CFL vs. LED

I have a homemade box currently with 4, 26w CFL's and 1, 42w CFL. Instead of the 42 I had a 90w UFO 9:1/R:B but the temps ran too high. I just installed a new fan and that is when I switched in the new CFL.

Now my temps are no problem at all and I figure I can put the UFO back in. Should I do this? I also have enough room to install another 42w CFL.

So which is better 2, 42w CFL's or a 90w UFO?

How much CFL wattage would I need to equal or surpass the UFO?

I believe CFL's are better for light penetration. Is this correct? Would it be better to have CFL's for this reason?

Does anyone know the size and number of CFL's I need to make it better than the UFO?

"So which is better 2, 42w CFL's or a 90w UFO?"

I would say, ditch 2 of the 26w units, throw in that other 42w and the UFO, for a combined total of 2x26, 2x42, and the UFO. The 26w bulbs are veg bulbs I'm assuming? And they put out about half as many lumens as the 42w, the name of the game is intensity not amount of watts. The 26w units don't penetrate as well and they diminish more quickly the further away they are from the plant.

Right now I'm running 4x42, 4x26, and 55w of LED panels and the plants seem to love the 42s the best. I have not used the UFO, so I can't vouch for that. Personally, I think they're a waste of money for what you get. Yeah they work, but you could get a hps for the same amount of dough.

To answer your questions about CFL to LED wattage, it would take a LOT of number crunching since LEDs aren't measured in lumens(at least they shouldn't be). LEDs are measured in PAR or LUX, and CFL are measures in lumens, so it's very hard to find out which is more efficient without a meter.

And yes, you are correct in CFLs being better for light penetration. My panels do a little bit of penetrating, but nowhere near the 42w CFLs.

Another thing to remember, when working with CFLs, you can't add the lumens together, light just doesn't work that way. If there's 2300 lumens coming from a 26w bulb, adding another light right next to it is still going to keep lumens at 2300. To increase lumens one needs a bigger bulb, that's why the 42w bulbs are better than 26w bulbs. I hope this helps.

Lemme know if you need any more questions answered

I don't think my box could handle the UFO, 2 42's and 2 26's. I think my best choice will be to add in another 42w and maybe switch around some of the 26's for 42's.

I'll try to explain the layout. I would post a pic but it's lights out right now. The box is round. On opposite sides at the top I have 2 fixtures with splitters so there are 4 bulb outlets. This is where I have the 4 26's. They make a sort of diamond shape when looking up at them. hen on the wall halfway between the 2 sockets is another socket with the 42w. It is raised about 2" higher than the other bulbs. This is because that space use to be filled with the UFO. I am thinking about adding another opposite it. So if you looked at the lights they would be aligned in the shape of a diamond (26ers) split in half (46ers). Kind of like this <|> The 26's are all daylight 6500k and the 42 is 2700k I think (box doesn't specify, it's the only temp you can get at wal-mart in that size). For flowering I'll probably switch all but one to 2700k. I'll keep 1 6500k just to get a better spectrum.

I never realized that you didn't add lumens up. So is a single 42w (2700 lumens each) better than 2, 26w (1750 lumens each)? I always figured it came down to total lumens. Aren't the curled part of the bulbs the same diameter just longer? If they are I would think it would come down to total lumens. I need to learn the science of CFL's because it just doesn't make sense to me right now.

Huh, I think I kind of understand what you're saying with the lighting being hard to maneuver around with heat and all.

To answer your question, it depends with CFLs. Depending on your overhead light sometimes it's better to have those smalls bulbs down on the side of the plant so that the lower part of the plant gets light too, otherwise leaves will get crispy and suck out of the nutrients and fall off. Only the leaves getting the best amount of light look healthiest. That is why the sun is the best grow light ever, look at the rain forests.

Back to the point, I'll break it down a little bit more and maybe a little over exaggerated. So let's say you have 1 26w bulb and 1 70 hps(6300 lumens roughly from what I gather). Obviously the 70w bulb will be more useful because the light is more INTENSE. Now say you have a 4 ft tall plant under this 70w bulb, this plant is one bigass momma plant. So dense you can't see through it to the other side. Now, do you think that 70w hps is going to penetrate that whole plant? I don't think so that's where CFLs come in handy. You can light around the plant and get the bulb a lot closer because it doesn't push off much heat.

In short, yes the 42w is better than x2 26w bulbs. Especially for flowering since 2700k is the flowering temperature your lights should be at for CFLs.

If you have a couple of spare 42w lights and 26w and a few extra beans lying around. Try popping some beans and growing 2 little ones each one separate from the other. I'm willing to bet the 42w will have better growing seedlings.

If you want to try searching on this site for some good info about CFLs, you might wanna try searching some posts from Al B. Fuct about CFLs and a light meter. I believe I even saw pictures of what he was showing. It makes perfect sense the way he says it and shows the pictures, I sure hope you can find it cause I didn't lol. :S

Oh and umm, last thing.. CFLs work best if you tilt them sideways and use the side of the bulb not the top. It puts more light out from the side but either way, they do work vertically. That's how my setup is right now and there's no avoiding it lol, good luck

I saw a 65w cfl at lowes today. Equivalent to 300w. 3700 lumen. The thing was massive. 3 times the size of a 42w.

My buddy is using something like that except his is like 105w I think. It's like 8 inches in diameter, the only problem with a big circular bulb like that is, if you have only a 1 or 2 plants most of the bulb is being wasted, they make the plant grow good though