'Big Bertha' 85w CFL Set Up. Endless Possibilities :-)

16 years ago

I have created a follow up post to Whitecat8's: "Hey, Clara - What lights did you get?"

We are the pioneers of larger CFL growing. If you are looking for "all the answers", many don't exist yet, with the exception of Howard_A's Posts. He's been writing about cfl's in detail for a long time. Search Howard_A on GW search. He usually has the answer I need about cfl's.

He suggested I start with 42's. I outgrew the 42's in a month and skipped on to the "Big Bertha" 85w 5000k, cfl. 42's are a discontinued item in my grow areas. When they burn out they will be replaced and the lamps will go to storage. Bertha doesn't fit. I am also getting the itch to try LED's. Anyone tried it yet?

I've been growing with the "Big Bertha" model cfl for a little while now, thanks to H's posts. Couldn't be happier. I decided since there were so many questions on the other post, as people started receiving them; that a new post may be in order as a follow up. These are my observations to date. It is not inclusive by any means. But I do spend the time to investigate, experiment and record data. Willing to share and compare. I am particulary interested in indoor growing and how others are setting up lights and their "Bertha's". I'd like to know what people think after 30 days of use. I haven't had any orchid buddies to compare notes with on this subject, except H. I think I wore him out. Sorry Howard!

I started seeing questions appear on the end of the big WC post. Some concerning distance. Unfortunately. "Big Bertha" is not too easy to photograph. There is a lot of distortion due to my placement. I am posting what I hope to be better pics, below. When I am shooting over my head, distortion happens.

For those who have bought the Behemoth 85w cfls, aka, "Big Bertha"! Congrats! Happy Growing! I was rather shocked when I took the 1st Big Bertha bulb out of the box! Positively Frightening! "What was I going to do with that giant bulb?" No one warned me about the size. Contacted Howard until it drove him insane! 1 sat on my desk for a while before I got up the nerve to de-box it again.

I finally put 1 in the housing & started playing with it. Measuring the output in fc's, just like you all are doing, deciding how to mount it, where to mount it, how much it would shine into the street, piss off the neighbours. Suddenly it wasn't so scary & the possibilites seemed endless! Shoot the light down, up, in the sides, from the front, around the corner, on an angle, hang them from the ceiling, the rack, the walls, WOW! I was possessed by The "Light Devil" and the spirit of Howard_A, aka "The Light Guru".

A dozen "Big Bertha's" later, I am wondering if its a possibility that no one will ever diagnose my future growing problem as, "Not Enough Light!" ?

Does enough light exist indoors ever? (Howard??)

WC's Light post made me examine what I instinctively settled on as the best configuration for my grow areas. Since there is no fixture that will cover the cfl and they stick out 5", I have been angling the cfl's, not hanging them directly down. Part of the reason is that vertical space of my windows + clamp + bulb isn't giving me much room. I have non-standard windows

Same pic with the light off.

{{gwi:200562}}

In doing this, I have found I can light a larger volume of less light demanding plants by utililising the space "under" the side of the bulb protrusion and a little window light when available. Everyone's set up is different, this works for me. I get 2000 fc's at 10" sitting the plant under the side of the protruding bulb. This window has 2, 42's on the other side and is 35" wide. Growing 17 pleuros, couple intergen rehabs, a milt, a sundew and vanilla

Doing the same thing with little Asco's. I use a vanda basket, hop 2 of them on for the "light ride"and hang them just under the tip of light. Other plants are under the side of the light. The ultimate "Light High-Rise". They are light on the other side too. The angling works out well. I am at about 10-12" spacing, even though the pics don't seem like it. Distortion, sorry.

{{gwi:200563}}

My Beloved Ang Crestwood, aka "Fat Boy" spiked for the 1st time under 1 85wcfl and a west window. He is in double sided spike so Mum rewarded him with a riser and another "Bertha" for his flip side. He is inches from the lights. He is in a 12" pot and it has been a problem drying out. The Berthas took care of that so his bottom roots aren't soggy.

