CFLs vs. Fluorescent setup?

I currently have a grow box with two bar light fixtures which hold 2 lights each.
I am using four 20 watt bulbs. 2 are "plant and aquarium" lights, and two are "daylight" lights.
I used these lights to get the proper light spectrum and adequate lumens.
However, I have been seeing a lot of people on this site using CFL lights.
So i went out today and checked them out.
I got a box of 6, 13watt bulbs (which are equivalent to 60 watt, and output 900 lumens each) and fixtures to mount them all.
That should total 5400 lumens if i have all 6 bulbs in one box.. Which is my plan..
But before i go and get the rest of the materials and spend a day rigging up a new grow box, i thought i'd ask if these lights will even work right?
Do they emit the right light spectrum? or should i stay with the fluorescent setup i have going now?...

For any light the spectrum needs to be 6400k range for vegging and 2700k range for flower. Check the packages they should have that information on them. Oh and a mix of both ranges is good as well. However, I think you should get some Y splitters and add more to your area. with cfl, more is alays better and you will get better penetration for more and larger budz.

Ok, it says 4100k cool white on the CFL box.. are they any good or should i return these and get a specific kind of cfls? I only bought these ones because they were on sale, $15.99 for a box of 6

Oh, and i just bought three $1.99 light sockets and three Y adapters, to connect all 6 lights using the 3 fixtures.. is that enough, or should i grab a few more?

I have two 29"(L)x18"(W)x18.5"(H) boxes. I can adjust the height with a pulley.

I use a computer power supply to power a couple 120mm pc fans. I also lined the inside of the boxes with flat white bristol board to amplify the light (currently 4 bar lights).

Here's some pics: (fyi, the weird black thing is a coat hanger with black pantyhose stretched over it to block dust and cat hair from getting sucked in, and the white thing is a bounce sheet i taped to the exhaust fan to help cover up the smell of skunk! lol)..

(I plan on getting bigger boxes, more square, as the ones i have are a bit narrow, as you can see. I'm thinking of getting 28"x28"x28" boxes.)

I would return those and get something closer to 6500K for Veg and something closer to 2700K-3000K for Flower.

Setup looks good, although using the comp power supply is kind of a bad idea. You could instead cannabilize a 12V DC adaptor and connect them that way, if you want a permanent setup... well I bought brand new super silent pc fans for my grow since odour isnt a problem but sound is I dont want one of those huge squirrel fans to pull through a co scrub u know. There are a few guides on here. But since you did it yourself, you probably already know how to rig it up...

I don;t know I used to have a power supply but its personal fan sort of bothered me and it looked like it was going to blow up so I went the direction of just customizing it. And yes 4100 isnt good. I've always been told you use them on a ratio for veg 1/3 2700K 2/3 6400K and just vice versa for flower. Worked pretty good for me so far, and seems to be growing nice. Wattage wise, I think you should do alot better then just 4x20W. BTW Does you bounce sheet any help at all to cover up the smell? I doubt your in flowering yet, or else that shit would stank.

EDIT: If this is you ronly grow you should be fine. But If you plan to grow more in the future invest in some 130W CFL's I'm rocking three in the same cabinet atm.

Cool thanks for the info. I heard about the DC adapter method, but i couldn't find one, so i tore apart an old pc.. it's only a 250watt power supply, and runs silent. And yes! believe it or not, simply taping a bounce sheet above the fan, (not taping it down over the fan, as that creates resistance and reduces the air flow), and letting it blow in the wind covers the smell totally.. the whole room just reeks like bounce now.. lol
I know it's not in flower yet either, but man, this is the smelliest plant i've ever had, it reeks like skunk and it's not even in flower.. :/ .. the bounce sheet works tho! for now..

