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Return to the Growing under Lights Forum | Post a Follow-Up

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why use cfl

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Posted by jeremyjs (My Page) on
Fri, Oct 31, 08 at 16:09

I was just wondering why people use cfl bulbs for growing? I was crunching the numbers and even a cheap 4' t12 with good full spectrum bulbs will only cost you 20 bucks or less and put out about 6000 lumens for about 80w of power. Sure you can buy some descent reflectors to put CFL's in, but It's not too hard and extremely cheap to coat some cardboard or similar material with aluminum and make a descent reflector out of it your self. Heck most of the cfl's I looked at that put out that kind of light were in the $50-$60 range and were less efficient by 5-8%. Please enlighten me. I'm not trying to in any way put down those that do use CFL's I'm just curious as to why.

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RE: why use cfl

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CFL's are not as expensive as they used to be, but you are right about the 4' being cheaper and (perhaps- and I'll explain) more efficient. I think the main advantage of using CFL's is the ability to create more flexible setups and controlling light spread in better ways. for some cases this may also mean using your light in a more efficient way.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to get better prices on grow lights.

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RE: why use cfl

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Yeah I guess there are some situations where they could be advantageous, but unless you absolutely need them for something it really seems like they'd cost a lot more to use than 4' tubes. You get about 59 lumen/watt with those 105 watt bulbs you linked too. I can get a complete t12 fixture with 75 lumen/watt 6500k daylight tubes for $20 at the local farm supply store. Although the spotlight effect you could get with a cfl and a good reflector could be nice.

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RE: why use cfl

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The big advantage to the 23w CFL's is that you can buy them practically everywhere, and they're small enough to fit anywhere. Your big T12, T8, etc fixtures are ideal for top-down lighting if you've got the room for it, but for supplemental side lighting or cramped grow spots the "twisty bulb" CFL is king.

Fluorescents don't penetrate a canopy very well (compared to sunlight or HIDs) so the side-lighting can be important for dense foliage.

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RE: why use cfl

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For me it was a simple question of space. I don't really have room for a 4' fixture nor do I need that big of a light. I only have about 40-50 seedlings. A 4' light would be over kill. I made a small fixture that holds 2 CFL's. Problem solved.

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RE: why use cfl

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I started using them because of my grow chamber and benc-h. I would have had to get six shop lights, each using 80 watts, to cover the area I have. But three 105-watt lights do the same.

Last year, I found that I could cover ~12 sf. with one 105 watt bulb. Couldn't come close to that with a shop light.

YMMV,

Mike

  
 

 

 


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