Wattage with cfls help

If a socket says 150w max and im using say a 23w cfl do i go by the 100w comparison or am i only using the 23w out of the 150w max?

or should i ask . whats the strongest cfl i can use in a screw in type socket. with 6500k daylight

Here how 'bout this link...

GROWFAQ

23w is the wattage, 100w equivalent mean it puts out the same light as 100w incandescent.

i know. what i mean is i think 42w is the highest wattage for a cfl you can go and still be able to use a standard socket base. and the higher you go after that you have to have a mogul base.

100w is just a comparison. you go off actual consumed watts/

If a socket says 150w max, then go by that. Wattage is just a measurement of power consumed, not light emitted like is stated in the growfaq....ironically under the title "The truth about watt ratings".

The previously linked growfaq says:

When purchasing a compact fluorescent, you will notice that nearly all of them have a larger number on the box, than what it actually is. This number is the lights comparison to the brightness of a standard incandescent globe. Do not be fooled, this does not mean that the light is 100w! It is most likely around 18w.

Now, here is where the myth behind these lights is uncovered. Most people will say that you should totally discard the brightness rating. This is wrong! The brighter a light is, the more penetration it has. With a usual, run-of-the-mill compact fluorescent (say, 15w) it emits only 15w of light with poor penetration. An energy saving compact fluorescent with 15w of light, which is rated to 100w of light, will only emit 15w of light. The difference between the two is, the energy saving light has a much stronger light penetration of the normal one, while still only emitting 15w of light.

Click to expand...

This statement says things like, "emitting 15w of light". Light emitted is not measured in wattage! Wattage only has to do with your power bill, and how much each device you have in your house is consuming. That's why people talk about the efficiency of lighting as lumens/watt.

The confusion comes in for some when they go to buy cfl's and it states 42w, then somewhere else on the box it says 150w. The 150w number only has to do with the equivalent incandescent light bulb that the cfl is replacing to achieve the same amount of light ouput. So, the only thing you have to worry about when worrying about the amount of power being consumed by each socket is that you go by the actual wattage consumed rating on the package. In this case it is 42w. The only thing the 150w rating is for, is so the average person can go in and say.....well I have 4 150w incandescent bulbs in my living room....and I want to save on power, so I can get the same light output with 168w of cfl's compared to 600w of incandescents.

Sorry for the lenghty reply, just trying to clear some confusion on the issue up, especially with incorrect growfaqs.

You are fine...i have two 105 watt 500 watt equiv. plugged into a dual adapter...and its fine....the are 6200 lumens a piece....not to far from yours, that is really heating purposes. Cfl's dont get real hot, and if you have it on a surge protecter its better if it surges the power bar will shut it down before you blow a circuit...but i have been using mine for a month now...no problems...