I feel like my 105watt cfl is losing some power this run, im thinking about taking some of these recommendations and trying out sils next run. I dont know much about these leds but im guessing I will need atleast 2 9w sils to cover my space and to replace the 105w of
cfl? I found these ge sils (the picture below is the spectrum of this bulb), but the spectrum seems like theres not enough blue for veg. Im used to using cfls though so im probably off, is this ok for veg or flower or both? Also wondering if sils run alot cooler or hotter than cfls, cause I can benefit from heat reduction.
Sorry for all the questions hehe, just feeling like light my loses efficiency fast and its time to upgrade as long as they dont run hotter than cfls.
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Your cabinet is about the same size as a few of mine, and I seem to have found the sweet spot is around 25-30 watts per square foot with LEDs, so something like your cabinet could take about 65 watts of SIL total. If you can split that into 6 11-watt bulbs or something like that then you're gonna be set. And the nice part about having multiple bulbs is you can mix up your color spectrum a lot. I have 2700k, 3000k, and 5000k SILs. I use the warmer colors in flower and the more cool/daylight colors in veg. Taking the plastic domes off the bulbs is a huge help there, it directs the light downward without the diffusion and it also doesn't have a material eating up precious light! You'll find that you can get away with only 4 bulbs in veg too which saves on dough.
LEDs have a longer lifespan and they don't produce as much heat as CFLs watt-per-watt since they're a little more efficient. I've got some bulbs that have never been replaced in 5 years! Granted they're not used often but they still work. Some brands seem to die off a little faster than others, but my Phillips bulbs have been power houses.
Why boil water for plants? Is there a reason or you just think this extra step will help somehow?