The other thing i like about using the power supply is that if i eventually decide to connect a thermostat or any other electronics, i got the means right there to power it. I haven't looking into any of that hardware yet tho.. I'm sure i could Frankenstein something together tho

And i'll return these CFLs and grab some 130watt ones.. How many lights should i put in one box tho? I got fixtures with Y adapters, so i can put in set's of 2 lights.. I was gonna put 3 fixtures (6 lights), in one box. I don't quite understand your ratio thing tho.. I suck at math... Do you mean i should have 1x2700K light, and 2x6400K lights for veg?.. or 2x2700K and 4x6400K? and so on... am i understanding that right?

hai br0 dunno about yer aquarium light iz usually uv-c uv-c iz bad br0 they uze for da sterizelazationation

If your just staying in that box, 1 would be good for now. 1 6400K for Veg and 1 2700K for Flower. You just switch the lights over when you switch to 12/12. I mean I would really suggest 2 cfls but I'm worried about that carboard cover, being able to support the lights and reflector weight. With your space you've grown a pretty big bush already. Since your limited on space I'd suggest flipping already.

Most importantly you should move to a permanent grow cabinet. Drive around you can find people just throwing out old cabinets, or go to a goodwill store buy an old one the money goes to charity so its all good , you shouldn't buy a new one unless its going to be put somewhere obvious.. if its just in the garage should be good. Mind you, if your going to get a second hand closet, theres a chance of pests that you don't want to bring into the house. Use some insect spray on the inside and out like bombard it. Leave it for a day, then paint the inside out in flat white to catch and reflect the ambient light, for the top light its not good to just rely on paint to reflect the light, I use a dimpled aluminium shade, for mine something like this: http://www.hyalite.com.au/M1330/EP-BATWING-DIMPLED-SMALL-400mm/pd.php This ensures your don't waste any light for your plant. In time upgrade to mylar sheeting for your walls, then buy a pair of sunnies for whenever you open the door up. Drill a hole at the bottom for intake (No need for a fan), and move both your fans to the top as an outtake, whenever the fans turn on to take out hot air, theyrll automatically bring in cold air from the bottom, I'll draw you a diagram later, right now I have work.

Awesome. Thanks for the info. Very helpful indeed

I just switched over to a 12/12 lighting cycle a few days ago. I think with my fans at the top of the box, they should keep the heat low enough to prevent a fire.. But i'll take your advice and try to find a cabinet.. I've been hoping to find a box freezer or an old fridge on the side of the road, but no luck..

Looking forward to that diagram..

Hey man I completely forgot, well heres some images of the intake design of mine, see the hood taking place in the first shot, then I complete it with the second shot. I've also attached the sketchup file for you to have a look at.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/5852/98972332.jpg
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/7338/19300764.jpg

EDIT: I tried to include the sketchup file. But I can't upload .rar or .skb (for some odd reason) If your still interested in having a look at it pm me and we'll work something out.

no worries I can't really tell what i'm looking at in those diagrams tho..

I did however, find a cabinet.. I had an OLD TV cabinet, all wood, pretty big.. i'm gonna gut it and use it for my box. I'll post some pics in the next few days once i've gutted it. Still gotta clean a path to it through my basement lol..

Mr.McNooby said:

no worries I can't really tell what i'm looking at in those diagrams tho..

I did however, find a cabinet.. I had an OLD TV cabinet, all wood, pretty big.. i'm gonna gut it and use it for my box. I'll post some pics in the next few days once i've gutted it. Still gotta clean a path to it through my basement lol..

Click to expand...

That's exactly what I did. I wish it had a bit more height to it but until I get a tent it will do.

lol!.. yeah i was just thinking the same about mine.. another 5 inches in height and it would be perfect.. i'll just have to prune hard and keep my plants short and bushy i guess

Just realized it's missing the back tho, which isn't so bad, rather than having to cut holes thru it i can now just custom cut a back panel with spaces for my fans and whatnot. Should work out well I think.

Oh, mine was actually an entertainment center! haha. Yeah just keep them as short as possible. If you can get one good female and scrog it you should be fine.

Oh I like that box pretty sweet, you should really cannabilize the entire inside of that. Maybe only a seperator in the middle, so each door is a compartment. Left is veg, right is flower.