CFL User Survey - Page 2 - GreenPassion.org - Dedicated to Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation and Education

ClosetDWC · #21 (**permalink**) 10-26-2007, 08:40 PM

sound about identical to my old setup ... worked great but i found some awesome 6000k 600w output cfls at costco .... i cant remember the real wattage . but the are outdoor flood lights $8.49 a piece now.

green_nobody · #22 (**permalink**) 01-11-2008, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClosetDWC

sound about identical to my old setup ... worked great but i found some awesome 6000k 600w output cfls at costco .... i cant remember the real wattage . but the are outdoor flood lights $8.49 a piece now.

usually the factor is between 5 to 8 - so your costco one is probably a in the range of an 80W CFL, which is also the biggest i found so far in normal sale at a store like costco. (well, on the other hand haven't i been to a costco for the last 3 years now so they could have put a bit more muscle on the shelf since that last visit)

Canna Bus · #23 (**permalink**) 08-14-2008, 09:46 PM

1, Are you happy with using CFLs only? Yes. Do you feel you are getting a smaller yield because you use CFLs? No. I always get good results.

2, Do your bulbs get very hot, or too hot to the touch of your hand? No. Can you hold them while lit? Yes.

3, Do your bulbs heat up the grow room or grow area to a much warmer temp? No.

4, What about electricity or power usage? Do they make your power bill go up a lot? No.

5, What bulbs do you use, 4 ft. T5s in what space sizse or grow area, 2x4x6 and what wattage do you use,432 watt and how many do you use? One, four ft. fixture of 8 tubes
(4 cool and 4 warm). Brand:Sun Blaze.

Peace,

Canna Bus

Roseman · #24 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 06:02 PM

I did some experiments, I put some CFLs in a box, with a themometer.
Amazing results.

Seems the 23 and 42 watt bulbs produce (put out) more heat than the 65 and 85 watt bulbs.
I can burn a 65 or 85 watt bulb solid for 5 weeks, 24/7 and still hold it. Yea, it is hot, but not blistering hot. I CAN HOLD IT IN MY HAND. BUT, do not try holding a 42 or 105 watt bulbs AFTER burning it for 5 solid weeks.

Any questions on CFLs, prices, yield, etc, this is a good place to ask.

justplainbill · #25 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 06:12 PM

I use the linear cfl biax with G211 sockets, 4 straight pins. I like them pretty much.

Pullo · #26 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 06:49 PM

1. Am I happy with my CFL's?

Yes I am, very much so, although I have yet to even switch to 12/12 yet so I can not speak to yield yet.

2. Do they get hot to the touch?

I don't touch my lights, I'm sure I could but any kind of oils or contaminants on lights are bad(even CFL's)

3. Do they heat up my grow room?

YES. Because of the size of my room, and number of lights they raise the temp. by 10 degrees F.(room size and lights will be addressed in question #5).

4. Power usage is negligible.

5. Specs on bulbs and cabinet

My flower cabinet is 38" wide x 20" deep x 60" high(32 square feet)
I use (2) Stealth Hydro Bubbleponics units
My lighting during veg. is (3) Sunlite 85watt@ 6500K CFL's and (2) Sunlite 85watt@2700K. During flower I use only (1) of the 6500K's and (4) 2700K's for a total of (5) 85 Watt CFL's at all times.

Inside the cabinet I have 3 large air pumps, the 2 irrigation pumps in my hydro tanks,2 6" circulation fans and both a powered intake and exhaust fan. That and the 5 self ballasted CFL's in 33sqf can generate some heat.

Roseman · #27 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 06:57 PM

Pullo, I bought my first SH kit in 06, started my first grow in Jan 07. (I've done 7 grows since) I was so naive, and so dumb then about growing. I would drive them (SH) crazy emailing and phoning and asking questions. They even learned to recognize my voice! I complained that I could not even figure out how to put the clamp on the light reflector. LOL
One day I complained that the CD and GROW INSTRUCTIONS did not give enough information, and the owner told me IF YOU THINK YOU CAN DO ANY BETTER, THEN GO FOR IT! And so I did, I rewrote the Instruction Manual. They liked it and gave me a free $50 Gift Certificate.
Then I wrote the 8 Step Recovery Process and Roseman's Grow Tips that are on their home page under FAQ and Customer Service.

