Lights...again.

[Bradfo69]

Having moved a few times and rarely having enough windowsill space facing the right direction has forced me to pursue growing most of my stuff under lights.

Like others, I have the cursory florescent setup(s) obtained cheaply from Home Depot in addition to some experiments with HID.

In my bedroom, over top of a dresser, I used a bracket shelving system to hang a 2 x 4 foot lay in troffer usually seen in drop ceiling with acoustical tiles. It uses T- 8 bulbs and I'm using a 50:50 mix of cool white and warm white (actually Phillips "Daylight" and "Kitchen and Bath") These are, I believe 5000k and 3400k. I have them approximately 4" above the foliage of about 40 paphs. Mottled and green leafed plus a few other things thrown under there to observe. (Couple small phals, a BLC, a neobethamia gracilis and some unopened flasks. The plants sit in a "boot tray" like you toss your wet winter boots on when you come in from outdoors, filled with river gravel and water. So far, and I've only used it a couple months, I've been pleased. I run an oscellating (sic.) fan about 3 feet way which blows back and forth, covering the whole setup.
I don't have any major questions with this set up.

In the basement, there is an old powder room with nothing in it but a toilet. Cinder block walls, cement floor and wooden rafters above. My other flourescent lights are in there which is comprised of cheap $7 shop light fixtures holding two 48" bulbs each. Each shelve has two shop lights, each with a warm and cool white bulb. Again, generally about the same degrees kelvin.

In the ceiling, and this is where it gets interesting, I bought a 70 watt high pressure sodium light that you might traditionally mount on a garage or pole. I remove the plastic shroud so the bulb is fully exposed. Next to it is a 100 watt mercury vapor light set up the same way. I decided this wasn't enough and 4' away mounted another pole style 185 watt mercury vapor light. I've read mixed reviews about mercury vapor but metal halide has been too difficult and expensive to obtain. (Lowes just started selling one about 100 watts for $65.) I'm fairly pleased with this. Enought that I had to make another temporary setup when I got a little overzelous with my plant purchasing using another 70 watt HSP and a 185 watt mercury vapor in a corner of the basement and draped the whole thing in white shower curtains to reflect back the light and help contain humidity. What I'm NOT happy about and have a question about is the amount of electricity being used for this set up. Home Depot sells a product manufactured by Lights of America that is a 65 watt compact flourescent bulb designed (because of the ballast) to be screwed in place of a 185 watt mercury vapor. They claim it's brighter, the color is more white than blue, and more energy efficient. The brightness lumens on the box are higher than the mercury vapor but the photopic lumens on the box is less. I want to try it but it's a $20 bulb. I'm just not sure about it yet. Lights of America has been unresponsive to my questions. Anyone familiar with it or using compact flourescents in general?

Also, on this forum, I'm reading about people using T-5's. A T-5 to me is a compact flourecent or a very thin tubed straight bulb. I'm reading that many of you are stating they're almost too bright! Yet they seem to be less wattage than T-12 bulbs or T-8's. I don't get it.
Am I understanding you correctly? Now...on that note, I was a a seminar in my local library the other day and looking up, noticed they had what looked like a compact flourescent bulb in a recessed fixture that was so bright I had to turn my eyes away. I thought maybe this was what you were talking about but have yet to see anything like it at Home Depot or Lowes. Maybe I need to go to a specialty lighting store.
Any suggestions? I'm really concerned about efficient electrical usage since I'm living at home with an aging parent temporarily and this is all going on their electric bill.

Thanks!

[Tindomul]

Hi, T-5's are supposed to be the most efficient. Most light for least wattage. I've never heard that they are too bright though, but they are bright indded. I can grow outdoor plants under 5 of these T-5 bulbs. The only bad thing, is even though they loose less heat than other bulbs per watt, they still give off more heat because they are often made to produce more watts.

[smartie2000]

interesting there. how big are T-5's?
I just grow with two shop lights right now plus every windowsill, but I see in the future I will need to expand.

[Ross]

T5s definitely produce more lumens per watt of energy consumed but they do that at 95 degrees F as opposed to T12 which is measured and intended for 72 degrees. I have to run a small fan across mine (between light bank and terrarium as it gets pretty warm in terrarium otherwise. Also lumen output is measured at the bulb. Even though my light bank puts out approx 2000 FC, that is at the bulb. A foot away it's much less than that. I grow Haraellia and other shade-tolerant spp about 20-25" from bulbs and others that want more light about 10" from bulbs.

[HDCochran]

In addition to more lumens per watt, T5s can be mounted to give the light in a smaller area; so, more foot-candles fall on a nearby plant. They are thus a lot "brighter." Also, you can use efficient solid state ballast which produces much less heat than cheaper ballasts. I have a 4-tube T5 light in an enclosed glass orchidarium and the air temperature is only about 5F higher than the ambient.

[Tindomul]

Do you have any pictures of your lighting setup? I would like to see them. Or where did you get your light setup? Thanks.

[HDCochran]

I bought it on eBay (see eBay: T5 FLUORESCENT FLUOREX GROW LIGHT = 400 MH compact CFL (item 260083048456 end time Feb-06-07 21:00:00 PST) ). I'll post a photo when I complete some work on the orchidarium.

[gerneveyn]

FWIW I found an informative site on lighting [The Krib] Lighting

[Bradfo69]

Wow. I just went back and re-read my post. Sorry about the typo's. I'm normally not that bad.

O.k....I'm sold on the idea of trying some compact flourescents since they can be screwed into a traditional base and can be set up however you want to configure them. I'm all for maximum output per watt. I am curious though if anyone has seen the 65 watt replacement bulb working in a 185 mercury vapor fixture. Apparently some municipalities ban mercury vapor lights and this is marketed as a flourescent substitute that is supposed to be really bright. Brighter in fact, than mercury vapor. (Yet "photopic" lumens are lower and I think that's what the plants actually need.)

[Ross]

No I haven't actually seen it however I offer this caveat: When you buy a compact flourescent (and I've bought a bunch!) you buy the ballast along with the tube. Yes they are compact, and if that is what you need, fine. But they aren't cheap over the long haul. I can't comment on how they do against other similar non-flourescent products. Also keep in mind the newer T5 solutions (which includes compact flourescents which are wrapped T5s) have VERY low mercury content. This is important to many communities as they become more aware of what is going in their landfills.