Odor Eating CFLS- My experiences and research

I am starting this thread because there is just not enough information out there about its use in Cannabis cultivation. This is not like most air purifiers and uses photocatalytic reactions emulating mother nature.

Uses:

These lights can sterilize the air of odors, chemicals, spores, mites(very small like dust mites and their feces), bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus, and many other pathogens converting them to carbon-dioxide and water. They are just as effective as normal compact flourescents in terms of lumens per watt and spectrum.

How it works:

The photocatalytic reaction created by these lights generate charged particles that turn nearby water into an instant hydroxl radical that generates penetrating oxidation.

This technology can be effective for many applications in cannabis growing, however it cannot be used during flower with the exception of treating air that has been vented out.

I'll provide some information from experiences I have documented and hopefully open a discussion on the efficacy of this technology.

:cool:

About time I see a thread about these bulbs... I am interested in picking a few up.

Hope you post some more info on them. So why cant you use them in flowering?

They create Ozone. Ozone is SAID to be bad for all stages of our plants growth, not just bad during flower.

I'd love to hear different. However that is what I read when I looked at them.:wtf:

Thus I never bought them.

hydroxyl radicals destroy ozone...

since hydroxyl radicals react with and negate various chemicals including alcohol, which cannabis resin is a form of. You would not want to expose a hydroxyl to your crystally buds. however in veg there could be an application.

Old article I was contributing to sometime ago with reguards to cfls:

Lumen Talk-La confidential-Lavender-Odor CFL
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.

alright aqua I have a question for you. I grow in my bedroom closet. I live in a 3 bedroom house with my parents(lucky to come from a pot friendly family)

I have 4 plants that I plan to flower in about a month in my closet.

If I used 4 of these lights in the light fixture in my room would it get rid of the marijuana smell from the closet? They wont be in the closet, it is totally sealed up at all times.

In your experience will they be enough or is my house still gunna smell like cat piss?

It would be awsome if this is all i will need because the other options i have involve fans, cutting holes in the ceiling , filters, and $$$

yes that will work. these lights make the smell vanish, you cant smell anything not even the dirty carpet.

keep in mind, use like 3-4 in a room if you want real results...

make sure it cant leak into the bud chamber.

I took a bongload in my room awhile back, left the lights on, came back 10 mins later and no smell. Had my gf confirm it, and windows were closed...

i ordered a couple of them from the internet.

The problems is that I installed a ventilation system a couple of days after i bought the cfls and my ventilation solved the problem. lol I think the odor eating cfls will be an added bonus.

yes. They totally work I swear by them. It will be foolproof.:thumbsup:

How many did you say you had on when you used your bong? That would be great to be able to destroy the smoke in a room!

3 lights, but it has to have time to sit. like 10 minutes. make sure there is circulation as well. sometimes having the lights focused on the plants with the fan allows better dispersion of the oxidizing agents