Got a broken hood light? Dont know what to do with it? Before you throw it out follow these easy steps and you to can have a hood light that runs on CFL bulbs!

What you will need

1. Replacement lightbulb sockets. Can be found at your local Lowes
2. Can of high heat white spray paint. Look for the one you can paint your grill with.
3. Screw driver, wire cutters and wire nuts.

Step 1.
Remove all of the hardware from the old light but keep the power cord attached to the plastic hood frame and save all of the screws you will need them for step 3. Note if your power cord has a converter on it you will want to replace it with a regular power cord.

Step 2.
Spray the inside of the hood light with the high heat spray paint and let dry.

Step 3.
Mount the replacement sockets in the mounting holes from the old light. Connect the wires from the replacement sockets to the power cord and cover the exposed wires with the wire nuts.

Step 4.
Screw in new CFL bulbs, plug into a power strip and turn on. If the bulbs come on than your in business but if they dont, unplug from power source and check the wireing.

Heres what the finnished product looks like.


Disclaimer: IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING DO NOT START THIS PROJECT. THERE IS A RISK OF ELECTROCUTION AND OR THE POSSABLITY OF AN ELECTROCIAL FIRE IF THIS IS DONE INOCRRECTLY! PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT IF YOU ARE UNFAMILAR WITH WORKING WITH ELECTRICTY. THANK YOU

I like the disclaimer. Nice retro fit...any problems with dead looking spots or do they seem to light the area uniforumly?

I wanted to cover mine and the forums butts.

No dead spots, the lighting is bright and uniform. I grow plants with these lights so if someone doesent want to spend a ton of money on plant lights this is a cheap way out.

I'm cleaning the tank today and I'll post pics of the tank once I'm done.

Cool I seen this on another forum somewhere as well.

Cool idea, Mike!

I would be careful of a blanket keeping the power cord statement. Some florescent fish light fixtures (Marineland especially) use a power converter in the plug. Maybe ammend it to if your power cable is a wall wart, don't use it.

Anyone who isn't comfortable with doing the wiring, and want to use them for plants, if you have plain glass hoods, you can get pan lights at most any hardware store and just sit them on top.

Ooo didn't think about the power converter because all my power cords are standard plugs. I will ammend it to say replace power cord if yours has a power converter.


Oh BTW I just ordered cold cathode lights so I can have moonlighting on my discus tank

Sweet. I haven't tried playing with the cathode lights. Did you go with the white or the light blue? I always thought the light blue would make a really cool moonlight.

I have cool cathalode (blue) on my 120g very easy DIY. I also used to have red cathalode on my 55g but the bulbs got wet in a move and never worked again. Here is a pic from a couple years ago...It is less blue than uit looks in the pic. The conversion is about 9 volts.

I went with blue saint and I cant wait to put them in.

Nice lights MC!

Nice! Looks cool, MC.

That does look good. I was concerned about water on the cathode lights, so the one tank that did have some moonlight on it was done up in leds mounted into clay two part epoxy.

MC is that what most companies list as the blue? One of the computer parts places I order from has both blue and light blue.

saint_felony wrote:

That does look good. I was concerned about water on the cathode lights, so the one tank that did have some moonlight on it was done up in leds mounted into clay two part epoxy.

MC is that what most companies list as the blue? One of the computer parts places I order from has both blue and light blue.

Oh nice...I should really start my own thread...sorry Mike. I will get some updates....get the cathalode lighting Mike it will cost you less than 20 bucks and 20 minutes.

I did. It cost $30 only because I wanted it in 3 days and not 6