Pullo · #28 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 07:11 PM

So you are responsible for the 8 step program (I'm impressed).
The instructions are clear, concise and simple.
I went to them in person, and they spent so much time with me and were so helpful, I decided to follow the directions as instructed and low and behold, my plants are rockin'!
I'm a retired commercial farmer, but this is my first indoor and hydro grow and I don't think i will be revisiting soil anytime soon.
I hope I can count on you from time to time in my future grows.

Roseman · #29 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 07:25 PM

Pleae visit my SH Bubbleponics thread here on GP.

Here is a new CFL link:

CFL PRICES and General INFO

muzzie69er · #30 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 08:32 PM

Hey Roseman. Thanks for taking the time to do this. It has been helpful. Quick question. I'm going back and forth between cfl's and hps for flowering. I know your a cfl man but I have a question. I just found a Sun System HPS 150 Grow light fixture with a bulb for $70. It says it puts out 16,000 lumen. If I used the CFL's I would have over 25,000 lumen. Would you still go with the clf's b/c of the higher lumen output or do you think the HPS would be better because they tend to permeate the plant better? Thanks.

scott06 · #31 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE Roseman

This thread is asking for responses from CFL Users Only. We are NOT asking for debates or responses from HID users. Responses from HID Light Users will be deleted from this thread. We need feedback for our FAQ section from personal experience. If you want to post about HID Lights, then start a new thread about them.

1, Are you happy with using CFLs only? Yes very much so Do you feel you are getting a smaller yield because you use CFLs? yes but not much smaller

2, Do your bulbs get very hot, or too hot to the touch of your hand? no Can you hold them while lit? yes, I use multiple 125w cfls...I find them more efficient...I also have a small occilating fans that hits the lights keeping them cooler.

3, Do your bulbs heat up the grow room or grow area to a much warmer temp? no but I vent very well

4, What about electricity or power usage? Do they make your power bill go up a lot? 500w combined cfl seemed to have no significant increase in our bill

5, What bulbs do you use I use 3 to 4 125w cfl's , in what space sizse or grow area 2 x 4 ft, and what wattage do you use, and how many do you use?

reading the post of thenoffya and roseman about a year and a half ago I was able to got of to a good start with cfl's from the start. I was able to research very well and get efficient bulbs at good prices. yes the HID give bigger buds...but they also are big and scary and make a humming noise sometimes....I love cfls for little stealth growths

this is a thread I started about picking the right bulb

Tutorial - How to pick the "best" bulb

kailiwela44 · #32 (**permalink**) 03-18-2009, 06:47 PM

1, Are you happy with using CFLs only? Do you feel you are getting a smaller yield because you use CFLs?

Yes i'm happy with them. It was a good step learning to grow while not wasting electricity. IMO smaller yields can be increased with training.

2, Do your bulbs get very hot, or too hot to the touch of your hand? Can you hold them while lit?

Yup, It's a burning gas of course it gets hot. The Ballast gives off more temperature type heat while the bulb gives a lot of radiant heat

3, Do your bulbs heat up the grow room or grow area to a much warmer temp?

Yup. If you can cool the ballasts properly, it shouldn't be too bad

4, What about electricity or power usage? Do they make your power bill go up a lot?

With 8 cfls it does, It's probably drawing more power than needed especially when off. Once i stopped using a lot of them, the bill came down.

5, What bulbs do you use, in what space sizse or grow area, and what wattage do you use, and how many do you use?[/quote]

8 26watt cfls. 20"x30"x36" Suncast base cabinet.

stinkypickle · #33 (**permalink**) 03-31-2009, 04:41 PM

1, Are you happy with using CFLs only? Do you feel you are getting a smaller yield because you use CFLs?

YES, VERY. HAVE NO CLUE. FIRST TRY BUT I AM HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS SO FAR. NOT CONSIDERING SPENDING MONEY ON A HID YET

2, Do your bulbs get very hot, or too hot to the touch of your hand? Can you hold them while lit?

YES, THEY GET HOT. I CAN CHANGE MY 23W BULBS AFTER THEY'VE BEEN ON FOR A WHILE. BUT I DON'T WANT TO HOLD IT ANY LONGER THAN THAT TAKES

3, Do your bulbs heat up the grow room or grow area to a much warmer temp?

YES WITHOUT DECENT VENTILATION I WOULD BE IN TROUBLE - 10 DEGREE CHANGE ABOUT. FROM WHAT I'VE READ, I AGREE 400W OF CFL PRODUCE SAME HEAT AS 400W HPS. WITH CFLS THIS HEAT IS DISTRIBUTED OVER A BIGGER AREA ALLOWING FOR EASIER COOLING. HEAT PROB NOT AS BIG AN ISSUE IF USING ONLY A FEW LOWER WATT CFLS.

