# Glass that doesn't block UV Light



## kappainf (May 25, 2010)

So most glass blocks precious UV light, regular glass blocks some UVA and most UVB light. What kinds of glass can be used that doesn't block UV? I know quartz glass dosn't block UV, but I can't seem to find any, larger glass plates.


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## alexonfire (May 25, 2010)

I think it is very hard to find one that block 100% of UV but there are some at 95% I dont know what its called. Look for greenhouse windows perhaps


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## svchop889 (May 25, 2010)

alexonfire said:


> I think it is very hard to find one that block 100% of UV but there are some at 95% I dont know what its called. Look for greenhouse windows perhaps


 I think hes trying to find glass that doesn't block UV, but yeas greenhouse glass would probably be his best bet.

what are you using it for though? a HID hood? or are you building a greenhouse, because maybe there are some plastics that don't block uv


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## stumps (May 25, 2010)

not sure why you think clear glass blocks anything.


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## Creek (May 25, 2010)

You want a glass that is not "tinned" Tinned glass will block 180-320nm wavelenths. Also glass doped with sodium carbonate will not block the same wavelenths. If you want to feel good and spend allot you can get greenhouse glass it is not floated on tin and they do not dope it. 
all oil based plastics will block shortwave they flourece blue with short wavelenth light.

If glass blocked 180-320nm you would not be able to grow plants through windows.


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## svchop889 (May 25, 2010)

stumps said:


> not sure why you think clear glass blocks anything.


 Not sure why you apparently think that 100% of light gets through clear glass, its obviously blocks some visible light even.


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## stumps (May 26, 2010)

Sorry man clear glass blocks little if any usable light for plants.


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## kappainf (May 26, 2010)

Not trying to do a greenhouse, just want a piece of glass that does not block UV for my reflectors. Glass does block UV light and UV light is good for plants especially trichome development. Like I said before, most glass doesn't block much UVA, however, it does block most UVB light. I want more UVB to get to the plants. I don't want to debate whether or not UV is beneficial for plants, because I know it is, if you don't think UV has any effects on plants then don't worry about it. Hopefully someone can help me find what I'm looking for. I looked at silica and quartz glass, but I cant find large pieces. I wonder if starphire glass would work???


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## svchop889 (May 27, 2010)

well you can get UVB CFL's and florotubes here is a link 
but your wrong about it being good for the plant its actually destructive, but it does cause the plant to produce more trichomes
I would recommend you put them on a separate timer to run 2 3 hour periods per lights on during flowering
set them to come on 2hr after lights on and the last time they are on they should go out and hour before lights off.


http://www.bigappleherp.com/Exo-Terra-Repti-Glo-10-0-Fluorescent-Lamps;jsessionid=0a0104471f437be41e841bcc4dafb3dbf11d519b34b2.e3eSbNqNc38Le34Pa38Ta38Schz0?sc=2&category=19


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## Pipe Dream (May 27, 2010)

or you could just not use the glass. There are other options for heat reduction and being able to get the light closer like light movers and or upgrading your bulb to get more light.


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## JeffersonBud (May 27, 2010)

Why not just supplement some uv light? Maybe a cheaper route then trying to find some custom glass?


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## svchop889 (May 27, 2010)

yeah see the link I posted


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## stumps (May 27, 2010)

I would like to see your info on uv light. everything I've read says nothing about trich production. Only reisin. In my uv grows I can't say that it made it any stronger. but the plants with uv had a much stronger taste/smell. I stoped with the uv lights. but would like to see how you come out. I'll bet the glass in the uv bulbs where blocking to much. lol J/k


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## kappainf (May 27, 2010)

I've thought about using supplemental UV lights. I didn't know UV was destructive to plants, because there is plenty of UV outdoors, and the closer to the equator you are the higher the UV levels are. I think plants grown outdoors closer to the equator outdoors have better quality, idk. I just want glass that doesn't block UV, I dont care if it costs a bit.


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## Big P (May 27, 2010)

i think its pointless cuz the glass around the bulb is what blocks the uv light,


i dont even use a glass cover on my light but the glass of the bulb blocks the uv light anyway

cuz ive used UVB flourecents on timers before and got a noticable tric increase


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## svchop889 (May 27, 2010)

stumps said:


> I would like to see your info on uv light. everything I've read says nothing about trich production. Only reisin. In my uv grows I can't say that it made it any stronger. but the plants with uv had a much stronger taste/smell. I stoped with the uv lights. but would like to see how you come out. I'll bet the glass in the uv bulbs where blocking to much. lol J/k


 What do trichomes produce? I already know the answer. I'm just asking you so you understand what I was trying to say a little better. I could have worded it a little better though I will admit that.


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## kappainf (May 27, 2010)

The glass on the bulbs don't block the UV light unless you buy bulbs that are UV coated so that they don't emit UV. That is why there are UV warnings on non coated halide and mercury vapor lamps.


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## kappainf (May 27, 2010)

svchop889 said:


> What do trichomes produce? I already know the answer. I'm just asking you so you understand what I was trying to say a little better. I could have worded it a little better though I will admit that.


