Hey all,
What provides better results: White or mylar ?
Opionions appriciated.
Kind Regards,
Sean O.
What provides better results: White or mylar ?
Opionions appriciated.
Kind Regards,
Sean O.
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Reflective material
- Thread starter MegaSpokaneMan
- Start date
Mylar will reflect more light, but also generate more heat.
best results are probably mylar, but the white film is usually much more resiliant.
mylar is just a generic term tho so some manufacters make better stuff than others. ive seen mylar thats backed with a reinforcing layer of plastic and had some sort of diamond pattern to it. but as far as the super thin stuff that comes on wall paper like rolls, its pretty deilcate. probably not suitable in areas where it will be handled often.
fwiw, its such an insignificant thing to worry about. if you dont care about the light spilling out and illuminating your room, id just spend your mylar budget on a better reflector.
mylar is just a generic term tho so some manufacters make better stuff than others. ive seen mylar thats backed with a reinforcing layer of plastic and had some sort of diamond pattern to it. but as far as the super thin stuff that comes on wall paper like rolls, its pretty deilcate. probably not suitable in areas where it will be handled often.
fwiw, its such an insignificant thing to worry about. if you dont care about the light spilling out and illuminating your room, id just spend your mylar budget on a better reflector.
Hey all,
I hear both ends of the spectrum regarding the use of reflective material: it is insignificant or it is like adding another light. Input please ?
Regards,
Sean O.
I hear both ends of the spectrum regarding the use of reflective material: it is insignificant or it is like adding another light. Input please ?
Regards,
Sean O.
its definatly not like adding another light.
its probably preferable to have it, but for the cost and hassle... imo its not worth doing. UNLESS you find the ligth bothersome, like in a guest bedroom or office type situation.
i would postulate that the light the plants are recieving directly from the source is more than enough to allow them to grow at a normal rate. and by that i mean they are not going to be bottlenecked at all by a lack of light. if you find that your plants are too lanky, just lower your light.
at some point the plants just grow so thick that they could definatly benefit from some extra lighting, but i dont think mylar is going to provide that.
its probably preferable to have it, but for the cost and hassle... imo its not worth doing. UNLESS you find the ligth bothersome, like in a guest bedroom or office type situation.
i would postulate that the light the plants are recieving directly from the source is more than enough to allow them to grow at a normal rate. and by that i mean they are not going to be bottlenecked at all by a lack of light. if you find that your plants are too lanky, just lower your light.
at some point the plants just grow so thick that they could definatly benefit from some extra lighting, but i dont think mylar is going to provide that.
millworkman
eXtreme
I like to use the foam insulation sheets that have reflective foil on one side. Sort of like mylar but its got a sort of hammered appearance so it dissipates the light a bit more, spreading it around and helping UNDER the canopy.
Mylar does not generate heat, the lights generate heat.
Mylar is the most reflective material you can buy
I think it really depends on your setup. My growroom is similar to what Millworkman has going on and it works just fine. I have seen plenty of productive setups that make no effort to contain/reflect the light. If you are using a bulb that is less powerful than you need, say a 400W in a 8x8 space, then yes, you might want to make sure not to let any of it escape. If you are using a 1000W in an 8x8 space you should probably save yourself the money and hassle of mylar.
emphasis on hassle. idk if anyone has mentioned this, but most of the mylar you buy is way flimsy and not suitable for multiple setups and take downs, or w/e.
Is there something I don't get? I can buy a roll of aluminum foil at the dollar store for...well...a dollar. Is there a downside I don't see to foil?
The aluminum foil, not being smooth, can also cause hotspots that will burn plants. From what I understand its reflectivity factor is much lower than Mylar and not much higher than white paint.
That pic looks like Juan Valdez is gonna walk by with his mule and hand you a cup of coffee. Nice reflective material.
What about using space blankets? They are a good price and cover a decent size area.
Mylar is better.
those Emergency blankets (space blankets) are mylar. Or atleast some of them are. I've even seen them in the store named as "Mylar blankets" That is what i use to cover my grow space, and it definately brightens up my canopy.
http://www.wormsway.com/detail.aspx?sku=SU102
best stuff ever, basically mylar fused onto thick plastic, and can be hung as a curtain, unlike mylar that needs to be flat, 98% reflective you can see the colors reflect with the naked eye, i took my light meter turned it towards the light, then towards the film, i did not see any loss at the meter, worth every dime if you plan on a room for more than one year
best stuff ever, basically mylar fused onto thick plastic, and can be hung as a curtain, unlike mylar that needs to be flat, 98% reflective you can see the colors reflect with the naked eye, i took my light meter turned it towards the light, then towards the film, i did not see any loss at the meter, worth every dime if you plan on a room for more than one year
Âpepperdan said:
No offence meant to pepperdan but my experience told me otherwise, mylar made hotspots and had on several places a los of light intensity (lux) compared
to white glossy foil.
I didnt fuse the mylar to a thick plastic though, maybe that made the difference for him.