14x1750=1750 WTF, Small Cfl Array, Input Appreciated

P@ssw0rd

P@ssw0rd

New Member
Ok so i built a light with 7 back to back double sockets.like this crude diagram shows,I was inspired by a board member who had the best cfl grow i had ever seen, they were using the same type of sockets,I would love to give them credit but i can't find it anymore, anybody remember the one i mean post a link.

@-T-@
@-T-@
@-T-@ @=bulb
@-T-@
@-T-@
@-T-@
@-T-@
|
|
PLUG

I attached the sockets horizontally to an 18" piece of 2" x 2" pine wired em all up to a single plug. The whole thing has approx a 3" profile. So i thought i was doing great, See what i wanted a 2' 4 bulb t5 setup but kinda tapped out and high so i "Got my work on" and tried to build something to do the same job in the same place. I populated it with 12 x 26watt 6500k
2 x 26watt 2700k there are each like 1750 lumen's i think
But i just read something in a post here on RIU that i need to know more about, It was just mentioned almost as an afterthought that adding together many smaller CFL's didn't increase lumens past that a single bulb is rated for, rather it just increased the area of coverage. So all 14 of my 1750 watt bulbs going at once is still only 1750 watts??? PLEASE SAY IT AIN"T SO??? But if that is the case let me know. HOW MANY LUMENS DO I REALLY HAVE? Fuck it if my light is useless I'll just do what everybody does with there worthless homemade lights. Paint it call it "One of a kind" and sell the bitch on ebay, LOL I will be double posting this in an attempt to get more feedback. If anybody has a real problem with this please let me know.
Peace and thanks for your help:joint:
 
C

C_Pac

Well-Known Member
P@ssw0rd said:
So all 14 of my 1750 watt bulbs going at once is still only 1750 watts??? PLEASE SAY IT AIN"T SO??? But if that is the case let me know. HOW MANY LUMENS DO I REALLY HAVE? If anybody has a real problem with this please let me know.
Peace and thanks for your help:joint:
Click to expand...
You're freaking me out with your new math.

I don't think you have 1750 watt bulbs. Maybe you have a number of bulbs, which when added together, draw 1750 watts.

Wattage is a measure of the power you're drawing. It adds.

Lumens is a measure of light intensity. It adds, but diminishes with distance from source(s).

Spectrum, by frequency, is a measure of the "color" or quality, or kind of light. It doesn't add, really, except as a function of luminosity.
 
VictorVIcious

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
Not a cfl expert, several including Humbolt (Mentioned in SeeMoreBuds book) are so you will want to check his thread out. It sounds to me like you have a fine array for raising seedlings and clones. If you are going to floer with those same bulbs you may have to adjust to some thing more flexible than having them in just 18" of space. Check out Gardens Knowns Thread of Light Proximaty and cfl's. He grw 8oz of bud from three plants using 8-42 watt cfl's might want to check that out. Where is your journal and where are your pictures?? VV
 
S

sicknasty

Well-Known Member
haha you just need to toke one and calm down.

14 lights x 26w = a total of 364 watts
14 lights x 1750 lumens = 24,500 total lumens

This should be plenty to grow 2 big plants or 4 smaller ones. It should work well on 2 big ones (1 month or more veg) if you keep them close to the light and have your walls white or covered in mylar. The kelvin ratings you have up now are good for vegetation (16-24) hours of light every 24 hours. You need to switch out alot of the 6500k bulbs with 2700k bulbs for flowering say 10 2700k 26w and 4 6500k 26w. Good luck with your grow and start a journal for us so we can watch em grow!

check out my ghetto grow if you want the link is in my sig!
 
JohnnyBravo

JohnnyBravo

Well-Known Member
If lumens can't bee added than answer this....would a 1000 flashlights aimed at one point be brighter than 1....Hmmmmmm
 
jeff f

jeff f

New Member
your setup is fine. i use something similar with an added 150 w hps. you have to keep the cfl's a little closer but other than that, you will be able to grow some nice bud.

jeff

ps lumens add together so 2 @ 1700 = 3400 lumens
watts add together so 2 @ 26 watts = 52 watts
watts are a product of voltage X amps so amps = Volts/watts (important when drawing from a breaker panel)
so 110v/100w = just over 1 amp on a 110 volt line
220v/100w = just over .5 amps

do the math with everything you are running off a single curcuit and make sure you arent overloading your wiring. with a little over 300 watts, you are just fine on any wiring that meets code.

another good idea is to run everything off a protected electrical strip- usually 15 or 20 amps. they cost less than 10 bucks at walmart
 
P@ssw0rd

P@ssw0rd

New Member
C_Pac, your right , twice in a row i said watts, i meant lumens, sorry
As for the lights, it's only intended purpose is for cloning and a very short veg period[like 2 weeks] It has already proved to be quite capable for these tasks. Made great clones with just a bulb or 2 then i switched out the tray and dome for a tiny flood and drain system i made from a rubbermaid and a kitty litter tray, throw the clones in 3.5" net pots fill with hydroton and away they go under the cfl's till they veg a little then they go to bud in the top part of my cab or to a friends soil filled closet. Working great but i would still love to know how many lumens do i really have? Just curiosity really. Thanks for all the help.
 

Attachments

Garden Knowm

Garden Knowm

The Love Doctor
as far as I understand... LUMENS can not be "added" up... if you have 2 bulbs with 2600 lumens each, then you have 2600 lumens... add 6 more bulbs, and you still have 2600 lumens...

Imagine if you have a guy riding a tandem bike... he is pedaling at 20 revolutions a minute... then you add another guy, and they still pedal at 20 revolutions a minute.. they can now cover twice the distance,... but they will not go any faster...

I am not sure if this is true.. BUT this is how I understand lumens... as they were explained to me from an uber geel..

iloveyou
 
C

CptBuzz

Active Member
But!! if you add double the bulbs you double the growth or Distance if you might say Garden knowm:) more lumen POWER:) peace
 
C

C_Pac

Well-Known Member
You can add lumens. It's a rough estimate of actual output hitting the plant. But when you're adding bulbs you're distributing the source(s). Imagine you have 2 bulbs on either side of the plant, each giving off 2600 lumens. Your *plant* is effectively benefiting from 5200 lumens, just not all on the same part of the plant.

You have to keep in mind that lumens dissipate drastically with distance so if your array is set up so that some bulbs are farther from the plant than others they are much less effective.

Since CFLs produce so much less light right at the origin than hids, the way the array distributes can make a huge difference.
 
JohnnyBravo

JohnnyBravo

Well-Known Member
I use six 2' T5 Ho flouros...all mounted to a single board....If I turn off a couple of them, the light dims....Like comparing 5 o-clock PM Light to High noon....adding lights definitely increases lumens
 
Dr G.Thumb

Dr G.Thumb

Well-Known Member
JohnnyBravo said:
If lumens can't bee added than answer this....would a 1000 flashlights aimed at one point be brighter than 1....Hmmmmmm
Click to expand...
In terms of Intensity, no its not any brighter. Its perceived as being brighter by your eyes simply due to the fact that there is more light from multiple lights vs one which just increases the coverage area.
 
JohnnyBravo

JohnnyBravo

Well-Known Member
Dr G.Thumb said:
In terms of Intensity, no its not any brighter. Its perceived as being brighter by your eyes simply due to the fact that there is more light from multiple lights vs one which just increases the coverage area.
Click to expand...
Ummmm.....the coverage area is the same if they are all pointed at one spot
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top