Cannabis Fact Contributed by:
Bliss Iced T
Thanks to:
Pluto's Son
Cannabis Tip Submitted: 03-25-2011
Images archived
BASIC INFORMATION
Compact fluorescents are close relatives of
the 4ft tube fluorescents, commonly used in shops and
schools for their white, soft light that does not cast
any defined shadows. These lights are long tubes, usually
4ft long, filled with a gas that releases a photon of
light when excited by electricity. The electricity is
passed through the tube from the metal sections at either
end, thus exciting the gas within and releasing photons
of light. These lights must have a 'starter' which gets
the light going initially, unlike incandescent which can
just be turned on and off without one. Regular
fluorescents usually emit 18w of light per tube, and
cannot be plugged straight into a wall socket.
Compact fluorescents, on the other hand, are made for use
in regular light sockets, and can easily be installed by
anyone with basic handyman skills. Compact fluorescents
are usually around 8inches long (not including the
ballast, which usually adds about 3 inches to the total
length) and emit minimal amounts of heat from the globe
itself. Most of the heat emitted from a compact
fluorescent comes from the ballast. These lights are
usually between 8w and 27w, although some variation may
occur between brands and uses.
The main reason people choose CF's over regular fluoro's
is their compact ability! They are very 'movable' and can
be positioned almost everywhere. They put out MUCH more
light than their bigger cousins, while using only a
fraction of the space.
Some of the many varieties of compact
fluorescents.
Image Cannabis Fact Contributed by:Locutus
NON-CULTIVATION USE OF COMPACT FLUORESCENTS
If you're running a large grow setup, and you're
concerned about the spike in electricity, replace your
regular light bulbs with compact fluoro around the
house! They give off the same light, using only a
fraction of the electricity. If you're running a HID
light, and the electricity increase could kill you
financially, or you're just worried about FBI, it might
be a good idea to replace incandescent with compact
fluoro . As an example, a 100w incandescent uses most of
its energy giving off heat. If you replace all these 100w
incandescent bulbs with ~20w energy saving compact
fluoro's, you can dramatically reduce your energy bill,
and help the environment at the same time. In fact, I
recommend changing all your lights to CF's regardless of
your growing situation, as they will save you $$ in the
long-term, and save the environment.
The advantage with these lights is that the conversion
from incandescent isn't complicated! Simply un-screw the
old bulb, and screw in a compact fluoro! Done! You're on
your way to energy saving paradise!
THE USE OF FLUORO'S FOR GROWING CANNABIS
Every grower has, or still uses these lights. Although
they don even come close to the results from a HID
light, they do however provide a cheap alternative for a
newbie 'dabbling' in the fine art of growing. Instead of
spending hundreds of dollars on an HID light, a newbie
can purchase a compact fluorescent for a few bucks, and
still have money for a coffee on the way home.
These lights are also excellent for starting seedlings
and clones, as their cool light will not dry out the soil
as fast as an HID. They have a low intensity, and are
gentle on newly germinated seedlings, and are great for
clones as they wont dry them out or give them too much of
an early blast.
Compact fluoro's are also great for stealth grows, as
they can be kept about 1 inch from the plants, and do not
require extensive heat ventilation due to their warm
operating temperature.
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE THESE LIGHTS?
Most lighting stores will sell them, but watch out,
prices are very different depending on what type of shop
you get them at! As lighting shops only sell lighting
equipment, their prices can either be high or low, it
really depends on the type of lighting shop it is. A
designer lighting shop may end up being much more
expensive, as they tend to be more directed towards the
upper-class designer type customer, which extra $$ to
spend. Hardware sell them, but their variety of lights
is usually limited. Electricians, and assorted electrical
shops will sell them, and this is most likely where you
will get the best range and the best prices. My advice to
you is, shop around! You wont regret it when you can save
around 30% per light.
