Poor, CFL, Stealth, Maybe a Little Luck?

dfw-guy said:
lol its clear. think plexiglass. Also I had a wonderful idea when browsing for plexiglass online (just now lol). I can affix a sheet of mirrored plexiglass above the lights and a clear sheet under them. The glass together would cost about $7. FYI the plexiglass would be spaced about 1" above and below the surface of the lights.
BTW for a visual, in one of the pics above you can see a threaded "bolt" pointing down that's part of the light fixture. These "bolts" are on the bottom and the top. I could put a hole in the glass and slip it onto the "bolt" then affix it w/ a nut. Easy huh?
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lol, yeah I figured you meant clear... Even so, I'm thinking the plastic will still absorb some of the light (though not necessarily the spectrum that is visible to the human eye.) I don't really know for sure, I do know that all light reflector hoods I've ever seen use glass, and I just assume that's the reason. :smokin:

:ganjamon:
 
Anyone want to give more input on my plexiglass reflector/heat shield idea?
Morning pics: They're both growing just how I want them to :)
Marie day 12
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Elsie day 17. She's getting big!
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^ I don't drink soda Ms. Fox lol.
To answer yalls question about the light transmittance values of plexiglass, I found a great chart on the site below. It states that all plexiglass lets threw +90% of visible light after the Ultraviolet spectrum. Look at the graph to see the change in transmittance in the light spectrum for each thickness and or type of plexiglass. FYI the photosynthetically active radiation contains the wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers.

Light Transmittance Values for Plexiglass
 
That also depends a lot on the optical quality of the plastic, glass, whatever.

It's a complex issue with more than just transmission going on. There's also reflection, refraction, etc.

I don't know why more people don't use CFL spots and floods with the built in reflector.

I've heard people say that they won't use them because the extra layer of glass reduces lumens.

Whatever effect the glass has on lumens (which seems to be none since the lumen ratings published by manufacturers for these bulbs matches the regular bulbs of the same wattage without reflectors) is more than made up for by the EXCELLENT focusing provided by the reflector which is designed to work specifically with that bulb.

I'm going to be building a DIY CFL light that uses reflector floods (or any other CFL bulbs I want to use).

I think CFL floods will outperform regular spiral CFL's because much more light is focused on the plants.

Trying to make a DIY reflector for a CFL is a pretty foolish endeavor in my opinion, when the manufacturer provides a bulb with an optimized reflector.

regards,

SS
 
I agree with you SS. The reason I did not go with flood lights is because of my cost restraints. A 30w 1600 lumen floodlight costs $9 and a 30w 2000 lumin spiral costs $3.50. I wish I could have gone with a spotlight above each plant and a 42w spiral between the 2 but I couldn't afford it. I had to make lots of compromises with this grow due to a budget of $0. Everything I buy puts me over budget lol.
 
setting sun said:
I don't know why more people don't use CFL spots and floods with the built in reflector...I'm going to be building a DIY CFL light that uses reflector floods (or any other CFL bulbs I want to use). I think CFL floods will outperform regular spiral CFL's because much more light is focused on the plants.
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Wow, that makes a lot of sense. I think I might try that in the near future...
 
dfw-guy said:
I agree with you SS. The reason I did not go with flood lights is because of my cost restraints. A 30w 1600 lumen floodlight costs $9 and a 30w 2000 lumin spiral costs $3.50. I wish I could have gone with a spotlight above each plant and a 42w spiral between the 2 but I couldn't afford it. I had to make lots of compromises with this grow due to a budget of $0. Everything I buy puts me over budget lol.
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I can get a 4-pack of 23w CFL floods at Costco for $10.

That's the only vendor I've found that has good prices on them.

The 42w spiral CFL's are also a good choice for bang for the buck, but I think the reflector on the floods will really make a difference in yield.

regards,

SS
 
Night update. Not much to say, everything's going great. Girls grew a lot today.
Marie's getting to a rapid growth stage. It's like she just wants to be as big as Elsie.
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The topping seems to have worked.
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Hey dfw-guy Looking good and I like your thread! I would hold out till Aug 20th if you can, that lil bit extra veg time will help. GL
 
dfw-guy said:
Wasn't planning on it. I'm planning on topping Marie too though.
BTW As far as a schedule goes, I have until Aug. 20th to start flowering. I'll probably start in a week though.
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remember it's not about when YOU want to flower them, but when THEY are sexually mature enough to produce flowers, (fingers crossed that they're girls!!):ganjamon::rasta:
 
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