What Reflective Materials Can I Use For My Grow Room?
- Thread starter SmokeyMacPot
- Start date
dc534
Well-Known Member
This stuff is called Relfectix, bought it at Home Depot for about $16 for a 16"x25' roll. Any comments? Its basically bubble wrap sandwiched in mylar...
From what I have heard from others is this stuff works pretty good but is more costly than the Mylar idea, and it also isnt quite as relfective as the emergency blanket Mylar , but it does disperse heat quite a deal better and thus is better if you are trying to hide your energy sig. Some suggested using this and then at the bottom use Mylar, so you get the most light reflecting up.
bdmain
New Member
That's what I have now. Just starting to build my growroom and was wondering how it would work.
DarkAsylumn
Active Member
I was also wondering about the foil faced foam board used in construction would work. I noticed it was asked before but I couldnt find an answer. any help is greatly appreciated. and I want to say that you guys are so very helpful
seaflo
New Member
The trouble with using the materials all of you are talking about is their possible negative environmental/health impacts. Most construction materials have formaldehyde, endocrine disruptors and a host of other materials you would not want anywhere near your plants. PVC out-gassing is REAL. Formaldehyde poisoning is REAL. And as far as paints and fungicidal additives, please keep that shit away from my plants. Just like us, and possibly even more so, our plants are impacted by their environment. So please look at alternative methods that do not pollute the grow room, your lungs and the rest of the earth any more than you have to. A grow room should be as friendly and natural to the plants as possible, I believe. BTW; I have found ORCA film to be a possible alternative and it is not made in China (where they will kill you for possession of marijuana) but in Canada where their people are paid a fair wage and they are not trying to take over the world.
De-Verdamper is the best vaporizer.
De-Verdamper is the best vaporizer.
Amnesia420
New Member
I have a glass wardrobe i was planning on using to grow in , is that a good idea? It also has mini LED lights from every angle.
Has anyone ever used aluminum foil tissue. I got it at micheals craft and hobbie store. I remeber reading about it a long time ago and now this is my first actual grow and it is what i am using. if you hold it up it is transparent but when it sits against the wall it is ver refelctive or at least seams so. just wondering if anyone else has any experiance in this department?
speaking of reflective materials...I'm gonna be buying my first grow light this week so I've been hunting around for the best prices for probably a cool tube with reflector and got to wondering what the reflectors are made from so I can make my own. I'm a builder so I do have a metal brake to bend the metal any shape I want...I just wondered what the metal was exactly and where I could find some. Looking to put together a 600W cool tube for under $300 with a reflector about 24"X30"...w/digital ballast and all. Had my eye on this reflector/tube which got me to thinking about making at least my own reflector part....if not the whole thing...
ViaVolt? Air Cooled Deluxe Reflector - Style # VSCC562, grow light reflectors,air cooled grow light reflector,grow light reflector,best grow light reflector,grow light reflector reviews,wing reflector
Saw 6"x30" pyrex tubes on ebay for $30 w/shipping.
Thanks..
ViaVolt? Air Cooled Deluxe Reflector - Style # VSCC562, grow light reflectors,air cooled grow light reflector,grow light reflector,best grow light reflector,grow light reflector reviews,wing reflector
Saw 6"x30" pyrex tubes on ebay for $30 w/shipping.
Thanks..
A sheet metal brake would probably be an awesome DiY Grower tool
. You can find sheets of ~95% reflective specular aluminum at many retail hydroponics websites. Just be sure you're getting the good stuff as there is also a ~86% reflective version. Most (ventilated) reflectors are double walled. The outside can be aluminum, mild steel, or whatever. You'll want to weld on a couple of 6" (8", etc.) pieces to connect your ventilation.Cool tubes are great for cooling. Not so great for their specs on light transmission when it comes to the reflected light. IOW... You stick the reflective piece over the tube. The light that comes directly from the bulb to your plants passes through one layer of glass - just like with a "regular" vented hood. But the light that bounces off the reflector has to pass through glass twice - unlike a regular vented hood. So you're going to take a hit. Less than 10%, but you're still losing light that you're paying for on the electric bill. While reflected light is of less use than direct light, with a high-intensity light the amount can still be significant.
Tortured Soul...thanks much for that answer. Goes real appreciated. Pretty informative...gives me a little something more to think about. I actually found the same reflector since I made that initial post for $25 less so I ordered that one. It'll be fine to start up with. Will be here March 1st. I was thinking that it was a bit larger in size than most (24.5x31)...which most it seems in this price range are more like 19"x whatever...so I thought I'd be getting a hair more coverage/reflector but not really enough to talk about...still though...I also thought I might be able at some point to get in closer with tubes....and at worst...being the room I'm making is a bit narrower than I'd like (5'-7' wide L-shape x 13' long) I figure I can stand the tube up in the center of some plants..at some point....
I'll tell you though...making my own would be the way to go! Matter of fact with my ballast order I picked the package that had the ballast and extra tube socket w/15' of cord. Was another fifteen bucks....
I get what you're saying though and appreciate it!
Mucho thanxo
abuilder
I'll tell you though...making my own would be the way to go! Matter of fact with my ballast order I picked the package that had the ballast and extra tube socket w/15' of cord. Was another fifteen bucks....
I get what you're saying though and appreciate it!
Mucho thanxo
abuilder
Better than nothing. Without knowing the material's reflectivity spec, it's hard to be specific. On average, probably less useful than a good coat of bright flat white paint.
Good prep work, primer, and decent-quality paint has a lot going for it. You can get titanium and brilliant white at a paint store. Flat white has the highest reflectivity (of paint types) and it diffuses the light so that you shouldn't experience "hot spots." If you need to be able to clean the walls, you might go with an eggshell finish, which will be slightly less reflective. Unlike mylar, panda plastic, aluminum sheeting, et cetera, if you move (or just move your grow room), white painted walls/ceilings can be left behind, lol.
Under perfect conditions, mylar is probably best. But in many real-world conditions, white paint would be better for practical purposes. Mylar is very thin (usually one or two mil) which means it is easy to accidentally cut. Its reflectivity quickly decreases if it is not installed flat.
I'd place aluminum sheet below both of them and avoid if possible. If not... it's better than nothing.
Mylar, white paint, or foil
Reflective paint vs mylar
When using a highly reflective surface such as mylar "aiming" the reflection is important. If you cover a vertical wall with mylar, a light located in the ceiling will hit the wall at an angle and reflect back at that same angle. So, the reflected light may travel from the light, bounce off the mylar, and hit the floor. If your plants are on a table in your grow room they may not receive any of this reflected light.
Home Depot sells sheets of styrofoam (about and inch thick) with mylar glued to one side. I cut them into smaller sheets and put them close to the plants. You can adjust the angle of the cards to direct the best light.
Home Depot sells sheets of styrofoam (about and inch thick) with mylar glued to one side. I cut them into smaller sheets and put them close to the plants. You can adjust the angle of the cards to direct the best light.
Low reflectivity, uneven reflectiveness, hot spots, no.
exile19
Well-Known Member
I always thought mirrors were okay, I thought aluminum only had hot spots??
A "good" mirror has maybe 65% reflectivity. Which is really low for the walls of an indoor garden. Any light that hits one that does manage to get reflected back has to travel through a piece of glass - twice. And they do generally have a less than stellar inner-surface, so yeah, you'll most likely have hot spots from one.