{{gwi:200564}}

Other Misc. Items that warrent mentioning:

Make sure the bulb housing is installed & securely in place before screwing the bulb in

I made the mistake of assembling my 1st bulb on the floor and then trying to install the entire thing. Not the smartest idea when dangling from a ladder with Bertha & a jungle of cords. 25$ + Shipping was in shards on the floor. A carpet or blanket would have been the way to go but no guarentee.

Brooder lamps

I screwed the bulb in and it didn't work. The bulbs are big and squash the little "pin" at the bottom of the fixture. It needs to be gently pulled back out to make contact.

The Brooder lamps sold at HD need help to remain oriented. I called the company that makes the Brooder lamps. When the woman asked me what the problem was, she almost fainted when I told her! They asked for pics, no joke. Hopefully they will come out with a bigger model. I looked them up on the internet. Maybe if enough of us do it, they will see their future???

The hoods have little holes. I use them for other reasons. I use a thin metal wire and secure the hoods where I want them. The clamps are ridiculous and slip. Trust me on this. You'll be sitting back relaxing & Crash! (25$ + shipping and handling) That little wire has saved bulbs a couple of times. I had to get a little "creative" to secure the brooders.

{{gwi:200565}}

Fire & overloaded circuits

I have antique wiring in my winter grow areas. Last winter I stared several small fires. Ceramic heaters are the biggest lone load I run. I had to stop. The Chicago FD was getting pissed. So far so good. 1 fire but that was my fault. I use heavy duty extension cords with a built in breaker. Safer. I chose not to enclose the bulb and possibly over-heat/damage the bulbs but rather, use the "light spill" to light more plants!

I keep a fire extinguisher in the hallway and change my smoke detector batteries. After 4 house fires I need to fall over the extinguisher daily. I wouldn't think of shooting at Bertha. I would shoot the wiring. I also labeled my circuit breaker box. I don't want to guess in crisis and blow up my office equiptment.

Air Flow

The bulbs produce a lot more heat; something a ballast tubes does not do. Since we have had very hot weather here, I have kept the top of the windows open to vent the heat out. I have found that I have had to increase my airflow dramatically. I have also shut down the heat vents in my grow areas for now.

The drop off is quick the farther you grow from the bulb

This is relatively new for everyone. There has been no established space-cfl ratios firmly established. The Brassololva hanging 2" from the cfl pictured; had been out all summer. The 85w cfl has finally pinked it up. My meter reads ~ 8000-1000 fc's 2" away from the top of the bulb, however I have Twin Bertha's in a 35" area and many Bertha's and 42w's in a very small area. My Masde's and Dracs receive ~2000-2500 fc's at a distance of 8". At 16" my pathetic Helcia is receiving 500-1000fc's. It is parked on the side of the bulb. Not its normal spot but I just received another Bertha shipment. Helcia can "deal with it" for a day. It hates Bertha! Some plants will. I burn the protestors without a thought now. They thank me later with sturdy new growth and flowers that don't stall.

I'd like to know what others are getting for readings?

Run time can be shortened

As long as they receive enough fc's on a daily basis, no need to run 16 hour days. I have settled for 14- 12 hours to compensate for day length. Uncharted territory so time will tell about this subject. Any thoughts?

- You will be able to consider orchids that were once restricted due to your light supply

My favourite point of getting them! I can grow anything I choose. The plant no longer chooses me. Thus the reason I will have many well-light orchids up for sale very shortly.

- Windows and CFL's work superbly together

Don't expect your neighbours to be cordial ;-)

- A Headache or after-image is normal if you Look at Bertha

It's like very bad horror movie; "Jimmy don't look at the light!"

You are as unaclimated as your plant. Avoid looking into the light. I hang them out of eye-line. If you can't, you will get used to it. It's a rare day that Big Bertha's gaze meets mine. She will zap me once a month when I least expect it. Ibuprophen gel-caps work in 15 minutes when I get "Bertha-ed". If you are very nervous, about getting "Bertha-ed", tanning salons sell goggles for 2$. That's what the 1st TV buyers said in the 50's about the Television tube. "It will put your eyesight out!" :-)

You are looking into a 5000K bulb, not a dinky HD 28w 1750K bulb; big difference. I can look a little now but for a nano-second. Your eyes get used to averting it. Afterall, we are attempting to replicate the sun.

