aluminum foil ?

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by wein-dog12, Aug 29, 2009.

  1. is aluminum foil any good for lining my grow area ?
     
  2. Flat white paint is a much better light reflector
     
  3. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo


    edit: Really, no. Wasn't being a dick.
     
  4. whats soo bad about it ?
     
  5. It focus' light and creates hot spots, burning the leaves:(
     


  6. I think you'll get some conflicting reports 'round here...some people think it creates "hot spots" where the foil is crinkled, reflecting more light in one spot in relation to the rest of the area. If this happens, you could have a very localized burn somewhere on your plant, or in multiple locations.

    If your foil is completely flat you should be okay...if you don't want to bust out the cash for the white paint or some mylar, alum. foil is probably your next best bet.

    Having more circulation can probably help to reduce those hot spots, too, while still reflecting light.

    Edit: Damn, Joker...I was just a few seconds too late, hehe.
     
  7. well yeah i dont really want to shell out money for a gallon of white paint just to paint the inside of a dresser. so basically i just have to keep the foil as wrinkle as possible and i should be some what ok ?
     
  8. #8 ImTheJoker4u2, Aug 29, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 29, 2009

    Or use what I used - An emergency blanket from walmart $3.00;)
    EDIT foil is fine with HPS if its smoothe, and the plant/s have a lot of movement (plenty of fans) The blankets IMO wouldent work as well, as light is able to pass through (losing lumens that could be reflected)
    With floros, you really dont have to worry about hot spots because of the way floro lights work.

    To put it simply, foil is fine to a point
     
  9. i am using floros two 43w bulbs which i think but dont quote me on this is eqvilent to 100-150 incandesant.
     
  10. #10 ironlung253, Aug 29, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 29, 2009
    yeah maybe if you could get it in completely smooth, you would have to tape the shit out of it. You will want to run a fan on your plants for ventilation and a gentle breeze, and that will be the downfall of your foil. It is hard to keep it smooth and unwrinkled when you have a breeze going through. It will save you frustration later on if you just paint it. You wouldnt need a gallon to cover the inside of a dresser. Buy some cheap paint, doesnt have to be expensive. I know you will end up having to re-foil it at some point, why not save yourself the trouble?
     
  11. I used some aluminum foil to create a primitive reflector hood for my veg lights. Had an 8" dome, but two lights wouldn't fit in it correctly, so I had to tape some cardboard to expand the dome. Lined the paper with foil and it worked like a charm...only had it for a little over 2 weeks, but I didn't see any hot spots and the foil was more crinkled than I would've liked.


    Bear in mind these are two 26w CFL, about 4" from a young plant, maybe 3 weeks. One 5" fan for intake blowing over the lil gal and the same size for exhaust. 24/7 light schedule, no burns on the leaves, and she loved it. Saw some nice growth afterwards. I guess different setups yield different results, like many other cultivation techniques.

    Foil is cheap too, and usually it's lying around the house anyway, so its almost always on hand. I think it's worth it to try it out.
    Maybe a local hardware store has some small paint samples you could grab up. Lowes does that kind of thing, but I don't know if you've got any around there.
     
  12. yeah i heard flat white is great and less than mylar wrap but fuck n dont use aluminum cause its krinkles and shit kidda does something to the light reflection so white or mylar it
     
  13. #13 Everyday_Thang, Aug 30, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 30, 2009
    My opinion is really that if you get burns on your plant, then you are most likely doing something wrong, OTHER than using tin foil. Iether way, the foil isnt going to magnify anything, and only wrinkles that are sunken outwards would direct more light in one area, a regular crinkle in the foil will just shoot light in diff. directions.


    I am using foil, and i think that it works alright. If i had money, yea, i would just paint an entire room. but really, if u have a fan blowing across them, then tin foil is damn good.
     
  14. SO WHAT IF I JUSS GOT A CARDBOARD BOX AND PAINTED IT WHITE WOULD THAT WORK??:smoke:
     


  15. Given the right circumstances, size of the box, and your cultivation supplies, Yeah, sure a cardboard box could work. Just make sure the paint doesn't make the cardboard wet/flimsy (use a very light coat).

    And there's no need for all caps. :smoke:
     
  16. I have used Aluminium foil as a reflctor for MJ and loads ofother plants. It is brilliant !!! This nonsense spouted about hotspots is exactly that, total nonsense.
     
  17. I totally agree, I don't think hotspots is an issue. My argument against foil is that it just doesnt stay in place for long periods of time. If is a hassle to use. It is a lot easier to go get some cheap ass paint for five or six bucks and paint the area and never have to worry about it again.
     
  18. Black/white plastic sheeting.

    two birds, one stone. The differences in reflectivity between white paint, white plastic, mylar is pretty small and it is unlikely you would notice a huge difference between the three.

    I know that doesn't answer the aluminum foil question.

    But my vote goes to plastic sheet because it reflects, seals, and blocks light. Trifecta
     
  19. Paint is brilliant as well, and dead easy.
     
  20. I use Aluminum foil for mine and nutting has happened yet. The way i think of it is it is better than nothing lol
     

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