Cost - Quality of Light - Safety |
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about my lights. |
Halide Lights
Are Hot |
| "The ballast gets so hot that you can not
touch it for more than a second. Put it in a metal box with a fan
and ventilation holes. ALSO when connecting wires to the bulb make
sure that you use wire that can with stand high heat. A good recommendation
is wire that is used in stoves or irons. If you use standard lampshade
wire the insulation can soften and melt from the heat that is transmitted
from the bulb to the mogul socket." "Growing under HID lamps requires some thought ahead of time, planning, and a bigger budget. Where are you going to put a 500 watt fireball in your home which is on for 16 - 24 hrs. a day, throws off as much light as 24 regular 100 watt light bulbs, as much heat as a small space heater, and bleaches carpets and fabric and can cause cataracts?" |
| My Lights are COOL and can safely be used over the glass of an aquarium |
Halide Lights
Are A Hard Light |
| As a photographer, I have learned to deal with
the amount and quality of light. If I want high contrast, harsh shadows,
I would look for a "Hard Light". This is similar to noon
day sun shining on your face. You know how awful those photos look
because of the hard shadows and washed out highlights. When we want
to reduce the contrast in an image we diffuse the light and create
a softer light. Similar to daylight with a little cloud cover or
the soft light coming into a window with white sheer curtains. So why does the Halide lights look bright...because it is a high contrast or hard light source. It produces a pinpoint light and lots of shadow and bright spots. Many people however, prefer a softer, or less contrasty light and that is what our Fluorex lights deliver. By virtue of how the light is produced (heated gas creates the light and passes it through a soft white glass housing vs. a clear glass with a red hot element burning to produce the light) we end up with a softer, less contrasty light. A light that will show off your plants with a softer and better light then the halides can deliver. Some customers have written me to ask why our light doesn't seem to be as bright. Well actually, a Halide can output up to 50,000 Lumens of light which is a lot more then our lights. Most indoor plants don't need this much light or the heat they produce and the very high cost to buy and operate them. Our lights have a high light output and are a softer more diffused light and relatively inexpensive to purchase and run. It might take a little getting used to, but I can assure you that once you use these lights, there is no turning back. Remember the Light Output in Lux or Lumens on our lights are is 4550 Lumens per light and when you purchase the recommended number of lights for your aquarium the light output will be sufficient to grow most coral and marine life without the problems and cost of a Halide. So don't judge the light output alone when deciding which lights to use. Further more, the Halides must be hung far enough away from the plants so it does not kill them from the tremendous heat. As a result the light output will weaken the farther away from the plants they are. Our lights can sit directly on your glass top or right over your new seedlings and therefore produce a stronger light output due to the proximity of the light source to the plants and seeds. |
| My Lights produce beautiful, soft "pictures" of your plants...just like those professional photos I love to shoot. |
Halide Lights
Are Big |
| Halides are big, heavy and must not be put too close to your plants. You will need to hang them over your plants at a distance where the heat will not cause harm to the plants. This then becomes a problem with light spread, glare, as well as the excessive heat generated by the lights. Imagine running two of these in the heat of the summer and tryng to keep a room cool. Never, ever use a Halide in a Grow Box, it can cause a fire. |
| My Lights are compact in size 12" X 8" and can be placed close to any plants or seeds. No need to worry about excessive heat, they are just warm to the touch. No glare, because all the effective light will go directly into the plants or emerging seedlings. |
Halide Lights
Don't Maintain A Consistent Color Temperature |
"Also referred to was the ubiquitous color shift that occurs with time in all metal halide lamps. This is 200K to 300K by the end of their economic life and up to an additional 600K near the end of their rated life. Each bulb type shifts uniquely, although the authors do not elaborate. For the MPH175/U/5K (5200K) average life was 7500 hours, which means that the economic (useful) life is 4500 hours (60% of 7500). CRI is 75. The initial lumens/watt (measured after 100 hours) is 68,and the mean lumen output is 9000. A year and a quarter at 51lumens/watt. In the horizontal position, a year at 43 lumens/watt.The 250 watt and especially the 400 watt bulbs were more efficient." |
| Color temperature stays consistent at 6500 Kelvin close to natural daylight while maintaining a CRI value of 84 (100 is sunlight) |
Halide Lights
Are Expensive |
| http://www.elights.com/methallam.html or simply do a web search and you will see they can run up to $200 per light. |
| You can purchase 3 to 4 of my lights for the cost of just one Halide Light. |
Halide Lights
Can Be Dangerous |
| The Venture Lighting manual explains that
non-passive failure of these bulbs is rare, but that it does occur
usually when the bulb is burnt in the non-vertical position or
in a position that does not meet with the manufacturer's specifications.
If the bulb explodes, I think that the UV radiation would be less
of an immediate worry than the hot flying glass and metal particles.
As for the height of bulbs is usually between 12-24 inches above the plants surface. Many people use UV shielded glass or Plexiglas's to protect against UV and exploding bulbs (check Deja News for Coral life 10000K bulbs, they had a tendency to explode, I think that they are off the market now). This is the reason for the acrylic lens in the fixture. How about the danger of hitting one of these red hot bulbs when misting your plants? |
| No Danger of blowing, has been UL Rated for Outdoor Use through heat or snow, plus we have a protective lens cover the encloses the entire light, not just the sides like the Halides . |
Halide Lights
Can Be A Hazard - PDF Document |
| http://www.cbs.state.or.us/external/osha/pdf/hazards/metal_halide.pdf |
| No hazards, no worries, better quality of light |
Halide Lights
Can Be Expensive To Run |
| Take a 500 Watt Halogen or equivalent and
go to your power bill from your utility and see what they charge
you to run it 10 hours or longer per day. That would be 500 Watts X 10 hours = 5,000 Watts per day X 365 = 1,825,000 Watts of electricity used per year per light. They usually charge you per Kilowatts or electricity used so divide 1,825,000 by 1,000 = 1,825 Kilowatts per year per light. My electric company charges me .1047 per KW so at this rate, I would pay $191.03 to run one light. Now compare this with these numbers: Flourex 65 Watt Lamp X 10 = 650 Watts per day X 365 = 237,250 divided by 1,000 = 237.25 X .1047 = $24.84 Per Light TOTAL SAVINGS IN ELECTRICITY PER YEAR FOR ONE LIGHT IS: $166.19 Now Look At What the Light Cost You - It Will Pay For Itself In Only 4 Months Or Less |
| My Lights will pay for themselves in about 4 months in electricity costs. That means over a course of 3 years or the average bulb life of 10,000 hours, you will save about $500 alone in electricity. Many states will give people energy rebates to convert from Halogen, Halide or Mercury Vapor to Fluorescent. There must be a good reason, don't you think? |
So Why Should
You Buy My Custom Fluorex Lights? |
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| Want to Own Some of these great lights? Email Me Now |
