CFL's and Their Lifespan

backwoods

Active Member
Do CFL's lose their intensity as they age? I have a 2700k bulb that I have been using for a desk light for about a year now. Do you think the bulb would still be sufficient to grow with?
 

HSA

Well-Known Member
Backwoods: here's my two cents worth: That 2700K lamp would be great for flowering but you'd need a lamp in the range of 5,000 to 6,500K's for vegging.
Aerogarden recommends you change their proprietary bulbs every six months and the makers of my two different brands of T-5 fixtures both say to change the lamps every year. Light intensity does degrade over time and starts the moment you first turn it on. In my Aerogardens I change them every six months because the ballast is in the hood and if you cook it you have to change the whole hood. In my T-5's it's every year on New Years Day, just like the smoke alarm batteries. An electrician friend says to also look for graying near the tips of a fluorescent tube or yellowing or browning at the porcelain the base of a curly cue CFL. I hope that helps. HSA
 

growone

Well-Known Member
it varies somewhat from brand to brand, some hold their intensities better than others
i will admit to using some home depot 5500k's for 3 years for my veggings
i only veg for 3 weeks usually, so they don't get the use the 2700k's get
but they seem to veg a plant as good as they did 3 years ago, so i keep using them
 
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