CFL Lumens - more bulbs = more lumens, or no?

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Brian.

Member
Currently growing about 4 inches one and almost 2 inches the other, but second had a late start/grew funky coming out of the dirt.

Using soil etc, this is just a question about bulbs and lumens:

I have 4 23w CFL 5000k with 1600 lumens each.

Currently using 3 of the 4, but will go to the full 4 later.

even if I had 10 of these lights, I would still only have 1600 lumens, correct? If that is the case, what is the point of more lights aside from being able to move them around?

Does this mean I need to grab a 5200 lumen bulb, or am I going to have 4x1600 with four bulbs?

I see some internet people say more bulbs is better, I see some assuming in journals that they are multiplying lumens per bulb, and I see others say more bulbs does not mean more lumens.

So what is the truth, thanks! True test of your knowledge here.
 
asdewqasdfgh

asdewqasdfgh

Active Member
crazed1011 said:
i dont think they add together i think its just the more lights the more surface area covered by light.
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im pretty sure you add them together. if you hold one cfl bulb right up to a plant, then you hold another one right next to it, the light is going to be 2 times more intense.
but the whole purpose of having cfl lighting is that a) they are cheap and b) you are able to spread them all around the plant.
 
ChronicObsession

ChronicObsession

Well-Known Member
LOL guys.... of course if you have 10 bulbs of 1600 lumens, as long as the bulbs are in the same area, they are producing a total of 16000. It's not magic, just cold hard facts. Don't waste your money on CFLs, damn it! 230 watts of CFL makes 16000 lumens while 150 watts of Metal Halide HID makes 16000. I sell this stuff to corporations and small businesses by the box.
 
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crazed1011

Well-Known Member
hmmm i donno i'll look it up. it makes sense in theory. but your not doubleing the output, you more or less are just adding more light of the same lumens but thats just how i see it
asdewqasdfgh said:
im pretty sure you add them together. if you hold one cfl bulb right up to a plant, then you hold another one right next to it, the light is going to be 2 times more intense.
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B

Brian.

Member
So probably better to go with many for good distribution, but not to expect them to multiply together, only to up the intensity outside of each one's main sphere of influence, or otherwise make it more intense when they interset, but that it won't make 2 1600 lumens into 3200 lumens, just will only ensure that more area stays at the rated lumens before it falls off:

More bulbs = weaker falloff but not more lumens. Sounds-sound-to-me, man, I think you're right.

Since the lumens weaken insanely fast away from the bulbs, more bulbs to maintain the intensity, not multiply the lumens output. It can be like multiplying it.

And see, that's where I think CFL has the major advantage. Other lights might put out more, but they can't be placed in multitude around plants very close getting the most out of the light, while the CFL can be placed all around and thus you easier can know "I am getting the MOST out of my lights" with less risks associated with trying to get the most out of other hotter lights.

I know that if you follow simple and basic guidelines it's not a problem, but when you only want 2 or 3 plants at a time in a very small place to make your own personal, I'd rather burn like 100 to 300w at a time, half a gaming PC of power, rather do that, than have overkill with even a 150w HPS.

This is just so much easier and cooler (temp) and easier to manage... The lights smell like crap though.
 
asdewqasdfgh

asdewqasdfgh

Active Member
crazed1011 said:
hmmm i donno i'll look it up. it makes sense in theory. but your not doubleing the output, you more or less are just adding more light of the same lumens but thats just how i see it
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you are doubling the output. if you have 2 23 watt bulbs plugged into a lamp, you then have 46 watts being put out.
 
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crazed1011

Well-Known Member
i might be wrong though dont quote me it doesnt make sense that your getting more lumens just cause your adding more lights. i could very much be wrong but i would like to know aswell and if i am wrong so be it lol
Brian. said:
So probably better to go with many for good distribution, but not to expect them to multiply together, only to up the intensity outside of each one's main sphere of influence, or otherwise make it more intense when they interset, but that it won't make 2 1600 lumens into 3200 lumens, just will only ensure that more area stays at the rated lumens before it falls off:

More bulbs = weaker falloff but not more lumens. Sounds sound to me man, I think you're right.
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ChronicObsession

ChronicObsession

Well-Known Member
Brian. said:
So probably better to go with many for good distribution, but not to expect them to multiply together, only to up the intensity outside of each one's main sphere of influence, or otherwise make it more intense when they interset, but that it won't make 2 1600 lumens into 3200 lumens, just will only ensure that more area stays at the rated lumens before it falls off:

More bulbs = weaker falloff but not more lumens. Sounds sound to me man, I think you're right.
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I think CFLs are cooler for dropping on the ground and leaking out their deadly mercury into our environment more and more gradually, rather than using them for growing. May I ask why you chose CFL for your growing kit?
 
asdewqasdfgh

asdewqasdfgh

Active Member
yea i looked it up and found nothing. i do remember reading somewhere though that the lumen is multiplied per light. but im not sure either. people use cfls because they are just starting out, they dont have a lot of money to drop on equipment, and they dont use many watts. now if someone have a 150 watt cfl bulb then thats kinda retarded. but multiple 23 watt and 40 watt cfls around the plant can grow some weight.
 