- You have more light and more heat, more airflow, you will water more

Well, the bright side? Rot won't be your problem! Over-watering, see Howard_A's post "How to drown proof your 'chids" .

- You may have less humidity.

Nothing to stress about. Given the option of less light or less humidity, Light always wins the argument. Humidity is not mandatory to grow and bloom orchids. Why does this seem to be the last Victorian grow method hold out?

Orchids are outside all summer at Mother Nature's mercy in the humidity department. They grow, bloom and no one complains about it not being humid enough outdoors. We are not G/H growers. Let's put the Victorian Legend to rest. Please? We are growing under 85W CFL's! Modern Technology. We don't have lanterns and buggies. It's a sore spot with me for many reasons. I will probably "pull a Howard" with respect to this subject.

- Your need for supplimental winter heat will decrease or be illiminated

:-))) No more heater fires for Clara! I will miss the visits by the Chicago FD. Summer is a little challenging. I crack the windows at the top and run the ac. I have only 1 indoor grow area in summer as opposed to 4-5

- Be prepared for people to ask you how big your electric bill is

Nosey Parker's have 0 comprehension of a "clean light" cfl's. I have a ceiling fan that takes 4, 100w incandescents. My blinding front window burns less electricity than the 4 incandescent fan lights. Cfl's burn less cash than the tr inferior ballast tubes. My landlord will never believe that and thinks I am a crazy, wealthy, wasteful woman. Whatever... He also won't take an orchid to his wife because he doesn't want to buy a humidyer or have the plant in the "bathroom" ;-)

- Your orchid arrangement may change.

If you currently grow by any other method than light organisation, say height, Big Bertha will change that. If you have to build risers for the short guys, go for it! Suspend them, turn your area wild! A rack or a window with 85w cfl's does not have to be "ducks in a row". It can be a work of art, a piece of the cloudforest, the jungle indoors when it's snowing. I adore my little grow room. It's grown even since I took this pic:

{{gwi:197639}}

CFL Source

Howard actually passed this to me. They are the nicest, fairest people. I have been having problems with the 42w's becoming unglued from the base. I received an entire new set of 42w cfl's from the lightbulbs direct today :-)) I never asked. They didn't want the old ones back. Fed ex shipped, well packed, competitively priced, stellar customer service. Can't say enough good about them! They have my eternal business.

- Those house plants that have taken a back seat to the orchids.... Light overflow keeps them going through the winter. Better than nada (500fc's)

{{gwi:200566}}

Let your mind go crazy, have fun, just don't look at "Bertha". She is so beautiful she is blinding.

Oh The last point, Dracula will turn to dust if he decides to pay you a visit! Garlic is no longer necessary, you have Big Bertha for Vampire Protection now. Over-waterers can kiss the mushrooms goodbye. You'll truely see how dirty your floors are.

Happy Halloween All!

Clara & The Berthas

Here is a link that might be useful: CFL Source Lightbulbs Direct

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Comments (20)

mrbreeze
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
So...what are you trying to say?
-MB
paul_
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
LOL! Big Bertha looks like a "ray gun" from one of the old sci-fi shows!

"Take us to your leader or there will be a great Earth-shattering ... er ... orchid-shattering KABOOM!"
:D
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Petiolaris thanks for all the gorgeous pics..Of course I want them all! Took a look at cobra__.com. I am glad you all posted pics. I would not know where to begin. Bob123how sounds like you have an indoor air problem or temp problem with the catt. A/C possibly? With the 2 42's and the 85 a catt should thrive. I grow vandacious types under less without problems. I had really bad air quality problems this past winter. Had the HVAC system cleaned. After that, my plants took off. If you are having problems with fungus, that is usually a temp and/or air problem if you aren't over watering Outdoors may be best in your area of the country, however up in Chicago its horrible growing outdoors. Moved here from Florida. I imagine Tx is similar to Fl. Ouch to outdoor growing in Chicago! I prefer to be able to control the conditions. The 1st part of summer had a lot of sun but the temps were low 70's at best. Now it is high 90's and rain. I pulled many plants back inside Woke up to the 1st open flower on the VFT this morning :-) I may try him outdoors again for the rest of the summer. Clara
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aachenelf z5 Mpls
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Clara

