CFL question quick

[stickyichy]

I have a simple question and im not even sure it if matters...

When positioning your CFL's over the plants what way gives out the most light to the plant.

straight up and down, or on its side, or maybe at a 45% angle?

the space that it will be in will be lined with Mylar so i mean it will be reflecting all over the place but i just wanted to see if there was any real difference on how the lights put out light.

Thanks for you time guys.

stickyichy Reviewed by stickyichy on 04-04-2009. CFL question quick I have a simple question and im not even sure it if matters... When positioning your CFL's over the plants what way gives out the most light to the plant. straight up and down, or on its side, or maybe at a 45% angle? the space that it will be in will be lined with Mylar so i mean it will be reflecting all over the place but i just wanted to see if there was any real difference on how the lights put out light. Thanks for you time guys. Rating: 5

[Buckten]

:rastasmoke:I dont think it matters
are u using a grow box of some sort?:jointsmile:

[filo6942]

I am running mine angled to get more light out. Seems to work fine. Though a LOT of people here just run em strraight up and down, works fine as well.

[headshake]

I have a simple question and im not even sure it if matters...

When positioning your CFL's over the plants what way gives out the most light to the plant.

straight up and down, or on its side, or maybe at a 45% angle?

the space that it will be in will be lined with Mylar so i mean it will be reflecting all over the place but i just wanted to see if there was any real difference on how the lights put out light.

Thanks for you time guys.

make sure to read the package carefully. you can loose up to 20% of the output if you mount them certain ways. i think the one i read said base at the bottom with the light going up.

here is one little article i found real quick.

-shake

[Italiano715]

I would think it would be more of how big of space you have and if your using anything reflective, like a hood of some sort for the lights.....But I run mine on splitters....took one splitter, plugged it up into my fixture, then I added a splitter to each end of the splitter plugged in the fixture giving me 4 lights for each of my fixtures.....So I have 3 fixtures running 12 CFL/26W(6500K) and they are all angled....They seem to be working rather well for me!! Plus less lighting fixtures always help!!:rastasmoke:

[irydyum]

Fluorescent lights are omnidirectional, meaning they put out light in all directions. My thoughts would be to reflect as much light back down (assuming whichever way they are mounted they are over the plants...lol) on the canopy so you don't waste whatever side of the light is facing away. Aside from that if there is a restriction for mounting them that is based on performance, it should be on the package from the manufacturer.

To my knowledge, there is no study that available that will illustrate the differences in mounting angles of CFL bulbs, but I would love to be wrong and see one.

[bigtopsfinn]

Since CFL's are only effective 1"-3" from the plant, the mylar or reflectors really don't do much. I'd say you want to mount the lights around the plant, not just above; but the largest concentration of light should be directed at the largest growth, which is the top. As for direction, no clue... but you can probably see with your eyes how much light is on the plants when you orient the lights differently.

[irydyum]

I suppose this would be for one of you advanced types with a light meter.

Can someone run a quick measurement and post on here with some info?? Now I'm curious if there is some orientation G-Spot with these twisty bulbs.

I think what we are looking to get is measurements from 2-4" away from a CFL both along the side and from the bottom. I'd bet anything there is little to no difference. Come to think about it, with a CFL what is the difference really going to amount too? A couple hundred lumens or something? Probably so insignificant it doesn't matter, but nonetheless I'd like some evidence.

[headshake]

Fluorescent lights are omnidirectional, meaning they put out light in all directions. My thoughts would be to reflect as much light back down (assuming whichever way they are mounted they are over the plants...lol) on the canopy so you don't waste whatever side of the light is facing away. Aside from that if there is a restriction for mounting them that is based on performance, it should be on the package from the manufacturer.

To my knowledge, there is no study that available that will illustrate the differences in mounting angles of CFL bulbs, but I would love to be wrong and see one.

check the link i posted, it talks about orientation. and i have personally read it on a package (from GE, i think). so orientation DOES make a difference as far as light the bulb actually puts out.

can't speak on a "sweet spot".

-shake

[irydyum]

The study that you cited there is for HIGH WATTAGE CFLs and their lumen output based on mounting orientation and AMBIENT TEMPERATURE. If you look at the range on the chart that is ideal for cannabis, which hopefully most of us are within, say 20c-28c, the deviation of lumen output is only around 5% different between the horizontal and base down mounting.

That all taken into consideration, I don't know if this study is even addressing low wattage CFL's like most people on here are using to grow.

Still want to see something significant about this.