NOOB questions on reflectives

M

macbuds1983

Member
Hey all

Please forgive my question because I bet its a dumb one.

We all want the best reflective material for our walls, why not use mirrors? Do they cause extreme hot spots?

Thanks

MBuds
 
7Luiji7

7Luiji7

Well-Known Member
yea you got it bud, if youve ever taken apart a mirror before, youll see the (reflective stuff) is almost identical to tin foil,
best reflective material ive heard of / use - Mylar, theres a few diff types, i use the one thats all white and feels kinda plasticy, theres also a shiny silver looking one and i believe 1 more type. enjoy buddy hope this helped :)
 
Coho

Coho

Well-Known Member
Semi gloss white paint works very well. Semiglass for cleaning ability. Alas my tents have mylar.
 
B

bmeat

New Member
flat white paint is the best. stay away from gloss coatings as they waste light energy into heat energy.
 
topfuel29

topfuel29

Well-Known Member
Mirrors capture to much light also. The light has to go though the glass and then back through the glass again. I agree with the paint its durable and easy to clean, Mylar is very reflective but is also very fragile unless you back it with some thing.
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Those windshield sun reflectors - the fold-up cheap things - work very well. They even have ties on the corners!
 
7Luiji7

7Luiji7

Well-Known Member
topfuel29 said:
Mirrors capture to much light also. The light has to go though the glass and then back through the glass again. I agree with the paint its durable and easy to clean, Mylar is very reflective but is also very fragile unless you back it with some thing.
Click to expand...
yea , gotta be careful with mylar but its the best ! also if white paint is not affordable, i mean blank white paper works great aswell! :)
 
AimAim

AimAim

Well-Known Member
topfuel29 said:
Mylar is very reflective but is also very fragile unless you back it with some thing.
Click to expand...
Must be different kinds of mylar, what I got is tough as hell. I spray some 3M aerosol adhesive on foam insulation board and duct tape the edges down to make kick ass reflective panels.
 
skatershawn

skatershawn

Well-Known Member
A glass Mirror, like stated already, will absorb a portion of the light and only reflecting something less 90% of the light; and tend to reflect more infrared light (heat). Also a flat surfed glass mirror would reflect at less angles than a rugged, and might have more concentrate angles of light to one spot. (if any of that makes sense) :/
 
DeeTee

DeeTee

Well-Known Member
Flat white is the best, I use flat white poster boards from a stationary supply store like staples of office depot to suround my plants, works great and probably cheeper than mylar.
 
topfuel29

topfuel29

Well-Known Member
AimAim said:
Must be different kinds of mylar, what I got is tough as hell. I spray some 3M aerosol adhesive on foam insulation board and duct tape the edges down to make kick ass reflective panels.
Click to expand...
I got the same stuff. It has re-enforced mesh. It wasn't Mylar though it was something even more reflective. I don't remember just that it cost twice as much.
 
drolove

drolove

Well-Known Member
macbuds1983 said:
Hey all

Please forgive my question because I bet its a dumb one.

We all want the best reflective material for our walls, why not use mirrors? Do they cause extreme hot spots?

Thanks

MBuds
Click to expand...
mirrors create too much heat, foil doesnt nearly as good as you might think, and the only real way to go is either reflective mylar OR either painting your walls FLAT WHITE or using white poly sheeting.
 
Nitro1990

Nitro1990

Active Member
i use white plastic its cheap heavy duty and is strong and i havent had any problems with it and also at the end of my grow i can get in there with a bucket of bleach and a sponge and go ape cleaning it and its as good as new


Edit: i use 1"x1" squares of duct tape to keep the staples from popping trough the plastic when i hang it
 
Cavalry

Cavalry

Well-Known Member
I had my walls painted flat white, then I put up Mylar.... WoW what a difference it makes, much better than white paint. I should have done it long ago.
 
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