That's some wattage you have there. Congrats! It sounds like you've put some time and effort into figuring out the best way to use this bulb with the setup you currently have, but don't you think it would be worth the while to find or make a reflector to best fit this bulb? I haven't checked on what's available and I'm sure they would be expensive, but I don't think it would be that difficult to make something from a sheet of lightweight aluminum. Basically you could probably get by with a rectangular box-like thing with a hole for the bulb & socket and 4 chains to hang the contraption. Maybe a quick trip to HD or a sheet metal place might would be worth the time. I've also heard that some sheet metal fabrication places will make things to order. I've never checked, so I can't give you any prices or anything. I still think you could make something if you could just find the right piece of metal. With all the time, effort and $ you're investing in lighting you should really be getting the most from it.

Kevin
mike_gee
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Good article. Well done with intellect and humor. Way to play it when dealing with the new. Right on Little Sister.

Questions
Cost of conversion?
Your plants burn substantially?
Did you swap 'Bertha' for tubes or are you using tubes with the 'Bertha'?
Appropriate name.
How big is Bertha from tip to tip?
Have a measurement from clamp to tip of bulb?
How much of a temperature increase are you seeing?
You saying you do 1 per foot?
I see 1 pic you have a wood bar. How you attaching the other Brooders?
Have you noticed any substantial shift in blooming?
The Vandacious are looking mighty fine. How are they responding to 'B.B.'? Is it enough light without a window? Watering frequency on the Ascos? Way to go with gettin' Crestwood dry on bottom. Challenging when they are big.

Agreed about humidity. Harp on Llittle Sister.

Took a look at these awhile back. Didn't know what would hold them. See folks are having the same trouble. Your solution - simple. Like the thought of parking the little ones under the side. Makes good use of what OT would be dead space.

My apologies on behalf of our forum-mates thoughtless remarks, Ms. Clara. Gentlemen where are your manners? Did either of you have a question or were you feelin' the need to publically show your ignorance of modern indoor grow systems? The lady is one of few able and willing to share experience on the topic. Thank her. Ever see the O.P.'s final product? Not too shabby for an indoor grower in a low light zone. The gal can 'rock the grow' and has unrestricted range. Look at the above pics - Vandacious to Pleuros.

If you don't know what she is trying to say you may want to hone your reading skills or skip on to a Newbie post about cutting Phal. leads. This is not the 'other board'. If you feel the need to make snide remarks as your re:, please do it there, not here. It does not enhance the topic. Caustic ain't cute. This board is for the serious minded seeking-sharing info. Up until recently, this board was a place for wonder, support and encouragement. Its comments like these that make one unable to take your future advise seriously.

The post is light years ahead. Keep it comin'. You convinced me to take on 'Big B'. I want unlimited growing freedom. Thanks for sharing.
Mike
mike_gee
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Kevin you posted in while I was posting. Sorry to catch you in the cross-fire, Brother
Mike
treehaus
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Clara,

This is a wonderful post. I have a question about something you wrote: "I get 2000 fc's at 10" sitting the plant under the side of the protruding bulb"

Are you getting 2000 fc's at 10" from a single bulb? If so, that is a lot! I am only getting 2,000 fc's at a few inches from the bulb. What's your secret, or what am I doing wrong?

Again, very cool article on Bertha. Happy weekend.

Cheers,
Mike
paul_
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

Mike, old chap, I DO think you were being too serious. While I do come here to find or share information/experience, I do disagree with your limiting statement ""This board is for the serious minded seeking-sharing info." I also see this board as a place to share some levity. If you don't see it that way, that's okay. Our views don't have to be the same. I can accept that -- whether or not you can is up to you. How you might have gotten "caustic" out of my comment, I really don't understand. Perhaps you were in a negative frame of mind at the time. And if my comments, which were never meant to be "snide", make you "unable to take my future advise seriously" that is quite alright too. That is your issue, not mine.

