For all CFL growers: Original lighting reflector experiment, make sure youve got one

All the time I see grows with many many bulbs but no reflectors. If light is important to you (as it should be) then why not optimize the lights you have before adding new ones?
I did some Lux measurements of a 11W warm CFL and 23W cool, with and without a simple can reflector that I made in under 2 min. The results:



Theres 100-almost 300% increase in light towards the target point (plant canopy). So whoever doesnt have a reflector yet, get one!

Interesting. I don't have a light meter but am planning on getting one. Does the reading reflect LUX/square foot? What is the goal as far as lumens/square foot? I've actually been reading on this but as usual what I'm reading is confusing and contradictory. Lots of people talk about lumens/plant but that makes no sense to me as plants can vary wildly as far as to how many sq feet they cover.

Thanks

valuablevariable said:

All the time I see grows with many many bulbs but no reflectors. If light is important to you (as it should be) then why not optimize the lights you have before adding new ones?
I did some Lux measurements of a 11W warm CFL and 23W cool, with and without a simple can reflector that I made in under 2 min. The results:

Theres 100-almost 300% increase in light towards the target point (plant canopy). So whoever doesnt have a reflector yet, get one!

Click to expand...

Nice proof is in the pudding post........agreed reflected light CAN(pun)be better ,all of my fixtures reflect light down.

AimAim said:

Interesting. I don't have a light meter but am planning on getting one. Does the reading reflect LUX/square foot? What is the goal as far as lumens/square foot? I've actually been reading on this but as usual what I'm reading is confusing and contradictory. Lots of people talk about lumens/plant but that makes no sense to me as plants can vary wildly as far as to how many sq feet they cover.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Well Im not an expert with light measurement, lumen is how much light is emitted from a source and lux is how much light falls on a surface. The measurment I did shows the light intensity at that exact spot. This page lists 20.000 Lux minimum for a good grow.
I got the meter as a toy to play around with and to see at what distance from the bulb (CFL) I can still get enough light. The goal of the experiment here was to see how much light can be redirected with a reflector. I wasnt sure how much they truly help and didnt want to go around giving statistics when all I was going on was what is being rumored online.

so you conclude closer is better i take it? 10,000 lumens per sq ft seems to be an agreed on amount on this site.
i was gonna mount my secondary lights pointing at the plants now i will make sure i have reflectors with them on their sides for sure.

That was a soda can reflector?

Good objective test. Results are suprisingly strong. Are you up for another experiment?

I tried using a can reflector. I became afraid the aluminum might cause a short, either by piercing a cord or by shorting a socket. Then there is the risk of cutting one's self on a sharp edge.

I made reflectors from cheap paper plates. Cut into the plate along the radius, and cut a hole in the center. The paper can even be shaped conical with tape. Placed atop the CFL, looking like a Dennys diner lampshade.

So, what kind of lumen boost can had from the paper plate? And how does that compare to the can?

I await the publication of your data.