cfl heat?

[rollerpuffer]

Hey guys,

first post and quick question,

Which cfls would produce more heat, assuming they are in the same space and environment, and they are the same brand and spectrum:
1) 2x 26w cfls or one 42w

2) and for the more theoretical scenario:
would 2 cfls equaling 42w be hotter than one 42w

Thanks much!

 

[silent_lemon]

take what you will of this experience, but i have 2x26w in my seedling cabinet all the time, and depending upon the temperature with those lights, ill add in a 42w - and the difference between the two options i use is 79 vs 84 at its hottest. So when it is fairly cool, 70 degrees in there, ill add in the 42w, bringing it up 5-6*

in short, i really dont know which of your options is hotter, id say try both

 

[love?]

All energy that isn't used by the plant by photosynthesis will eventually be transformed into heat. Therefore the more power you use the more heat will be generated.

Two CFLs equaling 42W should produce as much heat as a single 42W CFL. That is if that is how much power they actually consume instead of just some figure that the manufacturer has written on the box.

But the 42W might be more efficient than the other option and therefore it might produce more light that can be used by photosynthesis for the same "heat" generated. Or the other way around...

The single bulb option may also seem to create more heat because it will all be concentrated in a single spot instead of divided between two... Or the other way around if the single bulb is huge (has lots of surface area). And many more variables are involved too which makes the whole thing quite complicated in the end.

So the answer to your question I suppose is something along the lines of "depends".

 

[h^2 O]

you don't have to worry about heat with the smaller 42-watt (etc) cfls. Of course you still need circulation, but you can pack a ton of those suckers in a pretty small space and not worry about anything. But when you're using 4-6 cfls you might as well get the 150hps

 

[rollerpuffer]

Thanks guys,

Yeah, i guess it comes up to a big maybe and it depends. I just thought the waste energy transformed into heat from the 2x26w'ers would be more than the waste from the 42w'er's ballast.

How small are the smaller 42w bulbs? I saw a phillips one the other day and it looked about 3 inches in diameter, pretty phat.

That would give me less space to grow in. If i used the smaller 42w bulbs, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

 

[MtnKuSh]

more lights, more lumens, more ballast, more watts = more heat ..bottom line!

2-26w should put out just about the same heat as 1-42w cfl.. two bulbs will give you better coverage being more points of light rather then 1 sorce of light. i like my 26w cfl and 42 w cfl

 

[kaotic]

 

[sidekick20]

hey guys what up i have 4-32 watt 6500k and 2-23 watt 3000k in a rubbermaid setup and its averege temp is 100 degrees wit the fans on...is that too hot??

 

[geekusa]

you don't have to worry about heat with the smaller 42-watt (etc) cfls. Of course you still need circulation, but you can pack a ton of those suckers in a pretty small space and not worry about anything. But when you're using 4-6 cfls you might as well get the 150hps

where can you find the smaller 42W CFLs?

 

[icmag.is.#1]

hey guys what up i have 4-32 watt 6500k and 2-23 watt 3000k in a rubbermaid setup and its averege temp is 100 degrees wit the fans on...is that too hot??

lol?

if you are serious than yes that is hot

 

[DrGreenThumb@OZ]

I have a 100w growlush ( Aussie made envirolight ) and I also have 2 reflectors with 2700k 24w cfl ..

without any fans going they do heat up a bit and this is what kills them sooner ...

so do the smaller globes ... and on the box it says not suitable for enclosure .. but you can getaway with this aslong as you have good cold air being blown in and hot air can escape then everything will be fine ..

I have my cfl's going 18 hours a day .. first ever indoor grow ... I plan on a vertical scrog because I have the lamp vertical ... and getting clones to put outside to flower all year round...

It's winter here and I am using a fan on low speed and it rotates the air around
and during summer months will turn fan on next higher setting.The fan is pointed downwards.

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=131601

 

[ScrubNinja]

Yo guys. I don't know how accurate this info is. My brother explained it to me and I was high and then I tried to research it online but I was high...but it goes like this....

Every light has a pf rating, power factor. One CFL I use has the pf stamped on the side but most don't. Mine (it's a 48w) is 0.6 which means it's only 60% efficient and I believe most household cfls will have pretty shitty ratings like that, although varied. I believe the pl-l's I use are >.9 which means more than 90% efficient. I believe HPS is 1.0.

If your light is not being efficient, it will give off more heat than light. It's on wikipedia but it's pretty hard for a stoner like me to understand, lol. If anyone wants to look into it, feel free, but here is about the only sentence I could understand:

In an electric power system, a load with low power factor draws more current than a load with a high power factor for the same amount of useful power transferred.

Anyways, if this is correct, this explains why person A says one thing about their bulbs heat, and person B says something else, because all CFLs can have different pf rating regardless of their wattage.

NOTE: please don't take this as gospel. I posted it cos it would seem to make sense, and someone who knows or works with electrics can clarify that. Please do.

 

[DonkeyChong]

Every light has a pf rating, power factor. One CFL I use has the pf stamped on the side but most don't. Mine (it's a 48w) is 0.6 which means it's only 60% efficient and I believe most household cfls will have pretty shitty ratings like that, although varied. I believe the pl-l's I use are >.9 which means more than 90% efficient. I believe HPS is 1.0.

If your light is not being efficient, it will give off more heat than light.

You really DO learn something new everyday.
First you got me ignoring CFM & checking mA/Static Pressure on fans - today i'm checking 'power factor' on CFLs - thanks for breaking the jargon down into stoner-managable pieces.
Mucho Appreciato ScrubNinja.

DC

 

[ScrubNinja]

No worries dude Just remember it's hearsay until someone can verify it. My brother is sort of in a related field but he's not technically an electrician, and I don't get to talk to him much. But it would seem to explain things.

Here is something freaky for ya to do at home: That Nelson 48w (real, not equiv watts) CFL is also stamped with 0.33 amps, and the power system here is 240v. There is an established formula you can use to calculate watts, lets do it, even though we know the watts is 48w right?

Watts = amps x volts

0.33 x 240 = 79.2 watts!

But if we work out 60% of that, for the pf, we end up back at 48w! I wish an electrician could explain this shit, it's driving me bonkers.