Your tone and comments came across to me as extremely presumptuous-- but I realize you were, however misguided IMO, attempting to 'protect' where you mistakenly perceived an 'attack' on Clara where none was intended.

But far more importantly, if you, Clara, did take offense then I am heartily sorry. It was not my intent. The lamp with bulb triggered a memory I found amusing & so shared. If the setup works, great! Growing underlights is always a challenge. I didn't know they even made the cfl's in that size. :)
claritamaria
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Paul- No offense taken. She is kind of space aged looking. Maybe it was perceived as snide with just the 2 posts? Humour can be perceived differently on the internet. Mike thank you for coming to the rescue. Thank you for the nice compliments. Decent light give one freedom to grow.

Paul "I get 2000 fc's at 10" sitting the plant under the side of the protruding bulb. This window has 2, 42's on the other side and is 35" wide.
Is this how you are measuring? Is this the Eiko 85w 5100k?

Kevin-TY. I am getting the most of it. You know me. Bertha is kind of a different animal. The bulbs kicks way too much heat to enclose it. I advise caution for those who are thinking about enclosing it, fire. It may shorten the bulb life. I wouldn't want to void the warrantee on the bulb. Bertha needs air like the orchids. My source will replace them at no charge if I have a problem

You see I want the heat. I am growing in a 7 1/2 x 7 1/2' room. It's between 80=85ºF w/ window open. I also want to be able to cover some area. enclosing Bertha won't do that for me. I don't have a lack of fc's now so no worries. I use the spill from the side. Those are nice fc's under Bertha.

Last winter I had a very hard time raising the temp in the grow areas. My electric bill was out of control by running heaters. Bertha eliminates the need. I use the overflow to light for shorter guys so there is no waste and I am covering a bigger space. Everyone is oncid/ catt range on up. I like the range.

Mike to answer your questions:
Cost of conversion?
~$45/bulb when all is said and done

Your plants burn substantially?
Not the ones that have been out. New ones or others I acclimate

Did you swap 'Bertha' for tubes or are you using tubes with the 'Bertha'?
Both, but usually just the Bertha's. I am using more 42's with bulbs but have 1 shelf that has tubes and a Bertha. Just checking it out. Working on getting rid of all tubes. $$$. Matter of time

How big is Bertha from tip to tip?
12" x 4.25"

Have a measurement from clamp to tip of bulb?
Depends on how you kink the dish. 22-25" on average

How much of a temperature increase are you seeing?
5-10º . will know better when the weather cools down

You saying you do 1 per foot?
Pretty much the goal. Have various configs. Config could be 2 of my existing 42's together, then a "Bertha" alternating.

I see 1 pic you have a wood bar. How you attaching the other Brooders?
A 32¢ plumber's clamp attached to the ceiling with the housing shot straight down or angeled slightly if I decide to wire it that way.

{{gwi:187689}}

Have you noticed any substantial shift in blooming?
Have had heat problems all summer. A lack of it, so it helps. Can you clarify your question?

The Vandacious are looking mighty fine. How are they responding to 'B.B.'? Is it enough light without a window? Watering frequency on the Ascos? Way to go with gettin' Crestwood dry on bottom. Challenging when they are big.

I have to water the vanda-types at least daily with the exception of the big Ang. He gets watered at least twice a week with the addition of the 2nd Light. Too soon to say. The weather is a bit warm to say which is which. I water him more than when he was outdoors which indicates to me he is better heated and light.

Clara
Still on the Quest for Light
westoh Z6
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Clara,

As far as how I hang my BB's: I built a 6' x 2' rack out of 1"x2"'s, it is cross braced at the 2' marks. I painted the thing white to make it look acceptable. I then placed hooks at the corners and at the intersections of the cross pieces pointed down for hanging lights and put other hooks on the top ends to hang the entire fixture from 2 hooks in the ceiling.

