Reflectix, worth it?

[delta9nxs]

this is a little weird,folks!

i just went to lowes and picked up a 4'x25' piece on a roll. $49 bucks so 50 cents a sq ft. i'm about to rebuild my light barrier between the veg and flower areas. all work has to be accomplished during one 12 hr period.

this stuff is the shit. tremendous reflectivity. good insulation properties. very easy to shape. waterproof. lightproof. i have been using it for about 10 years for all kinds of things from lining walls and doors to light fixtures.

i built a 3' parabolic reflector from it, some wooden dowels, and some aluminum tape. i ran a 1k mh 8" from the surface. it never heated up, so it was reflecting ir rather well. and, if it reflects ir it reflects visible light and uv well too. they are all so close together in the electromagnetic spectrum.

about reflectivity in general. i've got a study in my documents somewhere that measures the usual suspects. titanium white flat paint, mylar, reflectix, and some others i can't remember right now. while they all showed noticeable differences when reflectivity was measured 1" from the surface, at 12" they were all so close that the differences all but disappeared.

what i really buy reflectix for is convenience. as marlo has demonstrated, you can do a very nice job pretty fast.

my parts list consist of reflectix, aluminum tape, drywall screws, electric stapler and staples, little cheap steel angle braces, makita 9.6 with a fresh #2 phillips, and wood, i'm fond of 2x2's because they fit at the corners.

mistress, you will really like this stuff.

 

[delta9nxs]

oops!

 

[theroadwarrior]

Roadwarrior,
It is just for a small cab, and the stuff is only like 13 bucks a roll for the small size. And actually the added insulation might help in the cold months. I value your info, but already bought a small roll....will see how it works out. BTW, do you know how reflective it really is then? Thanks!!

For a small cab great even a small room it works well. Just for a big room the cost outweighs the benefits if your only thinking reflectivity. It will definately add insulation and help in the winter months. $13 bucks is not a waste but $200 to do a big room would be in my opinion when a gallon of paint is $15.

I did this test about 8 years ago with a light meter my girl borrowed from one of her professors. Photography student. I am sure it would be outdated but still above the quality of what the Grow Stores are offering now. Anyway this used to be up at OG. Not sure how much any of them could have improved in that time. So I would imagine they are still pretty accurate. The meter didn't give you a % rather you took the two measurements, subtract the difference and multiply by 100 or something like that. I majored in History. I could ask her and post it up later. LOL

Mylar .5mm 95%
Panda Film wasn't called that back then 89%
Reflectix 88%
White Paint 88%

We also did an emergency blanket and those shiny balloons. They had crazy readings so I couldn't give an accurate measurement or even a guess really. Too much creasing. Wish I had done a mirror too.

The mylar, panda film and reflectix were put on very well no creases etc. The emergency blanket and balloons were another story.

 

[ShroomDr]

you know what, you and your 79 posts are right; you'd have to be, you put everything in bold.

My post is very clear.

And by the way, your wood stove does glow, just not in the visible spectrum.

 

[theroadwarrior]

you know what, you and your 79 posts are right; you'd have to be, you put everything in bold.

My post is very clear.

And by the way, your wood stove does glow, just not in the visible spectrum.

I put it in bold because I didn't want it blend with yours. I even used ITALICS So it would be easier to read. If you simply disagreed with me that would have been fine. But you gotta be an ass about it.

So you are one of those more posts make you smarter types. I usually only put my 2 cents in when I am trying to help someone.

So are you now saying I can grow plants off the spectrum my stove gives off? If so it would be cheaper to that than use all these expensive lights. I wonder why the hydro stores don't sell wood stoves with giant reflectors.

I used OG for years. I like to browse CC and Roll it Up too. But still all together maybe not as many posts as you have here at ICMag so again congrats.

Since you have so many more posts you are obviously right. From now on let's leave his thread out of this little fued. You can even have the last word as I will not post again in his thread.

