Mirror Walls

Dr.J20

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
So here's an interesting opportunity...My uncle is dismantling his old workout room which means he's getting rid of some mirrors. If I took these mirrors and got them cut to fit my grow cabinet can anyone foresee any serious issues using mirrors as the reflective siding of my grow cab? I'd think that it would be near ideal unless i'm missing something here...
let me know what yall think
be easy,
Dr.J
 
333maxwell

333maxwell

Active Member
Nice idea, but mirrors are lousy at reflecting light ... well, good at focused light, lousy at dispersed light... which is what you want..


Peace~!
 
SCARHOLE

SCARHOLE

Well-Known Member
Imho Mirrors are great.
I mirrored my cab for free also.
I been using em for a yr.
Its look sooo much brighter than white paint.
No problems unless your reflecting sunlight at em.
My mirrors focus my lil HIDs light at my ladies in my cab.
I want max light reflected right at my plants.
I had to kick the bottoms of em out a bit to get em aimed right.

Photo0131.1.jpg
 
D

DGT309

Active Member
It will create sunspots or as maxwell says it won't be dispersed. Try using reflective mylar, you can probably get rolls of it at a grow store, otherwise some art supply places have sheets of it.
 
Gastanker

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
Mirrors can work but tend to direct light into certain patterns thus focusing the light into hot spots. Reflectors that disperse the light are generally better even though they degrade the light to a slightly higher degree. Hot spots will not always damage our plants but at the same time are not as efficient for growing plants.

sorry for my terrible paintshop skills. As the light hits each surface the equal angle reflection law causes the lower rays and upper rays to focus into a smaller and smaller area as it bounces off of each wall.

 
marvinev

marvinev

Well-Known Member
I wouldnt see the Issue with using mirrors, given that you are planning on using non-HID lights otherwise them mirrors will burn your crop. they reflect heat way more than anything. even foil, Better off investing in some Mylar man. Or just paint it a high bright white paint.. high gloss helps too
 
A

AlphaMale706

Well-Known Member
DONT USE THEM!!!

dont listen to me do your homework...they simply are not good for this. I know it sounds crazy but it doesnt work like you think you get less light then mylar and WAY WAY more heat.
 
SCARHOLE

SCARHOLE

Well-Known Member
No heat detectable in my cab from the HIDs reflections Ive checked.
They are very close to the HIDs an directed right at my plants.
They love extra light.
Photo0087.jpg Photo0089.jpg
Pic from the last grow...

PS if you get em cut have them seam the edges so its not sharp.
 
N

nuggpuffer

Member
The glass will absorb some photons of light aswell from your mirrior. Also so will high gloss paint. Flat white paint is best if you are painting. Mylar or pandafilm are optimum but it is hard to beat free. I wouldn't pay for mirriors to be cut when flat white paint is 7dollars a gallon.
 
P

Plebscrubber

Active Member
mirrors are a bad idea for grow rooms...

they reflect all the heat, and focus it in to hot spots

look at the best professionally built reflectors, they always have dimpled shapes to disperse the light

read up on it, theres plenty of info on the net about reflectivity of light and heat

alfoil is also bad for the same reasons

better to use low gloss white paint

best to use mylar if you can afford it

oh and I wouldnt listen to scumhole with his little 150w HID (more like low intensity discharge only 150) he grows in the filthy dirt like an animal
 
SCARHOLE

SCARHOLE

Well-Known Member
HAHAHHAHAHHA, Like a filthy animal" wow?

If I flashed you with mirror you would be blinded by the intense reflection, If i flashed you with white wood, mylar or aluminum foil nothing would happen. Mirror reflects 90%+ light, an incredible reflector.

I got over 400 watts in a 2ft x 3ft x2ft cab(175 Mh , 150 HPS an some CFL).
At correct ranges so they are as bright as a 1000w HID (4-16 inches).
With mirrors angled for specular reflection at the plants,an it dosent burn em?

Hids also make 'Hot spots" its called light.

MY mirrors wont hut a seedling.
Watch my Journlal link below and see me prove it...

PS glass cutters are a few dollars, you can seem em with sand paper.
If you got alot of glass for practice, you can learn to do it yourself. I cut mine Its easy.
But wear gloves an dont cut your self to ribbons.
 
Dr.J20

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
thanks everyone, I'm using LED and CFL right now but this was a total "well its free, i could try it" kinda thing but most of you are saying hell no so I'm not gonna worry about it...i already have mylar so in that great old adage, "if it aint broke, don't fix it"
be easy,
Dr. J
 
Gastanker

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
They say mirrors can reflect up to 99.9% of the light - these are telescope quality polished aluminum mirrors. Generally a mirrors reflect around 88-92% of light depending on the depth of the glass. Light is essentially trapped and re reflected back and forth between the inner glass surface and the reflective silver backing of typical generic mirrors, polished aluminum reflectors and mylar reflect ~ 95% of the light as it is a mirrored finish and there is no glass to travel through. White paint reflects around 90% of the light.
 
P

Plebscrubber

Active Member
gas tanker is correct again...

and as far as bringing low wattage lights closer to the plants and thinking it will give them as much light as a 1000W, your dreamin
the 1000 would shine right thru many layers of leaves, feeding them all more photons than they can lap up, the lower wattage has no penetration power,

The mirrors will reflect less light than mylar and reflect more heat. You dont get heat or hot spot focus issues because your lights are so very low wattage

its ok that you have low wattage because the plants can only use so much of it because they are growing in the filthy dirt and can only do so much anyway...

but dont take my word for it, read up scientific based articles where they have all the equipment and training to perform accurate experiments with lighting and plants
they measure not lumens but PAR, or how much light that is usable by the plant, in that its in the correct spectrum and intensity ect

search for micromoles, or photosyntheticly active radiation
 
I

Illumination

New Member
Plebscrubber said:
gas tanker is correct again...

and as far as bringing low wattage lights closer to the plants and thinking it will give them as much light as a 1000W, your dreamin
the 1000 would shine right thru many layers of leaves, feeding them all more photons than they can lap up, the lower wattage has no penetration power,

The mirrors will reflect less light than mylar and reflect more heat. You dont get heat or hot spot focus issues because your lights are so very low wattage

its ok that you have low wattage because the plants can only use so much of it because they are growing in the filthy dirt and can only do so much anyway...

but dont take my word for it, read up scientific based articles where they have all the equipment and training to perform accurate experiments with lighting and plants
they measure not lumens but PAR, or how much light that is usable by the plant, in that its in the correct spectrum and intensity ect

search for micromoles, or photosyntheticly active radiation
Click to expand...

And your superior because you feed them with water and rockwool? Well i grow mine with water and soiless medium.... enjoy your water lillies

Namaste':leaf:
 
SCARHOLE

SCARHOLE

Well-Known Member


Notice how the lil Hids at correct range are very bright.

An they penetrate my Lil canopy just fine.

I can flash you with a mirror MILES away would white or mylar?
Then how can they be better reflectors? IDK?

I want intense specular reflection, diffused light is week light.

How much reflection comes from dirty mylar or white?
 
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