WHICH TYPE OF COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT TO
CHOOSE
For anyone
growing cannabis, it is pointless to buy a
weak light. Given the option of 8w, 15w and 27w, you
would be stupid not to buy the 27watt, as they are more
or less the same price. Compare the lumen output of each
of the bulbs, different 27w bulbs may have different
lumen outputs (depending on the manufacturer) and as with
everything, the more lumens the better. You will also be
given 2 options, the screw methodology of fitting, or the
bayonet methodology (push and turn). My preference is the
bayonet fitting. Make sure that you choose the right one
for your socket! Also, do not choose a regular compact
fluoro. Pick the one with the energy saving feature (will
be explained why later on in the document). Now, for
vegetative growth you should choose the 'cool white'
light. This is also acceptable for flowering, but a 'warm
white' light will be better as it is stronger in the red
end of the light spectrum which is more suitable for
flowering.
INSTALLING YOUR COMPACT FLUORESCENT
Now, this is extremely easy. As these bulbs fit normal
light fixtures, you can just dismantle and old lamp to
get the cord, plug and bulb fixture. This is ready made,
as all you have to do is plug the cord into a wall outlet
and screw in a bulb (with the power turned off, of
course). This requires no electrical knowledge at all,
and is the easiest way to get a cord suitable for a
compact fluoro. The cord is simply removed from the lamp,
and you are ready. If you feel you are not up to this
task, or you do not have an old lamp ready to be
destroyed, you can easily make one of these cords with
basic electrical knowledge. Hardware and electricians
will sell you the cable (you'll need at least 1 meter)
and the fittings for the wall socket and the light. Just
tell them you're making a lamp for pottery and need a few
cables to make up yourself. The parts are cheap, and you
can save $$$ this way. If you have any queries, the
electrical store will know exactly what type of cables
you need etc, and will be more than happy to give you
instructions on how to put it all together.
Please note that this is a guide for regular compact
fluoro's. There are some outdoor varieties (which are
rare) that need to be fitted specially. This Fact is
written for the regular compact fluoro , the ones that
are most accessible to the general population. Other
varieties of compact fluoro's are hard to find, but may
or may not be better for growing. As I have little
experience with these rare lights, I cannot comment on
them. The reason I haven't seen them before, is because
they are almost non-existent where I live.
HOW DO I MAKE A SIMPLE REFLECTOR FOR YOUR COMPACT
FLUORESCENT?
To build this reflector you will need a regular soda can,
any brand will do, which you will need to rinse
completely until no residue is left inside. You will also
need a good pair or scissor and a robust kitchen knife to
cut the metal accordingly. An alternate methodology to remove
the lid, would be to use a can opener. The lip of the lid
can be used, and it will cut it cleanly. These tools
should be chosen carefully as they will determine over
failure or success of this construction. A lack of
caution and a sharp metal edge can be fatal to your
fingertips so think twice if your tools are capable of
doing the job.
How and where to cut:
Firstly, draw a plan of your cutting path on the outside
of the can using a permanent marker or a wax crayon. This
will aid you to get a better overview of you plan and to
avoid silly mistakes on the way.
Cutting the top part of the can out needs to be done
first, adjusting the opening according to the size of
your bulb. You do not have to cut it exactly to shape as
glue (super or high-temp hot glue) can be used to Stick
the reflector to the bulb ballast later on. A can opener
is the preffered tool for this job. The reflector is
purposely not covering the ballast to ensure good
aeration and to avoid damage to the ballast components,
resulting in a short circuit.
Next, you will need to cut the main part of your soda can
in half using your scissors. A hole may need to be
drilled first using your kitchen knife to get a good
starting point for the scissors.
The inside of the can is coated with a thin plastic layer
that should not cause any trouble cutting through the
sheet metal. The bottom side of the can does not have to
remain in place but leaving it will add stability to the
reflector and enhance the reflectivity. An extra hole can
be cut into the bottom as well to improve ventilation
along the bulb or to connect a 50mm pc-fan to the
end.
Lastly, two more cuts have to be made into
the sides of the semi-circle reflector to ensure that the
sides do not reflect the light back to its origin but
rather focus it to where it is needed. The reflector can
now be bent according to your light requirements thus
making it possible to focus it directly on your plants.
If your reflector does not quite fit the bulb yet you can
now use glue to Stick it to the ballast.
HOW DO I MODIFY MY COMPACT FLUORESCENT?
