's distributed ,pre evenly with the 4 cables.