How to utalise CFL's - Must read

TheMightyS

TheMightyS

Well-Known Member
This is a bit of a read, but well worth it :) IF you wanna skip the opening speech then go down to '--HERE--'.

Easy fellas, was doing some scrapbook work last night and playing around with light setups and arrangements. When i can across this, no doubt its already been found out and told but im just gonna tell it how i've worked it out and hopefully enlighten ya'll.

The basic concept of this style is to remove any DIY or manufacture reflectors from lights. These general direct the light source into one path, and thats not what i want from my style.

--HERE--

THE IDEA

The idea is that you try and have each bulb, hitting as much plants as possible. If your focusing one CFL using a reflector, on one plant. Your using that bulb to power one plant, however, if you were to remove the reflector, and put another plant to the other side of the CFL (which is now visible due to the removable of the reflector) then your light will power 2 plants, being more efficent.

THE BREAK DOWN

Picture 1 is a bird-eye view of the set up. Left is with reflectors, and right is without.

Picture 2 is a picture of the without reflector setup from the side, to help illistrate the positioning of the bulbs.

THE MAIN BENEFIT

Your being more efficient. Why pay for 10 bulbs to power 10 plants each receiving say 30w each, when really those 10 bulbs, could power 2 plants each and get 60w per plant.

THE MATHS

Basically;

Think of it this way, (this is an example)
We'll use 30W CFL's for this, and the setup will be from the images below.

12 Bulbs 30W each = 360W

IF 0.25g per 1W of power THEN

Total Watts per plant = 60W --> 120W (around 100w*, considering distances from light source).

Total est. weight per plant;
0.25 x 60 = 15g
0.25 x 120 = 30g (25g*)

Total Crop = 90g --> 180g (150g*)

To me, thats quite an improvement for some simple light adjustments and eliminating the risk of home-made reflectors or the cost of buying 12.

(Red = With, Green = Without)

THE CONCLUSION

Thats up to you guys ;) Let me know what you think, some feedback would be nice.

TheMightyS :weed:

p.s. Check out that art ;)

EDIT: Theoretically, if you placed the lights at different heights you'd be able to provide greater coverage > greater efficiency (i could never spell that fricken word until good old spell checker).
 
tone702

tone702

Well-Known Member
Efficiency is the name of the game when using cfls I believe.. You could have a ton of cfls but if not placed in the the most efficient position or if the light is just being diffused out in the space you have with no reflective material your pretty much wasting most of the effectiveness the cfls have to offer, cfls are most effective when used in a enclosed area..
 
TheMightyS

TheMightyS

Well-Known Member
tone702 said:
Efficiency is the name of the game when using cfls I believe.. You could have a ton of cfls but if not placed in the right position or if the light is just being diffused out in the space you have with no reflective material your pretty much wasting most of the effectiveness the cfls have to offer.
Click to expand...
All the walls should have mylar applied.

A reflector is the true waste. If you force all the light using a reflector at one target, its not going to increase its lumons or watts or anything like that. So why not just share the light (love) around and let all the plants benefit from it aswell? Plus increasing your yeild because each plant will have more light supporting it.

Seems like a winner to me.

Cheers for the replies guys :) Anyone else got any opinions?
 
Kookiemonsta

Kookiemonsta

Active Member
I see you put a lot of time and effort into this but it doesnt make sense at all man... I see where you are thinking it would but... It doesnt.

On your drawings you have 3 dashes coming out of lights on the reflectors and like 4 on the lights without. What you arent noting is the dashed for the light being reflected down....

The entire point of a reflector is to take all the light a bulb is producing and aim it in one direction. All the light missing the plant going sideways is reflected straight forward providing the plant with ALL the light from the bulb....
 
TheMightyS

TheMightyS

Well-Known Member
Kookiemonsta said:
I see you put a lot of time and effort into this but it doesnt make sense at all man... I see where you are thinking it would but... It doesnt.