Yeah if he had increased resin production, that means that there was an increase in trichome production and trichs are what contain all the good old THC, turpinoids, cannabinoids, and other wonderful stuff.


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## kappainf (May 27, 2010)

Anyways, when i find a company that sells larger pieces of quartz/silica glass, that doesn't block UV, I will post a link. Unless someone beats me to it.


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## Big P (May 28, 2010)

i dont know but i heard the HPS bulbs block uv light


ill try to dig it up for you guys






How can you get more UVB *light* to your plants? Certainly it's true that MH lamps emit more UVB *light* than *HPS* lamps. Still the amount that MH lamps emit is small. In fact, many manufacturers use UVB shielding glass to filter out most of the UVB that's produced. The UVB *light* the plant receives from an MH lamp does increase the plant's potency slightly at the cost of yield, but there are better ways to introduce UVB *light* into the grow room. They include reptile lights, which emit about 10% UVB, and tanning lamps.
The problem with using these lamps is that they are associated with increased number of cancers and many other problems. They should not be on when you are in the grow room. Not much research has been conducted on using them to produce higher THC values. I will do a full report in a future issue.


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## stumps (May 28, 2010)

Shit. Now I have to go find this stuff. but pretty sure trich's and resin are not one and the same.


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## kappainf (May 29, 2010)

Big P said:


> i dont know but i heard the HPS bulbs block uv light
> 
> 
> ill try to dig it up for you guys
> ...



Yeah, hps bulbs dont really produce any significant UV. I'm getting a growzilla dual bulb reflector and I will be using a 400 halide and a 600 HPS, this is what i want to put the uv penetrating glass in. This reflector is going in a 38" x 22" x 78" cab, should be sick.


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## Creek (May 29, 2010)

kappainf said:


> Anyways, when i find a company that sells larger pieces of quartz/silica glass, that doesn't block UV, I will post a link. Unless someone beats me to it.


http://www.unitedsilica.com/new/technical-data/index.html#optical here are the optical propertys of quartz. United Silica also fabricates large peices of quartz plate glass.. Large peices of quartz and boronsilicate glass are very easy to find and extreamly expensive.


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## kappainf (Jun 1, 2010)

thanks creek, i've been to this site, i just was not able to find prices on stuff, ie 20 by 20 inch quarts glass. ill call them tomorrow


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## ElectricPineapple (Jun 1, 2010)

trichs and resin are the same. sorry to tell ya. and resin is actually not a correct term for trichs. resin is the after effect when the trichomes reach their boiling point and melt i.e. lighting the bud.


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## stumps (Jun 1, 2010)

sorry I was wrong in my whole line of thought. Resin and thc productoin is not the same. you can produce more resin with uv but may not increse the tch. This is one article on it. http://www.greenmanspage.com/guides/thc.html Not the one I wanted. Again sorry for the misunderstanding.


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## kappainf (Jun 2, 2010)

Whatever... trichs, resin, the gooey, sticky shit that contains all the good stuff... well, more of that shit is produced when UV is applied.


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## too xntrik (Jun 8, 2010)

we need Fused quartz glass. Fused Quartz glass lets in uvb to 250nm at about 50% transmission while ordinary window glass blocks 90% of all uvb light... Super expensive and limited to hospital use...treating psoriasis and other, and also the "high quality" little glass plates that you would use under a microscope. Then we wouldn't have to fool with reptile lights and the such!! The problem is after you put the glass in the reflector you cant limit its use or the exposure to the UVB. as many on this site know too much uvb on your plant will jack it up!! In most organisms it destroys DNA after too much exposure, that is why it is used in the food sanitization industry and also in HVAC system on large buildings....think VEGAS. Lots of the casinos use them. I think for now reptile bulbs on a different timing sequence will have to suffice....


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## kappainf (Jun 8, 2010)

I understand the theory that too much UV can be harmful to plants, but just think about how much UV plants are exposed to in the south around the equator. Stand out in the sun for fifteen mins near the equator and you will fry, why doesnt that hurt plants, but UV lights supposedly do?


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## ElectricPineapple (Jun 8, 2010)

well if you are saying glass in cooled hoods block UV, then i would have killed all mine. no glass in my hood. sorry guys. that glass round the bulb blocks most of the UVB


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## kappainf (Jun 8, 2010)

kappainf said:


> The glass on the bulbs don't block the UV light unless you buy bulbs that are UV coated so that they don't emit UV. That is why there are UV warnings on non coated halide and mercury vapor lamps.


The glass on the bulb doesnt block UV, I don't know why, it just doesn't. Certain bulbs have warnings unless they have UV blocking coatings.


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## kappainf (Jun 8, 2010)

ElectricPineapple said:


> well if you are saying glass in cooled hoods block UV, then i would have killed all mine. no glass in my hood. sorry guys. that glass round the bulb blocks most of the UVB


Also, I'm guessing that you are using hps bulbs which don't emit much UV. Anyways, read the thread u might learn something. Additionally, if you are implying that UV kills plants, then outdoor plants would all be dead.


