Who knows where to buy mylar?

JustBaked

Active Member
Hey everyone, just wondering if anyone knows where to buy mylar. I'm starting a grow hopefully next week and need it before i can go too much further building my box. Thanks for the help.
 

BongJuice

Well-Known Member
Don't buy mylar....
Mylar works, but there are other types refelective material you can get that is more efficient.
I use panda film. It's white on one side and black on the other. The white acts as your reflector, and the black helps fight mold & mildew.
Plus, when cleaning your grow area, you should spray down your walls every so often. When using the panda film it doesn't smear when you wipe it down. Mylar leaves smear marks.
Plus, mylar creates hot spots in your grow area.

You can buy Panda film at just about any Hydro shop.
 

Untold

Well-Known Member
Cheapest solution is wrapping paper. Just make sure its the light aluminum type and it will work just as well as mylar.
 

rkm

Well-Known Member
I found mylar is a pain in the ass trying to put it in a box, especially if its a rubbermaid grow box. I ended up ripping it off and painting it white just after my first grow.
 

Drizzle

Well-Known Member
Yea, Ive used mylar on grows before, and ive found that flat white is just as effective if not moreso.

You should be able to find mylar at a hydro store if you have any, otherwise im sure you could find it somewhere like Michael's craft store or something.
 

JustBaked

Active Member
Im using a cardboard box so im gonna need somethin that wont create hotspots and somehow fuck up my box. Also, i need to find a way to mount an exhasut fan near the top of my box, but im having trouble thinking of a way to support the weight of the fan... any ideas?
 

rkm

Well-Known Member
Im using a cardboard box so im gonna need somethin that wont create hotspots and somehow fuck up my box. Also, i need to find a way to mount an exhasut fan near the top of my box, but im having trouble thinking of a way to support the weight of the fan... any ideas?
PC fans are light.
 

JustBaked

Active Member
Yeah ive read about people usin pc fans but idk how to wire them to a power source and i really dont want to mess something like that up and start a fire. Also, this may be a stupid ? so i appologize ahead of time, but is it possible to have too much light im starting out with only one plant and i plan on having as much as 10000 lumens on this baby, one 80 or 105w on top and as many as 4 20w surrounding her when she gets older, is this too much or is there no such thing?
 

herbose

Well-Known Member
Yeah ive read about people usin pc fans but idk how to wire them to a power source and i really dont want to mess something like that up and start a fire. Also, this may be a stupid ? so i appologize ahead of time, but is it possible to have too much light im starting out with only one plant and i plan on having as much as 10000 lumens on this baby, one 80 or 105w on top and as many as 4 20w surrounding her when she gets older, is this too much or is there no such thing?[/quot

You can't have too much light, too much heat from lights is bad.
Wiring pc fans is simple. Get a phone charger of 6v or more. I get them at a 2nd hand store for $1-$2. Cut off the end, strip the wires. Plug it in and start connecting the wires, you won't hurt the fan and only one combination will work. Tape up the connection well and there's almost no chance of fire.
Good luck with your grow.
 

JustBaked

Active Member
Ok didn't think u could have too much light and im usin cfls so i dont think heat should be a problem. How many of these case fans do u think ill need to keep about a 2x2x3 ft box well ventilated?
 

JustBaked

Active Member
Hey everyone, thanks for all the help so far just a few more ?s I was at home depot the other day and saw some big 100 cfls in the flood light section. I looked on the box but could not find any indication as to what the spectrum may be, does anyone have an idea as to what they may be? Also, would i be able find this roof paint at home depot?
 

techhead420

Well-Known Member
Buy a gallon of white roof coating, 95% reflective and easy to use when expanding your grow room.
Quoted for truth. Mylar, in my experience, is a pain in the butt. Flat white paint is nearly as effective and with the diffusion of light that you'll get with flat white paint you'll avoid hot spots on your plants which can cause burning of the plant tissue.

If you do use mylar around an ionizer, be sure that you ground out the mylar. With the high voltage ions given off by the ionizer, the mylar can build up an electrical charge (it will act as a capacitor) which can give a painful yet harmless electrical shock.
 

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
Quoted for truth. Mylar, in my experience, is a pain in the butt. Flat white paint is nearly as effective and with the diffusion of light that you'll get with flat white paint you'll avoid hot spots on your plants which can cause burning of the plant tissue.

If you do use mylar around an ionizer, be sure that you ground out the mylar. With the high voltage ions given off by the ionizer, the mylar can build up an electrical charge (it will act as a capacitor) which can give a painful yet harmless electrical shock.
If 70% vs 90+% is nearly, then ok.
Great tip about the grounding!! Bust some of us are masochists. :hump:
 

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
I *gotta* send in some samples to a place I worked to have tested.

Now, the reflective ratings, at what angle? The percentages can be *drastically* different from head on vs say 30 degrees. Now head on ratings are *useless* for a wall unless you have your lamp on the opposite wall.

I have used a spectrophotometer on a daily basis. Measuring transmission, reflectance at various angles, and done the curves for them along with the curves for photopics.

Now far from an attack. I've read so many things here, just sorting them out. You have *good* points.


3/4 of the curve of that last PDF is in the near and mid IR range! Its meant to reflect *heat* aka IR It goes out past 2200nm
hmmm....I don't know where you get 70% for white paint....it's more like 85-90%.

Observatory Paint.

LRV - Light Reflectance Value

and the roof paint suggested earlier:

http://www.astecpaints.com.au/energystar/downloads/not_just_a_white_paint.pdf
 
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