On your drawings you have 3 dashes coming out of lights on the reflectors and like 4 on the lights without. What you arent noting is the dashed for the light being reflected down....

The entire point of a reflector is to take all the light a bulb is producing and aim it in one direction. All the light missing the plant going sideways is reflected straight forward providing the plant with ALL the light from the bulb....
Click to expand...
The dashes dont mean anything specific, just general light rays.

The thing is, with a reflector. Your aiming most of that bulbs energy at one concentrated point. But this doesn't in any way, shape or form. make that any more powerful?

You could have 10 lights, lined up next to each other, 5 pointed to one plant, 5 to the other. Or you could have 10 lights all lined up, and 10 hitting each plant. Contributing more light to it.

YES, you could reflect all the light to one plant, but why do that when without the reflector the light could be a source to many more plants?
 
tamjam69

tamjam69

Well-Known Member
TheMightyS said:
The dashes dont mean anything specific, just general light rays.

The thing is, with a reflector. Your aiming most of that bulbs energy at one concentrated point. But this doesn't in any way, shape or form. make that any more powerful?

You could have 10 lights, lined up next to each other, 5 pointed to one plant, 5 to the other. Or you could have 10 lights all lined up, and 10 hitting each plant. Contributing more light to it.

YES, you could reflect all the light to one plant, but why do that when without the reflector the light could be a source to many more plants?
Click to expand...

dont worry mate i understand you but i didnt see you note that this is best when using the cfls hanging inbetween the plants, but im pretty sure that a cfl above the plants would be better of having a reflector.

but when hanging inbetween you can use the light from 360 degrees of the bulb which in turn will cover more plants in light
 
TheMightyS

TheMightyS

Well-Known Member
Yeh, this is generally aimed at CFLs. And for lights above the plant (if not just using the cfl's as supplementary lights) then its best to have a reflector. All plants should have some light source from above as this will provide a spot to grow to. Preferably make it slightly more powerful then the other sources.

But yes, your correct. For lighting above the plants, a reflector is useful. But personally I think, and i know gardenKnowm also has this view. Its better to provide the plant with as much light around it as possible. As he says; the best possible results would be from having one light per leaf.

Obviously this isn't really easily done but with the cfl's hanging inbetween the plants below the top of them but above the bottom then it'll provide a larger coverage area. :)

Time for a zoot.

EDIT:
dont worry mate i understand you but i didnt see you note that this is best when using the cfls hanging inbetween the plants, but im pretty sure that a cfl above the plants would be better of having a reflector.
Click to expand...
Yeh, thats what the general design of this is trying to be. Look at the side photo and you'll see its inbetween. My gosh buddy, im off my nut. So baked! :|

but when hanging inbetween you can use the light from 360 degrees of the bulb which in turn will cover more plants in light
Click to expand...
You got it! :D much love
 
T

TeckZero

Member
very good , you could have a thing just above the lights to make the waisted light above to go down words kinda like the ceeling is lower with mylar on it.

You wont get the focous like a hood but its the same as your saying.
 
T

TeckZero

Member
TheMightyS said:
Cheers bro.

Anyone else got any input? See if this is worth it
Click to expand...
Check this light out its rated for Desert Lizards and its a UVB CFL

I will be trying out this one for Flowering with other lights to see if this will increase the THC production and how it comes out

DSC00206.JPG
 
chickengutz

chickengutz

Well-Known Member
TeckZero said:
Check this light out its rated for Desert Lizards and its a UVB CFL

I will be trying out this one for Flowering with other lights to see if this will increase the THC production and how it comes out

View attachment 650251
Click to expand...
I ran across the link from nornajean 1, Great stuff. I found that my reflectors were much better at concentraiting heat than light. after I dumped my reflectors, I too, began to see possibilities in the way lights could be choreographed around the plant. In my stelth grow cab I started out using static fixtures, now I'm looking to put lights on armature slides for the plants to share. Nice thread and good work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top