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150w cfl QUESTION

So, I just bought two 150w bulbs and two clamp lights, they are 6500k, 2170 lumen bulbs and I madea makeshift light platform out of 1/2" plywood and 2 studs at a 45* angle for adjustability. I am using them for my fatali and douglah 7 pot that are going into my homemade coffee can hydro setup. GAWD THEY ARE BRIGHT!! My question is: How far way from the little seedlings should the bulbs be to provide good light but not burn them?? Right now they are three fingers above the top of the little guys and I have tinfoil over the rockwool and hydroton to prevent alge from growing...here are a few shots...what do u think?
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Light distance is OK, but I'm not fond of the foil idea. The medium needs to breathe and the foil may also cause heat to build up under it. JMO
 
Actually the light will end up getting reflected so the heat from the bulbs will not be passed onto the growing medium. So it'll be cooler underneath the foil than outside. And since it's foil, any heat transfered from the light to the foil will dissipate quickly as aluminum has great heat dissipation properties. I know this coz my family used to be in construction and i also love to Tinker around with computers and overclock them.

Not too sure if the temperature inside those pots will be optimum for the plants. I guess it depends on the ambient temps of your room.
 
Not saying you don't know what you're talking about franzb69 but I'm a bit skeptical of the bulb not causing some heat. I would have to find out for myself I think.
 
It's a 150-watt equal bulb! When I first read a 150-watt CFL that provides only 2700 lumens I was confused. I have a 105 watt bulb that delivers 6,700 lumens.

Mike
 
So the general consensus is: remove the foil and just let the alage grow if it does, and keep the bulbs where they are at?
 
I have those same 42w/150w bulbs and clamp, although mine are 2700k, so maybe that will make a difference. They do give off a little heat. If you leave them on for a few minutes and touch them, they will burn you, so you would think they would do that to a small seedling. I left mine a couple of inches away for a few weeks but as the plants got bigger, I could move them closer (maybe 1 inch). Still, unlike fluro tubes you are not going to be able to have the leaves touch the bulbs.
 
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