cfl breakthrough, and lumen talk

1. First off, wanted to inform you all of a revolution in growing; Odor eliminating CFLs.

Technical Consumer Products, Inc. (TCP), makers of compact florescent lighting, have created a bulb that they claim will eliminate strong offensive smells such as fish in the kitchen, musty laundry room odors or even pet smells - kitty box, anyone? Do these bulbs live up to the hype?

What sets the Fresh bulbs apart from similar compact fluorescent bulbs is the fact that they are coated with Titanium Dioxide. When the light is turned on, it activates the coating which releases "extremely strong" odor fighting oxidizers. This oxidation process is supposed to "break down odors completely."

I was skeptical, but after the research i bought an odor eating cfl today from home depot. It works and I am scrapping my carbon filter and air freshners. This unique product provides outstanding 2700k spectrum light, and works for thousands of hours as a bullet-proof odor eliminator.

2. Thoughts on lumens per plant....

First off, wanted to clarify a couple of things with everybody. For simplicity this post will skip mean lumens, foliage light depletion, refraction, and reflection.

Lumens do not add up when taking an equal light source and multiplying it. Lumens are a measure of the intensity of the light source. Think of cfls as you would think of computer case fans. The air moved by the fans does not speed up the more you stack, you simply get more fans moving more overall air...

This is important when taking into account foliage penetration, and increasing marginal utility with respect to overall illumination. 30-42 watt cfl bulbs are most efficient with respect to luminosity (68 or so lumens per watt), and provide a luminous intensity of 2000 to 2800 lumens.

Furthermore, a plant can absorb multiple light sources, and these overlap eachother. Packaging on a light bulb measures lumens given out by the bulb in all directions, not with a giant reflector on it, so this single bulb bombards anything with lumens with a clear line of sight to it.

Lets say you have 3 plants positioned around a 42 watt cfl. All 3 plants are exactly 2 inches (same distance) from the cfl bulb in the middle, the cfl bulb is 2800 lumens.

Question: How many lumens are each plant getting?

Answer: 2800!

The trick is to have your plant getting hit by as many cfls as possible at the same time. This does not increase the lumenous intensity your plant is getting, but it does increase the quantity of light your plant is getting from certain directions. If your plant is getting 1650 lumens from one side because it is 4 inches away from a 2050 lumen cfl, and on the other side it is right next to a 2050 lumen cfl getting a full 2050 lumens, then in theory the plant is being exposed to 3700 lumens of light at varying intensities from different angles.

Photosynthesis occurs when light passes through plant matter, specifically leaves and buds. The higher the lumens (intensity of light source, a 42 watt cfl vs a 13 watt cfl), the deeper the penetration, the more light sources, the more effective area of penetration.
It is a balance of both and what you want to picture is light making its way into the flesh of the plant, whether you have more lights, more intensity, or both.

So to be effective while growing with CFL:

Luminous efficiency: 30- 42 watt cfls used only.
Luminous intensity: 30- 42 watt cfls used only.

Place lights so that 2-3 plants are being illuminated by each light with direct
line of sight, as opposed to using reflectors. Use mylar to capture and re-up
the photons for photosynthesis. This sounds easy, but mathematics must be used
to calculate optimal light and plant placement. If done correctly, each plant can have 3 or so light sources of significant distance, thereby stacking the light in reguards to angular penetration and overall photosynthetic stimulation.

Hope this helps.

I'm not so sure I'd scrap the carbon filter yet.

Odor-neutralizing CFLs WORK !

^^^^^^ Good info for those considering.

This poster has spammed the exact same thread 3 places HERE, and also on other grow forums. And he didn't have the good manners to serve up some toast and eggs with it.
CLOSED.