I use the largest brooder lamps I can find and attach an 18" piece of chain to the wire hook. I then hook the other end of the chain to one of the hooks on the wood fixture. By hooking the chain at different links, I can adjust the height of the light. I loosely cable tie the electrical cords to the fixture (allows for movement when adjusting the lights) and I have a powerstrip attached to the side of the fixture to plug in the brooder lamps, the strip plugs into a timer.

This set-up would allows me to hang 5-6 lights from the fixture, although currently I'm only hanging 3 and use a 4th hung from the side of my light cart.

I hang my BB's straight down, for me it would be hard to do anything else without using clamps or the like.

For those who want to have CFL's and nice fixtures, they might want to look at the aquarium type stuff. Those 4 pin CFL's come in pretty high wattage and assorted 'temps' and can be put in aquarium hoods. I have 2 of these set-ups, one with 2 65watt CFL's in a JBL fixture, it is 4' long has a couple of built in fans for cooling and and sits nicely on top of my 55 gal tank. I also have a 2/55 watt CFL set-up in a 24" fixure. I made this entire setup from parts ordered from AH Supply. I paid @$220 for the 130 watt JBL set-up and paid Clara, you convinced me to move my 4 BB's to within 2-4" of the tops of my plants this weekend, they had been at 6-10".

Bob

Here is a link that might be useful: More lights and fixtures
claritamaria
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Bob-Thanks for adding to the discussion. Do you have a pic of your set up? Sounds super!. I have non-standard windows. Very long 6' but very a little "vertically challenged". Live in a partially converted machine shoppe in the city. Great place to grow but windows and light are tricky. The window ledge is 5' off the ground. Bertha is 4' above that.

That's why I angle Bertha and brooder. Bigger plants wouldn't fit in the window. Have a 14" ledge I like to grow on. Hanging down and being able to adjust would be a dream. I have to bring the little ones up instead. In doing so, I found I could use the side 12" of the bulb to light too.

The cords drive me nuts. I have to somehow get them under control. The brooders have no switch which is a pain sometimes if I need to turn 1 or 2 off on a hot day. Have to sort through the cord jungle from a ladder.

You'll find more bang for your buck when you snuggle the plants up to Bertha. I was surprised to see an asco which had been out all summer finally getting a few freckles!

Clara
alex_nurse
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Clara & The Berthas, thanks for the great info. You asked about LED grow lights. I just bought 4 (2 red, 2 blue) for my orchids ... I just installed them so I'll be looking for the results. I let you know how things work out.

Alex
tee530
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Clara - Looks like you are certainly pumping out the lumens, and plants look happy.

Two questions to ponder though: at $45 a pop, these 85W CFLs + fixture are well-beyond chump change, at least for me. At some point, it must make sense to switch over to a HID lighting system. A ceiling mounted 1000W HPS, for example, would probably irradiate a good portion of your grow space, and they can't be more than a couple of hundred bucks.

Second, the size of those 85W CFLs in the HD brooder lamp seems to ensure a lot of wasted lumens, and they stick out so far, a strip of Al-foil won't do much. As someone previously said, those gigantic CFLs seem much better suited to horizontal mounting in a "wing" or "half-tube" style fixture. I think the same poster described making a simple one with a double-ended screw-in socket, 8' heating duct cut in two lengthwise, and a couple of sheet metal screws.

That said, the brooder lamps _are_ very flexible in their placement. Personally, I don't exceed a 55W bulb (linked below) in this fixture because, as you pointed out, I don't like my retinas fried just walking around the room. Nice thing about this particular 55W is the squat design that just about fits inside the 10.5" hemisphere. And not too shabby at 3600 lumens and $16.

Here is a link that might be useful: fat 55W CFL
whitecat8
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, 1000Bulbs.com messed up my order. Not only are they sending the original 5 Sunlite 85W CFLs, 6500K, but also my later order of 5 Eiko 85W, 5000K. And then they deleted my buddy's 4 42W 5000K. Bummer.