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## ElectricPineapple (Jun 8, 2010)

i have man. ive kept along with it. i have a MH. used it for most of my veg. no glass on my hood still. had it 18" from my canopy for about 4 weeks. they are still alive and kicking. ha, the concentration in UV wont but UVB will. "additionally" there is not enough UVB coming from the sun because our atmosphere blocks the majority of it. whereas in your room you have no atmosphere to catch it. learn some middle school science first then you will know what im talking about. also the glass on the bulb does. unless its quartz, as you said, all galss blocks UVB. it is the silica they use in glass, which btw is sand silica and some quartzite, blocks some of the UVB. MH emits more because the Metal Halide produces more UVB, thus the glass is blocking a percentage of the UVB, not an amount. learn some science, then some physics then come talk to me.

also i am using an HPS cause im in FLOWERING, didnt know if you knew but that is the bulb you use for FLOWERING


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## kappainf (Jun 9, 2010)

You don't know what you are talking about, there is UVB outdoors.

UVB light can cause direct DNA damage. The radiation excites DNA molecules in skin cells, causing aberrant covalent bonds to form between adjacent cytosine bases, producing a dimer. When DNA polymerase comes along to replicate this strand of DNA, it reads the dimer as "AA" and not the original "CC". This causes the DNA replication mechanism to add a "TT" on the growing strand. This is a mutation, which can result in cancerous growths and is known as a "classical C-T mutation". The mutations that are caused by the direct DNA damage carry a UV signature mutation that is commonly seen in skin cancers. The mutagenicity of UV radiation can be easily observed in bacteria cultures. This cancer connection is one reason for concern about ozone depletion and the ozone hole. UVB causes some damage to collagen but at a very much slower rate than UVA.[_citation needed_]
As a defense against UV radiation, the amount of the brown pigment melanin in the skin increases when exposed to moderate (depending on skin type) levels of radiation; this is commonly known as a sun tan. The purpose of melanin is to absorb UV radiation and dissipate the energy as harmless heat, blocking the UV from damaging skin tissue. UVA gives a quick tan that lasts for days by oxidizing melanin that was already present and triggers the release of the melanin from melanocytes. UVB yields a tan that takes roughly 2 days to develop because it stimulates the body to produce more melanin.[_citation needed_] The photochemical properties of melanin make it an excellent photoprotectant. Older and more widespread sunscreen chemicals can not dissipate the energy of the excited state as efficiently as melanin and therefore the penetration of these sunscreen ingredients into the lower layers of the skin may increase the amount of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS).[18] In recent years, improved filtering substances have come into use in commercial sunscreen lotions that don't significantly degrade or lose their capacity to protect the skin as the exposure time increases (_photostable_ substances).[19]
Sunscreen prevents the direct DNA damage that causes sunburn. Most of these products contain an SPF rating to show how well they block UVB rays. The SPF rating, however, offers no data about UVA protection. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration is considering adding a star rating system to show UVA protection. A similar system is already used in some European countries.[_citation needed_]
Some sunscreen lotions now include compounds such as titanium dioxide, which helps protect against UVA rays. Other UVA blocking compounds found in sunscreen include zinc oxide and avobenzone. Cantaloupe extract, rich in the compound superoxide dismutase (SOD), can be bound with gliadin to form glisodin, an orally effective protectant against UVB radiation. There are also naturally occurring compounds found in rainforest plants that have been known to protect the skin from UV radiation damage, such as the fern _Phlebodium aureum_.

Bottom line, UVB is present outside. Glad you made it through middle school, good luck with high school.


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## ElectricPineapple (Jun 9, 2010)

wow i can copy and paste on wiki. i did not there is none. i said that the atmosphere filters a lot of it out. im done with this thread, btw im working on my masters in science, in College. what do you have, a GED? 

im done with this thread and your nonsense. just get glass.


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## kappainf (Jun 9, 2010)

Masters in science, haha. You should have learned how to write by now if that's the case. Glad to see you leave, you weren't adding anything beneficial to the thread anyway. Anyways, I contacted one of the companies listed in a previous link and they said the price for one piece of UV glass would be extremely expensive. Oh well, I guess adding fluorescent UV lighting will be the most practical solution.


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## ElectricPineapple (Jun 9, 2010)

again science, not english.


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## too xntrik (Jun 12, 2010)

ElectricPineapple said:


> well if you are saying glass in cooled hoods block UV, then i would have killed all mine. no glass in my hood. sorry guys. that glass round the bulb blocks most of the UVB


 Dude....i almost sprayed soda outta my nose when I read my post I was like what is he talkin bout...then I reread what I typed...and laughed my ass off...I guess the sativa bubble I was smokin was stronger then I thought.LOL. Of course lights in a reflector with no glass wont kill ur bud...


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## ElectricPineapple (Jun 12, 2010)

haha i know. but he think that you lose a bunch of UVB through that glass. you may lose some, but you can have it closer. You lose a lot of UVB through dissipation in the air. the farther away it is, the less UVB getting to the plants.


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