aluminum foil
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FilthyFletch
Mr I Can Do That For Half
No its actually very bad to use foil. It tends to shoot hot spots like a magnifying glass and casue burns or very uneven heat and light.
Doctor
Well-Known Member
yea use polywrap.....
dont worri m8 i made the same mistake, took me ages to line my grow box with the annoying stuff............. but after putting a thread on here i relised its a bad choice...............
heres wht it says in the grow facts about it
Aluminum Foil:
Aluminum foil is no more than 55% reflective - if used, make sure that the dull side is the one that is used to reflect the light. When it becomes creased its reflectivity is even lower (around 35%.) It is also very dangerous to use because it creates hotspots easily, is electrically conductive, and is a fire hazard when it is in close contact with HID lighting. Attaching this to walls is a pain and usually using aluminum tape or glue is the best way. This should only be used as a last resort, and even then its usefulness is questionable.
......... sorry m8, invest in sum cheapo shiny wrapping paper (polywrap)
dont worri m8 i made the same mistake, took me ages to line my grow box with the annoying stuff............. but after putting a thread on here i relised its a bad choice...............
heres wht it says in the grow facts about it
Aluminum Foil:
Aluminum foil is no more than 55% reflective - if used, make sure that the dull side is the one that is used to reflect the light. When it becomes creased its reflectivity is even lower (around 35%.) It is also very dangerous to use because it creates hotspots easily, is electrically conductive, and is a fire hazard when it is in close contact with HID lighting. Attaching this to walls is a pain and usually using aluminum tape or glue is the best way. This should only be used as a last resort, and even then its usefulness is questionable.
......... sorry m8, invest in sum cheapo shiny wrapping paper (polywrap)
knightmare
Active Member
if you don't have mylar you could always paint it white.
7xstall
Well-Known Member
chief, aluminum foil is fine, don't listen to the mindless dribble against it. mylar is just plastic coated aluminum foil.
a member of this site did a test to measure reflectivity which confirmed everything i said in this thread:
https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/8102-aluminum-foil-may-your-light.html
the test is on the last or next to last page.
"hotspots" are STILL just a wives tail with no science to back this almost funny claim up. if you really could concentrate and strengthen the energy of light beams with aluminum foil we should be using it to direct super powerful solar rays onto solar panels to create even more clean energy.... the pentagon would be using sheets of aluminum foil on satellites to burn people from space.. lol, it's funny how blindly people take in whatever they hear sometimes.
hey, it's up to you. donate to the mylar cause or keep your money and do something cool with it but at least you have correct info now.
a member of this site did a test to measure reflectivity which confirmed everything i said in this thread:
https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/8102-aluminum-foil-may-your-light.html
the test is on the last or next to last page.
"hotspots" are STILL just a wives tail with no science to back this almost funny claim up. if you really could concentrate and strengthen the energy of light beams with aluminum foil we should be using it to direct super powerful solar rays onto solar panels to create even more clean energy.... the pentagon would be using sheets of aluminum foil on satellites to burn people from space.. lol, it's funny how blindly people take in whatever they hear sometimes.
hey, it's up to you. donate to the mylar cause or keep your money and do something cool with it but at least you have correct info now.
N3w81e GR0w3r!
Active Member
My brother burnt a chair (nearyl caught fire) in science at school with a magnifieng glass a couple of years ago, lol.
So yeh, no foil. Just paint ur walls white.
7xstall
Well-Known Member
yeah, i see shiny things catching stuff on fire all the time....
we should demand that aluminum foil boxes carry a warning for this kind of stuff!
well stated but the shiny side can produce concentrated hot spots, if your going to use the foil make sure you use the dull side. better yet flat white paint, easy and it last.
babygro
Well-Known Member
Not sure I agree with you there 7x. I don't think aluminum foil is particularly reflective but that's not the reason I would advise people not to use it - it shares the same problems with the thin mylar - it crinkles easily and once it crinkles it loses most of it's reflectivity and that's what creates hotspots - the focused deffraction of light in different directions caused by the crinkles.
I see so many people spending money on mylar who don't use it properly - it must be used 100% flat against flat surfaces for maximum reflectivity - any crinkles or creases substantially reduce it's effectiveness. Personally I don't think you can beat flat matt white paint put on with a roller - the slight texture to the surface helps to increase the surface area and reflects and diffuses the light well. Flat matt white paint is only marginally less reflective than mylar and the only real alternative is the thicker diamond patterned 'mylar type' material that can be as much as 10 bucks a metre - not really worth the expense in my opinion if you've got access to flat matt white paint.
