DIY pendant lighting retractor/hanger

[kwirky]

I'm getting a PFO pendant light, probably, and I'm wondering who out there made their own retractable hangers, or found one for a great price not meant for the aquarium hobby? I would like the ability to quickly raise and lower my lights, as I've heard it's a great feature of pendant lights, from tank maintenance, to raising it to prevent bleaching new corals.

Any ideas?

 

[JC Pollman]

These hangers are usually given good reviews on the boards - they are near the bottom of the page:

http://homeharvest.com/lampaccessories.htm

 

[kwirky]

Oh, I've seen those, and heard they're a bit of a pain to raise/lower, but hold well.

I looked at some bicycle hoists (for hanging bikes in the garage), and found them a great idea to copy. Here's my design.

 

[fillibar]

One thing I have heard of a couple times (probably just rumors, but what they heck) is people using bicycle-type mounts, but not putting any form of stopper on the line. So when they unhook it from the wall, and the rope slips, down it falls into the tank... So if you decide to copy that design, make sure you put a stopper that will prevent that from happening. Even something as simple as a knot up the rope that will prevent it from moving past that point.

 

[BeanAnimal]

The other problem with that type of pulley setup is keep the hood level.

 

[impur]

I used sunlifts