4, What about electricity or power usage? Do they make your power bill go up a lot?

400W IS 400W ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT. MY WHOLE CAB IS UNDER 500W TOTAL USE. THAT'S NOT TOO MUCH POWER ANYWAY. I'VE MADE CHANGES AROUND THE HOUSE TO COMPENSATE - WATER HEATER TIMER, CFLS IN ALL LIGHT FIXTURES, TOOK OUT THE WATER COOLER. MY BILL IS LOWER THAN IS WAS BEFORE I STARTED THIS. IN VEG (24HR ON), I USE HALF THE WATTS (DON'T NEED MORE TO VEG). IN FLOWER (12/12), I USE ABOUT 350W. THE LIGHT USES THE SAME TOTAL ELECTRICITY - 24 X 175 = 12 X 350. SO NO NOTICEABLE SPIKES OR DROPS IN THE FUTURE. THE LOWER GAS PRICES HAVE REALLY CONTRIBUTED TO A LOWER BILL AS WELL.

5, What bulbs do you use, in what space sizse or grow area, and what wattage do you use, and how many do you use?

I USE 23W/1600 LUMEN/WARM WHITE (2700K) AND DAYLIGHT (6500K) BULBS. CAB IS APPROX 40"X24" - ABOUT 6.5 SF, WITH 9' CEILING. 16 (4:1 WW:DL) IN FLOWER - OVER 25K LUMENS, 368W; 8 (3:1 DL:WW) IN VEG. I HAVEN'T FOUND A BEST BRAND - I BOUGHT THE CHEAPEST 1600 LUMEN 23 W I COULD FIND - ABOUT $2 PER BULB.

(GREAT SURVEY ROSEMAN!)

pine boy · #34 (**permalink**) 03-31-2009, 05:19 PM

1, Are you happy with using CFLs only? Do you feel you are getting a smaller yield because you use CFLs?

I'm happy. and I could do better if I tried harder

2, Do your bulbs get very hot, or too hot to the touch of your hand? Can you hold them while lit?

Yes. I can touch them for a few seconds.

3, Do your bulbs heat up the grow room or grow area to a much warmer temp?

Only slightly but I have fans and a.c.If I turn off the ventilation it gets HOT...fast

4, What about electricity or power usage? Do they make your power bill go up a lot?

The fans more than the lights.$50.00 a month

5, What bulbs do you use, in what space sizse or grow area, and what wattage do you use, and how many do you use?
I am using 18-26 watt bulbs in a 4.5'x4.5' x7' closet

sabasi · #35 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roseman

This thread is asking for responses from CFL Users Only. We are NOT asking for debates or responses from HID users. Responses from HID Light Users will be deleted from this thread. We need feedback for our FAQ section from personal experience. If you want to post about HID Lights, then start a new thread about them.

1, Are you happy with using CFLs only? Do you feel you are getting a smaller yield because you use CFLs?I am quite happy with CFL's My goal is quality instead of quantity as I have a perpetual micro grow. (3)42W WW is what I run for flowering and veg.

2, Do your bulbs get very hot, or too hot to the touch of your hand? Can you hold them while lit? I have brushed up against them pulling plants out and OUCH! But it didnt even leave a red mark ever so they aren't really THAT hot.
I wouldnt want to just hold one tho as I'm not into pain lol
3, Do your bulbs heat up the grow room or grow area to a much warmer temp?
Hmm My small setup is kinda warm anyway being in a closet but temps are very manageable with the right exhaust and passive air intake.
4, What about electricity or power usage? Do they make your power bill go up a lot? I guess mine has gone up an extra $10 a month, not much and considering what the end result is, I will be well ahead anyway so 10 bucks to me isnt bad for what we are doing.

5, What bulbs do you use, in what space sizse or grow area, and what wattage do you use, and how many do you use?

currently (3) 42 W warm white spectrum, size of cab is a small cheap narrow old dresser maybe 2feetX4feet and about 2 feet deep? I have the specifics in my grow journal on here somewhere. I have never grown with anything but these so I can't say about the yeild, but for my purposes, I'm doing a perpetual micro grow and quality is more important than quantity at this time.

Hope that answered your questions ok! CFL's rock IMHO!!