# penatration of low watt cfl vs hight watt cfl



## sum_kid (Oct 7, 2006)

ok all i want to know is does a 42 watt cfl penatrate deeper vs a 23 watt cfl? i asked this in another forum but everone kept sayin if it has more watts then it has more lumens. i aready know that so dont reply if your goin to say that, lol. anyways im going to do a scrog grow in two 18gallon rubbermaid totes one stacked on top of another. i want to either have 6 42 watt cfls or 12 23 watt cfls depending on what you guys tell me. the reason i would rather want more little cfls vs fewer amounts of bigger wattage cfl is i think that way you would not be waisting as much light. if the bigger wattage cfls has the same panatration level as the lower wattage cfls then that would mean the big ones just have more lenth of tube coiled up, so then you would have have all of the coils behind eachother and you would just be waistin light. the only way you can have good results with cfls is you keep it as close as you can to it correct? with more number of smaller wattage cfls you would have more parts of the bulb closer to your plants and more evenly too so you would have more eficient use of the light especialy if your doin a scrog right? i really hope you guys understand what im trying to say. now if the higher watt cfls have more lumens because of the actual light comeing out of the tubes instead of there just being MORE lenght of tubing, then i would understand why peaple prefer to use higher watt cfls. so correct me if im wrong about anything i just said. for whoever read the whole thing thanks for reading this long boring ass ****. so someone school me


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## Tom 'Green' Thumb (Oct 7, 2006)

The larger of the two will penatrate deeper.  I would use the larger because your buds will benefit from the extra lumens.  Really I don't think penatration is of prime concern though as you are going to keep your plants small and close to the light anyways.  So, I think the larger lights will give you greater weight over-all.  Just my opinion, but to be honest I have never grown with CFLS of the smaller size - only the larger 43 watt variety.  I did get a great yeild considering the lighting used, but now I have changed to HPS.  But for small spaces I believe the 43 watt CFLS are great.  Hope this helps and anyone else please feel free to comment.

TGT


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## sum_kid (Oct 8, 2006)

so your saying that the bigger cfls actually have more penartration and not just have more lumens cuss of a longer lenght of tube coiled around??


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## KADE (Oct 8, 2006)

More lumens = more light, which means more reflectivity and penetration. If u hold a little keychain light behind a piece of paper.. and then hold a Million candlepower halogen.. which can u see easier through it?  At the end.. it is lumens..  a lumen rating is the strength of light a bulb emits.


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## sum_kid (Oct 8, 2006)

omg man yall dont get me. i already know if thre more lumens it better. im askin isnt the reason theres more lumens becuse there is just more lenght of tubing? so how would that give it more penatration?


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## KADE (Oct 8, 2006)

Yeah, it is more tubing.... I'm not sure if that matters at all.. depends on brands I've noticed.. I have 45w that are thicker.. thas it..

More brightness is more penetration. More watts is more power to create light.. which means more lumens.. which means more penetration.


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## Tom 'Green' Thumb (Oct 8, 2006)

I understand what you mean.  Because there is more tubing is not the only reason there is more light.  It also is a higher voltage which will untimately give you more penetration.  If you had a few smaller bulbs there still would not be as great a penatration as apose to the larger single bulb because the voltage is less.  It is hard to describe so I understand why your having problems making us see what you mean, but I hope that answers your question enough.  Either way I think you will be better off with the larger compact flourescents.  Good luck!

TGT


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## IrishOne81 (Oct 8, 2006)

i use 3 - 14w CFL's and place them strategically around the plants so that every angle is hit by the light. i used them for the entire grow and it turned out pretty well last time, 17g wet from 1 lady.


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## sum_kid (Oct 8, 2006)

tom green thumb your the first person that actually understood what i said!!!!!!!!!!lol thanx i get it now. i think im just ganna go for the 6 42 watt cfls.


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## Tom 'Green' Thumb (Oct 8, 2006)

Should work fine - good luck!

TGT


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## sum_kid (Oct 9, 2006)

thanx..


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## Hick (Oct 9, 2006)

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