CFLs Are Getting Too Hot

Ok so I have 2 CFLs right now on a little Y splitter socket and ive noticed that the bulbs get pretty hot. They are at the point where they burn my hand and these bulbs are supposed to be cool. I was thinking about going and buying bright white CFLs, but im worried those will get hot also. Anyone have any ideas on what to do?

Do you have a fan in the grow space?

yes i have a fan at the top near the lights to suck all of the hot air out. It works great but i still dont want my bulbs so damn hot

What are the wattages on them?

Cant help it man, i can imagine a 400W+ HID bulb would get alot hotter then CFLs

im using low watt bulbs for now since the plant is only a week old but they are 15w bulbs

if you have a fan with good enough air flow blowing across the cfls it cools them a lot.

Hrm, those really shouldn't be that hot. Anyone else have ideas?

ok thanks for the quick responses guys. maybe my new bulbs wont we so hot....

maybe im running too much electricity through them?

the idea is it's not that hot. That is a low wattage bulb. I have a single 42, that I can cup in my hand while running 24/0. Not that I would. but I could, if I wanted to feel a little skin melt, lol.

i run 2 y splitters with 4 42w bulbs all together. if i dont have fans blowing right on them they get pretty hot to the touch. with a fan dispersing the heat i can wrap my hand around them. maybe not the case for you who knows. also is your grow room hot?

well near the top of my container it gets about 85 degrees F but at the bottom it stays at around 80

Way to hot for your plants. You must kick up the vents. and how is the humidity????

I think you're CFL's are normal.

My CFL's (27w red spectrum and 42w blue spectrum) get "hot" to the touch. I can wrap my hand around them and hold it there but it's definitely "hot". So do all the CFL's I have in various fixtures around my house. I keep air blowing across my grow CFL's and that keeps them cooler to the touch than others I have in desk lamps and whatnot. But they're never going to feel cool to the touch.

CFL's do get "hot", it's just they are comparatively cool compared to other types of light. Try wrapping your hand around an HID light (even a tiny wattage one). THAT's hot.

Kaosisglobal said:

the idea is it's not that hot. That is a low wattage bulb. I have a single 42, that I can cup in my hand while running 24/0. Not that I would. but I could, if I wanted to feel a little skin melt, lol.

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Thank you, that is what I said.

And I have a 400 HPS with no exhaust. So I know what that hot feels like inches away. And it's intensity, will blow you away.

No way, just run a fan directly on them, and there cool to the touch.
I have a 7 doller walmart 3-fixture with 3 Y splitters on them. Runs fine.
3x 27w Daylight
2x 27w Cool white
1x 42w Cool white

I switch off between fan on lights and fan pointed toward window