The main advantages of modifying your compact fluorescent
are:
נReduced length of compact fluorescent
נReduced heat build up (increased air-flow)
נNo need for pre-made light sockets, saving you
money
There is an even cheaper and more compact solution than
to spend the extra cash on unnecessary light sockets and
to end up with less usable space due to clumsy fixtures.
All these problems can be avoided easily if one knows how
to skips wiring a bulb socket and instead going straight
to wiring the bulb itself. This requires some adjustments
and modifications of the bulb casing but it can be done
by simply following the steps provided.
For this example I will use a 23W Phillips fluoro bulb
which is ideally used in confined spaces due to its
compact size. The following pictures will illustrate the
process of re-wiring this bulb and modifying it to meet
the requirements of compact size and low cost.
This is the bulb I was referring to (23W, 1500
lumen)
Notice the upside-down ԕԠshaped tubes. These will
require less airflow to cool the bulb as the air can move
freely in between the tubes unlike those of conventional
Stick-like coils.
First, get a good pair of bending or clamping tongs and
squeeze them tightly to the round connector plate of your
CP fluoro and gently twist it off.
Never twist it off in a COMPLETE circular motion as the
wires inside are still attached to the receptor plates
and can sometimes break/rip if you apply too much
pressure by twisting. Pulling is better than twisting.
You will end up with two different wires Sticking out the
end. In this case, I cut the remaining plastic bit off in
order to reduce the overall length of the bulb.
You will need to open the bulb ballast in order to make 2
separate holes in the plastic casing of the bulb for the
two wires. This isn't hard at all, you simply need to
drive a screwdriver in between the upper and the lower
part of the casing and gently push them apart. There will
be no glue required to Stick them back together as the
bulb has a push-slide-lock mechanism that simply snaps
them back together. When you open the bulb, you should
something similar to this even though not all ballasts
are the same, depending on the manufacturer.
Now you need to drill two holes at the appropriate height
for the two wires to be pulled through. Since its plastic
that isn't all that hard either and can even be done with
a pair of scissors.
After that, its just about putting the pieces back
together and making sure the wires come through their
designated hole. You can use hot glue to hold those wires
in place but this is not recommended as the heat in that
area of the bulb casing is very intense. Use only
High-Temp glue!
If you are short of space or simply want a rigid
construction, you can cut the bottom plastic part of the
bulb of and use a bigger piece to distribute the weight
more evenly. I used med-high temperature translucent hot
glue to fit a piece of a 2Ԡblack PVC pipe onto the end
of the bulb thus completely eliminating the need for a
socket. This is just an optional step, as the bulb will
hold without the extra support by simply gluing the
sawed-off end to the predestined wall.
(
ATTENTION: DO NOT USE the regular LOW TEMP Hot
glue as it will melt at temperatures above 130 degrees
Celsius which the bulb is capable of generating. ONLY,
when gluing something DIRECTLY to the bulb casing, USE
THE MEDIUM-HIGH temp. Hot glue, which will withstand
significantly higher temperatures.)
Voila the final product of which you can wire as many in
series or parallel as you desire. You can place these
bulbs literally anywhere due their compact size and the
low heat production, keeping in mind that the bare
minimum between leaf tips and bulb should be 1cm (2/5 of
an inch). Anything closer will result in prompt or
delayed leaf burn.
This is just an example of how well suited these bulbs
are for small spaces such as stealth boxes and small
cloning chambers. It also illustrates the importance of
ventilation as the smaller the box, the stronger the
ventilation has to be to exchange the hot air buildup
sufficiently.
This methodology is ideal for those who wish to wire a number
of bulbs without spending even more money on bulb
sockets. These might seem cheap when compared to the
pricing of the bulb, but in the log run it is better to
save a few bucks here and instead invest them in another
area of growing or even another bulb. There is no need to
have a possibility of replacement as the average lifetime
guarantee on these bulbs lie between 10000 and 15000
hours, which means almost two years of continuous
use.
Wiring in CF's parallel:(Image by
tipzijuana)
HOW MUCH LIGHT DO I NEED TO vegetative CANNABIS
PROPERLY?
