Solar Tube Indoor Daylighting for growing plants indoors

[c-ray]

http://www.solatube.com
http://www.kalwall.com
http://www.sunpipe.com
http://www.sun-tek.com
http://www.sun-dome.com

[Albi]

take my hat of

[Parabola]

i looked to see if there were any charts or numbers to give an idea of lumens available to plants but saw none. are you sure that this is acceptable for plant growth or just for regular home lighting?

[c-ray]

I'm not sure maybe I will email them

[justcurios]

i have installed lots of these type skylights. they come in different sizes. they do let in a lot of light but, im not sure if it would be enough to grow.also the if you can position the tube straight down instead of at an angle, it might let more light in. p.s. cloudy days would suck.

[caddis]

It might not be enough to grow on its own, but all that blue light added to a hps system would make all your ladys cheer with glee.

Nice one cray.

[justcurios]

yes, yes that is it. good call. nice even- easy light. how about for clones or seedlings, aye?

[tiedye420]

I been to the factory for solatube in vista and installed a few of them....
(or was that carlsbad?) Anyways I would think 3 large tubes next to a sliding window which faces south would keep things going in winter.
A few hours of additional light from flouros or a sodium could keep huge moms in veg and healthy...
They are basically a large tube with a mylar type surface stuck to the inside.
Really just sheetmetal you form into a tube....With a plastic reflective cap...
Simple yet effective....Sure would light up an attic too...
tiedye.. (supplemental lighting would cause a problem of shining like ufo's on the roof unless you have a way to block the sunlight at night.)
tiedye

[Cannafornia]

Yeah they'd do the job but you'd need a lot of them. I saw the lumen charts a while back and remember it seemed acceptable for good growth. Imagine a huge setup of those, near the equator where everything is already 12/12. That's what i'm talking about!

[spacecadet]

I Was Thinking Of Using One And Run The Tube Right Into The Top Of My Grow Box, To Supplement My 150 Hps. Not Sure How Much Heat It Would Put Off I Think Very Little. I Seen Em On Houses I Worked On And Never Notice Any Heat From It. But Would Need Some Kind Of Way To Block It At Nite To Keep The Light From Lighting The Dome Up. But I Think It Would Work Good For A Small Grow Box.

[justcurios]

just stuff a pillow up in to the tube at night. i know it sounds like a pain but what the hell. also to have it directly in the box might get a little warm. i mean this is the sun were talking about, but with proper ventilation, any thing can happen. good luck.

[The Cannarchist]

I'm told that there is no heat transference on those.

[spacecadet]

i been around them on the job site and never once felt any heat

[justcurios]

i install them and when that sun is beamin in, it will get warm. not over bearingly hot, but i remember the last one i put in , it was in a tight little bathroom, and it had to go thru the ceiling at an angle, i was all up in it , and i was sweating. granted i was working, and it was summer time, but come on this is the sun. now im not dissing this thing at all. it sounds great, if you can get enough light. i was just giving a little in put. space next time your around one stick your hand up in there. they also come with a light diffuser, but you would probably not install that because you want more light, i think it helps insulate a little from the solar heat. again i belive it is not overpoweringly hot, but there is some residual heat.

[spacecadet]

well now that i think back the ceiling where 10 feet high and the ac was on but heat or no heat i think it could work at lest for a small grow box one day when i get work shop built i will give that a try be sweet to have a solar tube and run the box off solar panels i know that can be done since i ran my box off a 1200 watt battery invter after hurricane hit was with out power for 2 weeks. hey now that my mins working how easy would it be to install few of them on a double wide trailer i am fixing to replace my roof soon and might be a good time to install a few.

[justcurios]

double wide , no problem. they come with everything you need. template, screws, black jack caulking( or bull ) if you prefer. complete instructions are also included. i had a customer who wanted 2 sun tunnels about 8 feet apart in his living room. worked great. he could sit and read inside with no other lights on . just try and fit them in between the rafters. im sure you already new that. yo space that c-99, you had alot of that stuff? any good. i guess it is if it is in your favorites list. a "buddie" of mine let me hold some c-99 x great white shark. i have a few other" proven killas" but have not had the place to pop em. but soon come. talk at you later gator.

[spacecadet]

sounds like a easy project will be realy easy when the roof is stripped anouter question how well does the dome hold up to hail, i got hit with a very bad hail storm (right after hurricane Ivan tore me up) and pop holes in my sky lite thank the gods for silver duct tape, as for the chem c-99 cross i que i should have not put it in my favorite grow just yet still growing it out 2 week in flower right now i was gifted the seeds from a well know mod on icmag so right now i don't know how good it will be but i can say this it has the biggest fan leafs i ever seen on a plant there bigger than my hand . but i can say the ak47 x bubble berry are dam good like taking speed. it good for when you want to get thing done no couch lock there. oh i am trying to get a male out of the chems so i can get some seeds as of now just one female and 4 clones of it and 2 unknow chems hoping one of the unknow is a male.

[justcurios]

some of those domes look more sturdy than others. i belive the sun tek ones are a bit thicker. good luck on the flowering. peace