Choosing grow lights

[Leafmite]

One of our friends is a firefighter and they put out a fire from someone growing orchids in a cabinet with lights. The lights had started the fire. He told us because he knows I grow plants under lights. Poorly made electrical gadgets of any type can cause a short but lights are on for long periods of time, often when we are not at home (on timers) so it is important to buy decent quality lights.

I also have mine plugged into a power strip with an internal circuit breaker that should trip if there is a short. This was recommended to me. I have no idea how much better that is, though.

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

One of our friends is a firefighter and they put out a fire from someone growing orchids ... it is important to buy decent quality lights.

The lights are not the only potential source of fire. Be sure not overload the timer, extension cords, or any other devices. I had a plug nearly catch fire because of poor contact with the power trip conductors. The point of contact has high resistance and heated up.

Orchid lights, and related equipment is no more likely to start a fire than anything else in your home, but it can be if you don't take stock of equipment ratings. And don't enclose or block the vents of electrical equipment that generates noteworthy amounts of heat.


-Keith

[Leafmite]

LED lights are usually safer on the who than the fluorescent and halogen lights as they draw much less power and give off less heat. So that is a plus. As long as they are of good quality and are not faulty, it is a very good option. Some of the cheaper ones, though, can easily short/get very hot.

[Pollicino]

Thank you, guys! I was already half-convinced not to buy anything from Amazon, but now...
I couldn't go out every morning leaving those lights on... after reading of houses catching fire. No no. Besides, many grow lights emit in the NIR (right?). So, even if they're LED lights, that's heat. And I've also heard of cheap lamps emitting UV light... no no.

Going back to my questions are your answers (thank you!)...
Unfortunately, I can't fit light bars in a nice way. The only space left for orchids is on top of a shelf in my living room. Any lighting has to be somehow aesthetically pleasant.

I may have come up with a solution. Have you heard of GEMMA lights? They are not cheap, however.

I've narrowed it down to 9W and 18W E27 light bulbs. But I can't decide between these two. What is it best? One larger light or two smaller ones? Maybe two because it is easier to direct two light sources than one?

I would mount them in a desk lamp. Is that a good idea? Or more ventilation is needed?

[Shadeflower]

way to make me feel a bit concious about a fire Leafmite.

Although I did once burn a hole into my laminate flooring with an LED light.

If anyone thinks they don't produce heat.... do not place a 50 watt led diode directly on the floor and turn it on.

That started smoking within seconds and left a charred spot!

So as I found out LED's do produce a lot of heat which is why they need to be kept with plenty of air flow.

Most people think LED's don't produce heat anymore, they do, it just gets transfered to the air via a heat plate.

I'm not an expert but I was amazed at the heat generated - was like a laser beam

But they do produce less heat than any other light source.

Anyway back on topic.

The last question has been the 18 watt or the 9 watt.

First question is can you buy the 18 watt? I know I couldn't.

So that should be criteria nr 1.

Second how many phals are you trying to light? This will determine how much space you need to light and how much light you will need.

I think K-sci has given the best answer in terms of safety. I think the price difference is shocking personally and I use the cheaper lights.

If just buying one light then getting the safest one is worth it - they last 10 years but like K-sci I believe it comes down to how you use it more.

An led light that is strong enough can be a bit of a hazard. like if you place a blanket over it.

Anway, that 9 watt bulb should be enough for roughly 6 phalaenopsis plants.

2 x 9 watt would be enough for 12.

You will like those arcadia bulbs, they are definetely a wise investment as if they last 10 years they work out as €4 per year.

That is one thin I cannot comment on yet - how long the cheaper lights will run for.

Like I tried the secret jardin led lights and they only last 2 years!

[Leafmite]

I didn't mean to make you feel any awkwardness, Shadeflower. Our local news don't even cover house fires anymore...we see a house burned down but nothing is said about it. We would not have known if our friend had not warned us after the fire.

My ballast that holds the LED's does get quite warm but as long as the plants don't touch the ballast, they don't get cooked...unlike the fluorescent lights...the first year I killed a bunch of orchids because the lights were too close. Another lesson that was learned the hard way....
Most of the little trees get brown upper leaves from growing too close to the lights, too. This is one of the reasons I want to eventually switch to LED's.

[Shadeflower]

No worries leafmite, you just made me conscious of giving out advice about electrical products.

It reminded me of a review I read recently where the person recommended it to clients after trying the product - the clients were sent fake products which obviously reflects badly on the person making the recommendation.

But we should all switch to LED's. They literally pay for themselves. That is how I have justified replacing my fluorescents, anything the led's cost they make up for in saved electricity within a couple of years. (also improved growth vs fluorescent)