ChronicObsession

ChronicObsession

Well-Known Member
I promise you, if you put all your CFLs in question around one area, the total effective lumens should be just that, Lumens times X bulbs.
 
B

Brian.

Member
edited more into my previous post, catching up with you guys now!

I think you up the intensity, which falls off very fast with bulbs of all kinds, so the CFL is probably the best, because being able to place many, very close without burning the plants is a lot better than one "only close enough that won't burn them". Even if lumens don't multiply (which I believe they don't)

Like, put 2 lights next to each other.

By the time you are 10 inches away from a 1600 lumen light, it might only be 800 or less... it falls off fast... But spacing the lights out 5 inches apart, now their spheres/cones are very strong where they intersect. So technically you are never putting off more than 1600 lumens, but where the light intersects, it might be 1200 or 1400 instead of 800.

More intensity, not more lumens, but more intensity = stronger influence. Like, where falloff is concerned. Fall off is where the light gets weaker and weaker the further away. Intersecting falloff has to be stronger than the fall off of one light.

You might be able to get one bulb to run 5200 lumens or more, speaking of CFL, but you might be better off with more smaller bulbs, because how close can you put that massive 85 watter? You can put those 4 23 or 26 watts very close though and in multiple places that keep each other slightly stronger at falloff, rather than using that 85w at one spot at a time.
 
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crazed1011

Well-Known Member
but a 125w cfl is equivalent to like 300w i thought plus cfls dont put out alot of heat if you have a small grow room. and power wise dont use alot. with still a decent yeild. so thats why people use it. if your gonna troll about people using cfls go under a bridge and be a troll somewhere else
 
ChronicObsession

ChronicObsession

Well-Known Member
crazed1011 said:
but a 125w cfl is equivalent to like 300w i thought plus cfls dont put out alot of heat if you have a small grow room. and power wise dont use alot. with still a decent yeild. so thats why people use it. if your gonna troll about people using cfls go under a bridge and be a troll somewhere else
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Not trolling, this is real information. Nice try. DO you work for the United STates Government by chance? You'd make a good public liar
 
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crazed1011

Well-Known Member
brian i think also it all comes down to your grow box size, if you have any reflective material up. i was thinking of using 1 125w for my little grow box and add more if need be. but 125W has the lumen output of 6500 i think. which is pretty good
Brian. said:
edited more into my previous post, catching up with you guys now!

I think you up the intensity, which falls off very fast with bulbs of all kinds, so the CFL is probably the best, because being able to place many, very close without burning the plants is a lot better than one "only close enough that won't burn them". Even if lumens don't multiply (which I believe they don't)

Like, put 2 lights next to each other.

By the time you are 10 inches away from a 1600 lumen light, it might only be 800 or less... it falls off fast... But spacing the lights out 5 inches apart, now their spheres/cones are very strong where they intersect.

More intensity, not more lumens, but more intensity = stronger influence. Like, where falloff is concerned. Fall off is where the light gets weaker and weaker the further away. Intersecting falloff has to be stronger than the fall off of one light.

You might be able to get one bulb to run 5200 lumens or more, speaking of CFL, but you might be better off with more smaller bulbs, because how close can you put that massive 85 watter? You can put those 4 23 or 26 watts very close though and in multiple places that keep each other slightly stronger at falloff, rather than using that 85w at one spot at a time.
Click to expand...
 
ChronicObsession

ChronicObsession

Well-Known Member
crazed1011 said:
it all depends on what you want. doesnt it? and im not even from the states so something tells me i dont work for the government
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I just want to help a different new member that wasn't you decide how to spend his money instead of buying more CFLs. Thanks for adding in your opinion minus all that B.S. about me trolling. Good Nite,

OR is it?????
 
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crazed1011

Well-Known Member
lol im having a good night for sure watching the hockey game teams playing well. but bashing cfl's is kinda pointless seeing how many people use it and are happy with them. so couldnt that be giving false info? sure HIDS are better but for someone thats just starting out maybe doesnt want to spend that kinda money on lights. isnt your first grow about learning?
 
ChronicObsession

ChronicObsession

Well-Known Member
crazed1011 said:
lol im having a good night for sure watching the hockey game teams playing well. but bashing cfl's is kinda pointless seeing how many people use it and are happy with them. so couldnt that be giving false info? sure HIDS are better but for someone thats just starting out maybe doesnt want to spend that kinda money on lights. isnt your first grow about learning?
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What could be false info is if I told you that the little space in the center of the CFL is where the plant goes so it gets all of the light from the bulb.

Atleast he has CFL and not trying to grow with incandescent. I never shat on CFL like that... wtf...
 
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