It all depends on what light you are using, if it HID,
standard fluoro or compact fluoro (I assume you're not
using halogens!). For HID (HPS or MH) lighting, use
roughly 30w per square foot, and for flowering use around
60w per square foot. This is merely a guide, your plant,
light height;reflective surfaces etc make a huge
difference on these numbers. For a small plant, below 1ft
tall, IӤ say you would need at least 25w of fluorescent
light. I find that it isn't at all practical to use tube
fluoro for the vegetative stage past 6 inches, as only
the top of the plant is receiving enough light to carry
out photosynthesis properly.
Using an energy saving compact fluoro will help 'push'
the light to the base of the plant, assisting
photosynthesis. If the plant indicates it needs more
light by growing slowly, and with small leaf petioles,
you may need more light. Go with the basic rule of
keeping the fluoro very close, and using roughly 20-30w
per square foot for strong vegetative growth. If you can
afford to over-light your grow room, why not? You wont
regret it when your plant is bushy and healthy. If you
feel that you need to only purchase a minimum amount of
lights, you probably shouldn be growing.
Growing takes effort and money, and if you can't support
a plants needs you might as well just forget growing
until you can afford a proper setup. Skimping on lights
is the biggest mistake a grower can make, because
photosynthesis is so elevated to for a health
plant.
THE TRUTH ABOUT WATT RATINGS
When purchasing a compact fluorescent, you will notice
that almost all of them have a larger number on the box,
than what it actually is. This number is the lights
comparison to the brightness of a standard incandescent
globe. Do not be fooled, this does not mean that the
light is 100w! It is most likely around 18w.
Now, here is where the myth behind these lights is
uncovered. Most people will say that you should totally
discard the brightness rating. This is wrong! The
brighter a light is, the more penetration it has. With a
usual, run-of-the-mill compact fluorescent (say, 15w) it
emits only 15w of light with poor penetration. An energy
saving compact fluorescent with 15w of light, which is
rated to 100w of light, will only emit 15w of light. The
difference between the two is, the energy saving light
has a much stronger light penetration of the normal one,
while still only emitting 15w of light.
This is beneficial to growers because with a larger
plant, a normal 15w compact fluoro will sufficiently
light one part of the plant, and by the time the light
has reached the other side of the plant, so much of the
light has been lost that it is barely worth having. With
the energy saving compact fluorescents, the light will
travel to the other side of the plant, and still have
enough intensity for reasonable results.
HANGING YOUR LIGHTS OVER YOUR PLANTS
Keep these lights under a reflector all of the time to
concentrate the light onto the plant. Hang them
horizontally, as most of the light is given off by the
middle of the tubes. Keep them close to the plants. As a
general rule of thumb, 1 inch away from the top of the
plant is perfect. Any more, and you're wasting your time,
and less and you risk burning your plant (although these
lights are very cool, it is possible to burn your plant
if it touches the light or ballast for an extended period
of time). If you're given the option, go for a few
compact fluoro positioned around the plant, as opposed
to 1 strong light at the top. Positioning lights around
the plant help stop vertical stretching, and encourage
the plant to bush out.
WHY IS A HID "BETTER" THAN A COMPACT
FLUORESCENT?
HID lighting is Relatively accepted as a better light for
growing cannabis for a few reasons...
נIt has much better light penetration
נIt is much more powerful (higher lumen output)
נIt is stronger in light spectrums suited for growing
plants
What can we do to combat these problems to make the most
out of our fluoro ?
נUse a good reflector. Desk lamp reflectors are perfect,
along with coke cans (cut in half from top to
bottom).
נPurchase lights with high energy saving capabilities
(e.g. high watt ratings)to increase light
penetration
נPurchase lights with suitable spectrum strengths for
each phase of growing (eg warm white, cool white
etc.)
נKeep the lights close to maximize intensity
NOTES:
נFor good results, these lights must be used with a good
quality reflector. They give of 360 degrees of light (in
a 2D cross-section) but you will only really need 90
degrees of light (maximum). Building a reflector will
help concentrate all the light to the area needed,
instead of wasting it lighting up the ceiling of your
grow room!
נAlthough you can successfully grow and flower a
cannabis plant under a fluorescent, your results will be
poor and you will most likely be disappointed. Use these
lights only for seedlings and clones, and perhaps the
vegetative stage of the cycle. A HID light is recommended
for flowering.