 

[fatigues]

Yeah fatigues, that peel n seal stuff is more expensive...plus do you want ashphalt around your hot lights? I know he sealed everything, but not gonna take a chance on melting some ashphalt in my grow area. He had that shit laying around, it is pricey. Thanks for the info tho! Take care.

Hmm. That's odd. It's cheaper here than Reflectix is (which is most defintely not cheap).

You might want to shop around for Peal n Seal or a similar product. It isn't supposed to be more expensive than Reflectix, more like half the price.

I think the asphalt melting is not a realistic concern. There are no indications that it has melted anywhere it has been used that I have been able to find. It's a non-issue at the temperatures we are dealing with. If you are exposing it to temperatures where it will melt, you won't have any plants left in your grow cabinet to be concerned about. They'll be dead already from the excessive heat.

 

[slowandeasy]

Ok fatigues, melting prolly not happen...but vapors are a possibility. Non issue at temps we are dealing with? HMMM, you ever hear about off gassing in panda film? Not saying it would happen, but why risk it? One person on these boards has used it, and that is in a very small set up. Someone with a bigger set up, with more heat may have a different result. I hope not, and honestly the shit looks cool...but I am not going to be a guinea pig. I even complimented Grouchy when I saw it. Looked for it around here when I saw his first posts about it, and it is expensive and cannot find it in decent size rolls.

Good luck if you are going to use it, personally not going to put tar by my plants or lungs. I get enough of that already.

 

[America]

Its not so expensive in the long run because you only have to put it up once. Its thick and durable.

 

[*mistress*]

the reflectivity is not an issue, 1k's... & have not observed where reflectivity is that important in the garden. it seems to be more effective in keeping light out of the garden druing night.

insulation & rigidity are concerns for tents made entirely of a non-rigid material. if already have walls, then yes, panda plastic is easier/less coins to staple gun to walls of room. just roll out, cut & apply... little different when making rooms in rooms, w/ independent frames...

panda plastic as tent walls loses viability after several runs. granted ea run (in imagination/fictitiously) should redo environmentals. duct tape & panda acquire defects over season...

either/or seems to be effective, depending on type of garden...

enjoy your garden!

 

[delta9nxs]

i just wanted to add that i'm replacing a zippered panda barrier with reflectix and a real goddam door.

but if i had to redo a whole room right now i would definitely just paint everything low voc flat titanium white. your plants can't tell the difference at about 12".

i think reflectix would still be great for a room within a room approach or as a substitute for these expensive little tents eveyone is buying.

 

[headfortrinity]

i just wanted to add that i'm replacing a zippered panda barrier with reflectix and a real goddam door.

but if i had to redo a whole room right now i would definitely just paint everything low voc flat titanium white. your plants can't tell the difference at about 12".

i think reflectix would still be great for a room within a room approach or as a substitute for these expensive little tents eveyone is buying.

I think so too, I'll be building a tent out of those cheap metal shelving units and some reflectix here in a week or so.

 

[headfortrinity]

Reflectix is great! Very easy to work with, and all you need is a pair of scissors, a tape measure and roll of metal tape.
Here's the inside


I'm going to use velcro to secure the door, the pack I bought had half of the strip missing so I have to take it back. Once I get the velcro this tent will be 100 percent light tight.

 

[cateros]

Reflectix is great! Very easy to work with, and all you need is a pair of scissors, a tape measure and roll of metal tape.
Here's the inside
[URL="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=11169&pictureid=218083&thumb=1"]View Image[/URL] [URL="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=11169&pictureid=218084&thumb=1"]View Image[/URL] [URL="https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=11169&pictureid=218085&thumb=1"]View Image[/URL]

I'm going to use velcro to secure the door, the pack I bought had half of the strip missing so I have to take it back. Once I get the velcro this tent will be 100 percent light tight.

So seeing as we are completetly gutting and renovating our home and I have almost a full 100' roll of reflectix lying around it would be the most economical way to do my new grow room walls