uv reflective paint

[biggreg]

Stumbled upon some UV reflective paint marketed to health care industry to reflect UVC germicidal light (lumacept.com). I got some sent over and decided to test it out.

The test:

12x12x24" box made of scrap 1/2" underlayment with removable lid.
14.5w phillips 100w replacement led bulb
26w reptisun 10.0 uvb bulb
apogee SQ 520 PAR sensor
solar meter 6.2

I place the light bulb in one corner of the box and the PAR sensor in the exact middle of the box, placed lid over for the PAR reflectivity test.

i placed the uv bulb against the end wall of the box and the solar meter directly across on the other end wall, with the lid slid open 4" to access and read the uv meter for the uv test.

6 tests total, PAR and UVB on the unpainted box,3 thick coats of behr ultra pure flat white paint and primer in one and then with one coat of lumacept over the behr.


1st test: unpainted box: 2.2PPF on the Par meter and 7 microwatts on the uv.

2nd test: Behr flat white 166PPF and 6 microwatts on the UV.

3rd test: Lumacept: 218 PPF and 25 microwatts of UV.

The coat of Lumacept increased my PAR light reading 31% over the flat white and it does reflect UV! It also is glossy with some sort of sparkle to it. Visually whiter than the Behr and easier to clean than flat white. I was impressed and wanted to share

Got pics of the tests but haven't taken the time to figure out how to post them

 

[Uberknot]

Wow this is definitely kewl! pics would be even better

 

[GnarlsBarkley]

Did you just email them and get a quote?

 

[biggreg]

That's it. They say they are beginning to get some interest from growers and did their own testing and they say their paint is more reflective than a couple of grow films and paint they have tried.

 

[GnarlsBarkley]

If you don't mind me asking, I didn't see it in your post anywhere. How much is it?

 

[Shmavis]

Very interesting.

I'm also interested in the pricing. Couldn't find anything on the website.

Price per gallon?

 

[biggreg]

199$

 

[biggreg]

199$ per gallon for uvc Max. They have another slightly less reflective for less but didn't get a price

 

[subrovka]

this is pretty much interesting, sir! thanks for sharing!

 

[biggreg]

Was looking for a solution to reflect UV. I use the315w phillips 942 mogul version cmh for its enhanced UVA and UVB and when i learned that white paint and orca film absorb all uv light that hits them, i realized a lot of my efforts were wasted. I prefer paint to films in my rooms so this is going to work for my new room.

 

[subrovka]

i have a 300W osram ultra vitalux (mercury vapor with 13.6W UV-A and 3W UV-B) in my tent in one corner where i grow mainly sativas. my tent is silver reflective (mylar), so
it would be nice to know how good/bad this silver coating reflects UV-A/B.
if the increase of UV-B is significant (as they state, when Lumacept compared to white paint) maybe i should just install some chipboards painted with "Lumacept" in my tent..nice! : )

 

[biggreg]

I'll grab some Mylar and test it when I get a chance. I'm curious about the paints uv performance vs Mylar or other aluminized film. I have a bit of orca I should test too

 

[biggreg]

When I tested uv reflectivity of the flat white I got the same reading, the same distance from bulb outside of the box in the open air. White paint reflects zero uv.

 

[Uberknot]

199$ per gallon for uvc Max. They have another slightly less reflective for less but didn't get a price

Well it was real interesting for a little bit....But $199 a gallon seems a bit much to me. Hopefully they can get that price down or someone else makes versions of the same or similar paint for less.

 

[MicroRoy]

Nice info thanks.

 

[biggreg]

Where is the go to place to park pics to upload?

 

[biggreg]

They claim 400ft2 coverage per gallon. That's 49 cents per ft2. Orca film on Amazon is 60.50 for a 4.5'x25' roll. 53 cents per ft2 so comparable to that cost wise

It is extremely expensive for paint though. I about fell out of my chair at the price too. But decided it was the best choice for my goals.

 

[rykus]

Yeah I'm sick of replacing wall coverings... Too much garbage IMO, same with all the soil and ferts.... I'm definitely interested in trying this!

 

[neverforget4/20]

Super interesting product. I use cree and bridgelux cobs and supplement with t5's from agromax. I believe there are far more intense than reptile bulbs. Maybe easier to hang a couple tubes than paint?

Agro max pure uv
Distance From Lamp Microwatts Per CM2 Coverage Area

1′ 440 1’x4′

2′ 170 2’x4′

3′ 95 3’x4′

4′ 64 4’x4′

 

[biggreg]

Diffuse UV would penetrate the canopy better than directional line of sight UV is my thought