I decided to write this tutorial when I recieved an Envirolite that I ordered from a respectable on-line grow shop. The site from which I purchased the Envirolite stated that this lamp would fit "a standard lamp holder". I wasn't aware that a standard lamp holder actually meant a standard E40 lamp holder, I was expecting it to fit straight into a table lamp!

This setup is very easy and safe, as long as you follow my instructions exactly!

As with all types of horticultural lighting, Envirolites are alot more productive when used in a reflector. I have chosen not to use a reflector for a few reasons, the first being that Envirolite reflectors are very expensive for what they are. They are also very large and take up a lot of room, and I am mounting the lamp vertically to sit in between two or three plants.

Before you start, you will need to make sure that you have a length of 3 core cable, capable of carrying the current. A cable rated at 5 amp is ample to run a 125w or 200w Envirolite, and you will also need a standard 3 prong plug with 3 amp fuse, which can both be picked up for about a pound each at stores such as Wilkinsons.

An E40 lamp holder is also required. I got mine from an electricians trade counter for around a‚£7, but hydro stores stock these also. You also need to make sure you have a small flat headed screwdriver, a small philips screwdriver, and a set of wire strippers.

If your lamp holder doesn't have a mounting bracket you will also need a 35mm 1 gang metal socket box and two 25mm nut's & bolt's, which can also be picked up for about a pound each in wilkinsons.

We'll start out with the plug just incase there's anyone out there who's not 100% certain how to wire a plug. This is very easy, just remember to make sure everything is tight and screwed in place correctly.

First we need to strip a couple of inch of sleeving off the cable. Then measure up how much of each of the three individual wires we are going to need. To do this simply screw the cord grip on over the still insulated bit of wire and lay the other three where they are going to be screwed in place. See the photograph if you are unsure.
(Yellow/Green - Earth - top central prong / Brown - Live - right prong with fuse attached / Blue - Neutral - left prong).

Next, snip the three individual wires so they are the correct length and strip 3mm of the insulation off each of the three wires and screw them in place making sure that there is no way the wires can move within the plug itself.

Once you are happy with the wires within the plug and they look like the photograph, replace the back of the plug and that is the first part completed.

Now the E40 lamp holder;

Attaching the E40 lamp holder to the other side of the cable is even easier than wiring the plug. Look at the back of the socket and see there are two terminals. One is for the live (brown) and the other the neutral (blue). Connect the wires in the same way you did with the plug e.g. stripping a few mm of sleeving and screwing it into the terminal. If your lamp holder doesn't have markings to let you know which terminal is for which wire, turn it around so you are looking into the screw socket and the terminal attached to the spring in the centre is for the live. Now the earth (yellow/green) needs to be conected to the little metal plate that comes attached to most E40 lamp holders. Now unless your lamp holder has no mounting bracket you are almost finished.

Unfortunately my E40 didn't have the little metal mounting bracket attached, to get around this problem I mounted the lamp holder to a 35mm metal socket box. To do this, you need to look inside your screw socket and drop your bolts into the mounting holes provided. Then line up the holes on the socket box and the lamp holder and secure it in place with the bolts just like the photographs show. Once the lamp holder is mounted you need to connect the Earth/Ground wire to the socket box Earth/Ground terminal like in the picture.

Screw in the lamp tightly and double check all your wiring against the photographs before switching on the power to see your Envirolite fire up for the first time.

Just a warning about allowing your Envirolites to overheat, although these lamps are fluorescents they are still 125w or 200w so will still kick out very high temperatures if not allowed to breathe properly.

These Envirolites have a thermal cut-off device installed, meaning if your lamp gets too hot it will turn itself off to prevent damage to the internal electronic ballast equipment. This means you're probably going to have to install some type of cooling for the lamp, or ballast to be more specific. I am not going to get into this here, as this is another tutorial in itself.

way cool to know but im still on outdoors keep it going u just might win a pack bro