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What do you think of this light?

I picked this light up from Lowes yesterday. I couldn't find any info on the internet about it, but I did find some about the bulb.
The light is a Utilitech L-90 Fluorescent Floodlight, takes a 65 watt bulb.
The box says it puts out 4100 lumens. (sorry for the cell phone pics)
img0138b.jpg




I bought a spare bulb, which I was able to (kind of) find information on.
img0140dxf.jpg


The spare bulb is made by Feit, and it is model BPFML65/65K. Now, looking on the Feit website, I found the BPFML55/64K, which looks identical to the bulb I bought, but is 55 watts. The 55 watt bulb puts out 3300 lumens at a color temp of 6400 (obviously, the bulb I bought has a color temp of 6500).

One problem/question is, the light comes with a glass cover that says "UV Filter". I have looked into this, and have seen differing opinions on this. Should I use the glass or not? The bulb is fluorescent, so I don't think heat will be a problem.


I liked this setup because it is compact. A setup of 4 foot fluorescent tubes is way too big for my application. I am going to hang this light above a few Cephs, maybe a few other plants, but I don't need much space.
My original plan was to get a few CFL(the 5-year bulbs that fit in a regular light socket) and put them over the plants, but I liked how this light has a built in reflector.

What do you guys think of this light? I can always return it and go with something like 4 of the 5-year bulbs and make my own reflector(or use the clip on shop lights)

Here are pics of the light itself.


img0136yri.jpg

img0137zrg.jpg
 
How Big is the growingarea you want to use this light?
I have calculated little bit for you and ths lamp gives you 9166lux on a 60x60cm area which is enough for cepahlotus and L/L nepenthes.
Highland Nepenthes should be grow with minimum of 11000lux
 
thats a cool light! how much was it?
ive never heard of a uv filter used on a flourescent. (or any kind of light). i think you should take it off. it cant possibly be more intense than the suns uv's and your plants would probably benefit for the extra spectrum, possibly more coloring etc

heres an interesting link i found while researching lights for my planted aquarium. it might be of some use

http://saurama.aqua-web.org/
 
I'm just going to be putting the plants on a shelf. For my purposes right now, I need it for 2 Cephs and maybe 1 Nep. Each planted is in their own 4 or 5 inch pot.

If my collection expands, obviously so will my lighting, but I will be moving in a year, so I can worry about it then(hopefully I'll have a rack by then).

The light was $40 and came with a bulb, the replacement bulb was $40. They had it on display with the outdoor security/flood lights, but I wasn't able to find it on their website.
 
Dude!! That light seems pretty powerful to me. Atleast in comparison to the small crappy fixtures and bulbs I use. That is clearly above and beyond the regular CFL bulbs u were planning on getting.
 
Try agrosun, I use those and Vitalite
 
Twigs, with this light you are giving up efficiency for compactness...

In most any fluorescent fixture half the bulb is pointed in the wrong direction... so we use reflectors and thin bulbs... but here the bulb design blocks the reflector from doing its job. Look at all the surface area that is pointed not to the plant but to other parts of the bulb, another inefficiency. (Commonly referred to as "restrike")

However, don’t get me wrong... this fixture (and cfl's in general) put a lot of energy into a small area. They just doesn’t approach the efficiency of a standard straight fluorescentT5 tube bulb. Sometimes this is a fair trade off... but I wouldnt use a bunch of them to illuminate an entire plant rack.

Be aware that also condenses the thermal signature as well

It may be the right light for your application. This is something you will have to determine... :)
 
I'm very satisfied witht he light output, but I'm running into a problem. I have the plants on a wooden shelf about 6 inches below the light. I recenly bought a thermometer that measures min/max temp and humidity. The thermometer was getting up to 93 F, even in the air conditioning (room temp was in the mid 70's). I'm not sure if this is because I have a solid shelf beneath, or if it is because the shelf is dark (and absorbs the heat?)

Anyway, I put a fan on the plants, and now they stay at a much cooler 77 F. I'm growing 2 (new) cephs, and they were closing their lids. I'm not sure if its because they are in shock from shipping, or too hot, or not getting enough humidity (also put a humidifer next to the shelf), or all of the above.

I'm wondering if I could put the plants on a wire rack to keep them off of the solid shelf. Would this cool off the plants (so I could discontinue the fan use)?

I'm also looking at making a makeshift 1 or 2 shelf grow rack with some T-8 bulbs (I will need this in addition to what I have now if I do start TCing). How hot do T-8's get? I was reading that T-5's run very hot, while T-12s run quite cool, so I'm gussing T-8s are right in the middle?

I would use 2 - 2 bulb fixtures per shelf, and use some kind of open grating so that the heat doesn't build up on the shelves.
 
Saw this coming...

You are probably running into humidity issues with the fan running.

The cold spot temp of T8 compared to T5 is typically 35C as opposed to 45C. However, the cold spot is in a different location. In the T8 and T12 format the cold spot is in the center of the bulb, whereas in T5 it is close to the end. Since the cold spot is in the middle of the T8/T12 it usually poses less of an issue for the cp'er.

Bulb output is proportional to cold spot temps. This is why they may appear dim when first turned on while ambient temps are low.

The 4' T8 are also 32 watts as opposed to the 40w of the T12 and the 54w of the T5HO. The advantage of the 32w T8 over the 40w T12 is the decreased amount of glass, phosphor and the increased reflector efficiency. These efficiencies are then taken to a whole new level with the T5HO format.

At first glance you would think the lower wattage of the T8 compared to the T12 would mean a reduction in heat. Not necessarily so, T8's do have a lower wattage but also have less thermal mass to dissipate their heat

CFL's can be T5, T4 or even T2... so their temps can be even higher per watt of power

You have basically run into the common catch-22 that comes along with boosting light levels. More light in a given area equals higher temps. Higher temps require more air circulation. More air ciculation usually results in lower humidity. Lower humidity then requires it's own supplementation.

There are already some really good, in-depth threads on this subject that you should look at if you haven’t already.

Most lights will grow plants... but if you want all you can get, then those extra photons comes with a price,

suggested article: http://www.aquabotanic.com/lightcompare.htm

Did that help or just muddy the waters LOL,

There are rarely black and white answers

Here are two pictures of the exact same plant, grown under the exact same bulbs using the same fixture. Only the reflector is different.
(these are high PUR (and low lumen!!)T12's)

before.jpg


after.jpg


HTH's
Av
 
  • #10
Well that solves it. I'm moving to Albany so I can grow my Ceph's outside.

Well maybe not. I did go out and get a rack of shelves to use as a grow light, along with some T8 fixtures. My plants were pretty cramped underneath the first light I bought, and if I do decide to start experimenting with TC, I will need the room. I'm sure I can find a use for the other light, but for now I think I'll go with the 'standard' 48" lights.

And WOW that is quite a difference. What are HTH's? Is that a brand/type of reflector? Do you have a recommendation on where I could pick some up?
 
  • #11
HTH = "hope this helps"

line your shop light's reflector with mylar

;)
 
  • #12
Av8tor1

Thank you so much for your help. I was going to get some mylar to put around the sides/back anyway, so I can use that to line the reflectors. Right now the temp is right below 80 without the fan!

I still might use the humidifier while I wait on the mylar to come in.
 
  • #13
Just wondering if anyone else used this light and how well it worked for them?
 
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