 Question about 96 watt CFL
So I am doing all the math for my CFL setup, trying to find the most lumens at the best wattage and price. I found the most cost effective to be 96watt CFL's which produce 8600 lumen at 5000k and under, and 8100 lumen at 6700k. For roughly 5 sq. feet of grow space I was thinking about going with two 96 watt and two 28 watt (each 2100 lumen) giving me a grand total of 20,900 lm for 248 watts.
I have noticed that most people doing CFL have 6 to 10 lights between 30-45 watts each. Is there an advantage to having more lights at a lower wattage than having only a couple at a high wattage? Where I live a 36w CFL cost $20 while the 96w cost $34. The added bonus with the 96 watt is that when I change the spectrum for flowering I will only have to buy 1 or 2 bulbs instead of 6 or 8 new ones all over again.
The only thing that I can think of is that with more bulbs you can spread the light better. However, the 96 watt lights are 2 pronged long, skinny guys, so If they sit horizontal the light should spread out fine.
Will I have heat issue with higher watt lights?
And lastly, is there and advantage to the coil lights versus the 2 (or 4) pronged lights? I hope all of this is coherent! Thank you!! |