In the meantime, I've realized that, in the living room, an 85W CFL hanging out of a brooder light isn't going to work for me or for DH. So, this winter, I'll go w/ one or two 85W bulbs and get reflectors that cover the bulbs from a hydro or aquarium place. Orchid $$ is in the minus range right now, or I'd go w/ more set-ups like that.

Getting there....

Whitecat8
whitecat8
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Clara - Somehow, my original, ecstatic response to your post here didn't show up, or I wouldn't have posted first about something as mundane as a messed-up bulb order.

Thank you so, so much for taking the care and time to compose your Big Bertha message. It's an instant classic! Indescribably helpful to those of us who are a lotta wattage behind you on the light quest.

And a huge thanks to Uncle Howard, Lightman, for putting folks on the path.

Whitecat8
westoh Z6
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My post from late yesterday disappeared also???

Anyhow, I just unscrew the bulbs a bit to turn off individual ones. I'll try to post a couple of pictures of my set-up in the next couple of days.

My 85's are over benches that sit about 36" high, plants are generally 10-24" including pots, so my BB's generally sit at around 5 1/2' - 6' off the ground. I learned to not look directly into them when in the room. I did have to put a partial tin-foil extension on the brooder lamp closest to the window, it was blinding when looking in from the outside at night. My window opens to the back yard, so it's not too much of a hassle for anyone else.

Bob
claritamaria
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Alex let me know how you find the LED's please! Dying to try them. Have a good source?

tee some good points. Again I wouldn't enclose them. Heat is a concern. The tip of the bulb is at 8000-10000 fc's. You lose that when you enclose that end. In essence you have a mini tube when it's enclosed. I have plants all the way around Bertha. from 2000 fc's on the sides all the way up past vanda light. I work my lights in a semi enclosed space at the windows and in the racks. Best I can do in my situ. Not complaining

I have so many grow areas & shelves that HID's would not be a good choice for me.

Bob would love to see your set up! I am pushing my luck with the city sidewalk and the Bertha's :-) Chicago PD came when I got them. Who would grow "that" in a window? Have to keep it out of eye line on the street, although sometimes.... Those young kids making noise at 3am! I'd love to "Bertha" them!

WC what happened? I prefer Lightbulbs direct.com. They have been very good to me.

Clara
treehaus
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Clara, WC8,

They managed to handle my order well, were shipped in great shape, etc. Maybe just a fluke? There was not much $$ in my plant treasury either (I was on strike for almost three weeks), but the two bulbs, two reflectors, extension cord and timer did not set me back far, and now I feel relieved to have the light. At this latitude, not only can you watch the sun move from east to west each day, but you can practically see it heading south too!

Mike
westoh Z6
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm interested in LED's also.

I looked at them about 6-8 months ago, but the initial purchase price turned me off. As I recall (probably incorrectly) the cost to light a 2' x 3' area would have been around $300, my 8' x +2' area would have been very expensive, > $1000.00.

Have the prices become more reasonable yet?

Bob
whitecat8
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Bob - Thanks for the AH link. Maybe I could put one together myself.

Mike - I messed w/ the system @ 1000Bulbs by placing the first order via Web, then calling an hour later and asking to change part of the order. The guy who took the info wasn't the one who ultimately changed the order, so a couple of ways things could go wrong.

Clara, believe me, when the invoice came through yesterday, I thought "I shoulda gone w/ LightBulbsDirect!" Not to say they wouldn't have messed it up, but you know how your brain works in times like that.

In the meantime, I've gotta have a serious talk w/ DH. Maybe a 2nd octopus lamp in the living room would be the best option. Even a "real" fixture for the 85W isn't exactly suited for the LR. He's supportive of my obsession, but even I'm not ready for BB in the LR.

It will all work out.

WC8

Here is a link that might be useful: LED thread from 02 07
jane__ny
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Whitecat, I'm with you. I think I'll get a few more octopus lamps and try the 42W and see if they last longer than a week. I'm dealing with the living-room also and Bertha might not get a good welcome from family. I'll get the bulbs from Clara's link.

Thanks, Clara for so much 'light' information. You got everyone going brighter! Its a good thing....

Jane

'Big Bertha' 85w CFL Set Up. Endless Possibilities :-)

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