Why not use tanning bed lights for grow lights?
- Thread starter KarlJay
- Start date
UVB would be best as additional light, not as your main source.
- Thread starter
- #3
That's what I was thinking, but I wonder what a good ratio would be. With veg, I've seen 80/20 and 70/30 with light spectrum but nothing about UVB. Maybe if someone had a chart of how much UVB is in the sun around the equator and use that as a starting guide.
My understanding is that once the plants are fully underway, you can't have too much light, so adding UVB should be able to hurt the plant as long as it doesn't overheat.
My understanding is that once the plants are fully underway, you can't have too much light, so adding UVB should be able to hurt the plant as long as it doesn't overheat.
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- #4
EraBud
New Member
well I know you can buy UVB heat lamps from most major pet stores in the reptile section for pretty cheap ($15) if anyone wants to do the experiment themselves, but I wouldn't add them if you don't have some form of cooling system they keep my terrarium at about 83'F with just one
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- #6
Perfect Sun LED
Well-Known Member
Tanning lamps get SUPER HOT. Sure, they produce sunlike qualities, but at the heat expense. BTW, you can tan under an HPS. One time while building and working in one of my home made tents, I got sun burned on my face and neck for being under the HPS for about 30 minutes.
HPS is far more effective for growing.
Tanning lights would work, especially the 100w or 160w ones, but man, you would have to find a way to remove the heat, like put them in a unique tune that lets you pull the air out like we have for HPS hoods. Even then, you would need air conditioning because the heat pushes through the glass tube.
I think the electricity used to keep the grow room under 80 degrees would cost more than just running a 1000w hps with proper vent and cooling. Just my thoughts on it.
I am sure if it were costly effective, people would be doing it.
HPS is far more effective for growing.
Tanning lights would work, especially the 100w or 160w ones, but man, you would have to find a way to remove the heat, like put them in a unique tune that lets you pull the air out like we have for HPS hoods. Even then, you would need air conditioning because the heat pushes through the glass tube.
I think the electricity used to keep the grow room under 80 degrees would cost more than just running a 1000w hps with proper vent and cooling. Just my thoughts on it.
I am sure if it were costly effective, people would be doing it.
TRWestburnsid
New Member
Several kinds of grow lights offer a broad spectrum of light and are appropriate for plant growth. While tanning bed has ultraviolet lights with short wavelengths. Ultraviolet rays are able to penetrate human skin and cause it to tan in color . It may seem that a tanning bed's lights can do the same task, but its lights are different, Plants respond best to cool lights, which won't burn or otherwise damage foliage. Grow lights are used to increase the light plants receive. I hope this info may help you
Hello all.
New member here and first time grower. I wanted to chime in on this thread. I come from the tanning industry and have a pretty in depth knowledge of lamps and am actually implementing a tanning unit into my grow. My current setup up is as follows:
4 T5 fixtures with 4 foot 54 watt 6500k HO lamps installed. I've also rigged a tanning unit that I've taken apart (stand up) and removed a panel. That one panel consists of 10 160 watt VHO 5% UVB (level 3) lamps with 5 ballasts (2 per lamp) and individual starters for each lamp.
I've run a 220v line on a 40 amp breaker to the panel and suspended it in the middle of my grow room on a pulley system. Now those lamps are meant to be run no longer than 15 minutes at a time so I've put in a timer for the unit to run in 6 10 minute intervals throughout the daylight process. I've added 2 fans directed at the bulbs to help cool then while they are running. I'm not sure if an hour a day of full spectrum very high output uvb lamp exposure is going to be enough to increase potency to a noticeable level but we will see.
I'll post pics if anyone is interested. Happy growing all.
New member here and first time grower. I wanted to chime in on this thread. I come from the tanning industry and have a pretty in depth knowledge of lamps and am actually implementing a tanning unit into my grow. My current setup up is as follows:
4 T5 fixtures with 4 foot 54 watt 6500k HO lamps installed. I've also rigged a tanning unit that I've taken apart (stand up) and removed a panel. That one panel consists of 10 160 watt VHO 5% UVB (level 3) lamps with 5 ballasts (2 per lamp) and individual starters for each lamp.
I've run a 220v line on a 40 amp breaker to the panel and suspended it in the middle of my grow room on a pulley system. Now those lamps are meant to be run no longer than 15 minutes at a time so I've put in a timer for the unit to run in 6 10 minute intervals throughout the daylight process. I've added 2 fans directed at the bulbs to help cool then while they are running. I'm not sure if an hour a day of full spectrum very high output uvb lamp exposure is going to be enough to increase potency to a noticeable level but we will see.
I'll post pics if anyone is interested. Happy growing all.
Welcome to 
...By all means put up some pictures...likely not for most growers...butt...I for one would like to have a look see...T5's have been a essential part of my previous grows...be interesting to see what happens with the UVB panel...feel free to start a journal and link it from here...cheerz...h00k...
...By all means put up some pictures...likely not for most growers...butt...I for one would like to have a look see...T5's have been a essential part of my previous grows...be interesting to see what happens with the UVB panel...feel free to start a journal and link it from here...cheerz...h00k...coloradomarc
New Member
Hello,
I would be VERY interested in what you discovered ..! I have a bed that I want to re-purpose for growing plants.
Has anyone found a replacement bulb ie. grow light for a tanning bed ..?
Thanks,
Marc
Hello coloradomarc
This is an old thread from Feb 9, 2013, UVB light exposure would blind you. No one has ever come across a safe manner to use UVB in grow areas which human or animal are exposed to unfiltered UBV. The Intensity of light decreases by 1/4 per foot from the light source making most UVB sources ineffective. Unless you prefer an un shielded arc lamp there are no viable alternatives which produce enough intensity. Please do not blind yourself or others.
This is an old thread from Feb 9, 2013, UVB light exposure would blind you. No one has ever come across a safe manner to use UVB in grow areas which human or animal are exposed to unfiltered UBV. The Intensity of light decreases by 1/4 per foot from the light source making most UVB sources ineffective. Unless you prefer an un shielded arc lamp there are no viable alternatives which produce enough intensity. Please do not blind yourself or others.
