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Frequently Asked Questions
This one does. It’s combination of a very high output ballast, two T-5 biax 55 watt lamps, and custom shaped reflector set it apart from all other fluorescent grow lights. But you don’t have to take my word for it: a light meter will tell you need to know about intensity. Hold a light meter 2 feet from a 400-watt H.I.D. and you will get approximately the same reading as you get from the Sunstreamer at the same distance, approximately 10,000 lux. By comparison, a brightly lit office is about 400 lux at eye level and the lighting in the average living room is usually less than 100 lux.
What is
lux and why don’t you list lumens?
Lumen is a
measure of the energy of light at the point
source. Lux is the measurement of
the intensity of light received by
the plant. Lumens are only relevant when comparing similar light sources. Lux
is the only valid way to compare unlike light sources since its frame of
reference is the object that receives the light. Your everyday photo camera
measures light in terms of lux. It really doesn’t matter that the sun puts out
6 million degrees of energy at the source. It’s what reaches the growth surface
that counts.
I’ve used fluorescents before and
they need to be about 3 inches from the starts. Is this true for the
Sunstreamer?
Place the Sunstreamer grow light at 3 or even 12 inches and you’ll kill any cuttings or small starts. Some say you should be out as far as 48 inches to be safe. After they’ve rooted, you can move in to 18”. Later on you, when the indoor plants are in grow and flowering cycle, you can move in on them as close as 6 inches for sun-like intensities approaching 100,000 lux.
How much red and blue are in the
spectrum?
The Sunstreamer uses a tri-phosphorescent lamp that clusters its highest outputs at three wavelengths: approximately 430 nm, 550 nm, and 610 nm, which makes it a full spectrum lamp.
How about color rendering?
Although color temperature and color rendering are useful tools in determining the color behavior of lamps, a more precise picture is provided by the lamp manufacturer in the form of a spectral power distribution curve (SPD). In a typical curve, we are essentially seeing the visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Incandescent lamps produce a smooth curve, low in blue and green and heavily saturated in red and orange. Gaseous discharge lamps are characterized by spikes, which are generated by the arc, and low points provided by the fluorescence of the phosphor coating. Lamps with improved phosphor coatings show a more continuous spectrum of energy, resulting in better color rendering. On the curve, therefore, we can see, to an extent, both color temperature and color rendering in action; we see what colors the lamp is saturated in, which are very low in energy or non-existent, and we see the effect of the phosphors at improving color performance. Because the SPD is somewhat complex, it is most useful when combined in analysis with color temperature and color rendering.
Will the Sunstreamer produce enough light to bloom catleyas in a bathroom or if not, will it bloom paphs and phrags ("low" light orchids)?
I've been reading up on Orchids. It appears that they require various levels of light. I can answer this way: If you use the Sunstreamer at about 18 inches it would be equivalent to a lightly overcast day. At about 6 or 8 inches from the plant it would be about equal to direct sunlight. You would need to be about 4 feet away to duplicate a cloudy day or for low light orchids. I wouldn't recommend our light for low light plants. It is intended for high light plants and is competitive with 400-watt halide lamps. I would recommend moving in the light closer gradually until you get the desired results. Reflecting surfaces surrounding the indoor plants would help too.
Won’t the Sunstreamer at 6 inches burn or at least overheat my indoor plants. I know some lights could start a fire at that distance.
The Sunstreamer produces little heat relative to the HIDs (sodium and metal halide high intensity discharge lamps). You can actually place your hand on the lamp for a few seconds without causing a burn. Plants that are allowed to grow up against the lamp appear to only brown at the point of contact. The lamps are definitely cool in that they will not introduce much heat into the air. However, one should always use caution to avoid over-lighting newly planted cuttings or seedlings or plants that require shade.
I cannot find any customer reviews on this product? How long has it been around? Are there many in service? Are the bulbs readily available? How many bulbs are in the Sunstreamer? What forms of payment do you accept?
The Sunstreamer has been around for about 7 years. It is a spin-off from the "SAD" therapy light box. Seven years ago I discovered almost by accident that the therapy lights were excellent grow lights and could match the output of the traditional halide grow lights at about a third the electricity (watts) with considerably less heat. We've been making and selling them to satisfied customers ever since; but I don't think we're big enough to have been taken notice of by consumer reviewers.
There are two bulbs per unit and these can be purchased thru us or any large lighting distributor.
To purchase, you need to go back to our web site (www.sunstreamer.com) to place a credit card order or email us at sales@dblighting.com.
I have a 5x5 indoor growing space. I want 40 watts per
sq.ft. Will the Sunstreamer provide it?
Why do you want
to use 40 watts? This is not what the indoor plants need; this is only a
measure of what you are expending. It's better to measure in lux; this is what
the plant receives. To get 10,000 lux on our indoor plants (the equivalent of a
sunny afternoon sky), you'll need 4 of our lights since each light has a
"footprint of approx. 2 x 3 at that intensity. You could get by with 2
lights, depending on how fast and how much you want to grow. But using 4
lights, you will be using about 440 watts (110 watts per light), which is only about
9 watts per sq. ft. This is the big advantage of these lights. There's no need
to pump all that power into a small area when high efficiency lights will do it
for less than a quarter the input and with much, much less wasted heat.
It appears your Horizon light boxes provide 10,000 lux as measured at 22" from the center of the light emitting surface, correct?
Yes. It forms a "wash" of light that provides 10,000 lux over an area about 2x3 feet at about 22" or slightly less around the edges.
I have been considering starting a home vegetable growing area, and was wondering if the sunstreamer would be a good solution to my problem. I live in a small apartment with very little natural light. I would like to know how I would install this light system, as I rent and can not mess with the electrical systems here..
If you order the Sunstreamer with a stand, you can set it up in a small area and plug into your nearest outlet. Alternatively, you can purchase the Sunstreamer without a stand and use the supplied hooks to hang the Sunstreamer from two eyebolts in the ceiling. When suspended from a chain or cord, the Sunstreamer can pivoted so that its light can be cast in any direction.
Just wondering about the bulbs, are they an available bulb at a local electric/lighting supply store? And what is about the price per bulb?
Yes, we have replacement bulbs for $16 each.
Generally you can get them at your local specialty lighting store. They are
biax T-5, 4100 Kelvin and made by 3 major manufacturers.
Summary
Lamps are rated in many ways. A lot of attention has recently been given to Kelvins, in which color is measured in terms of relative temperatures of a heated metal source (or theoretical black body). "Cooler" or bluer colors, for example 3000K and above, are becoming more popular, with some people preferring colors up to 6000K. There are other ratings such as lumens per watt (light output per energy input), (CRI) color rendering index (100 CRI is perfect color rendering as it appears to the eye), and lux. The important thing to remember is that every lamp has tradeoffs and one that scores high in one category may not score so high in another. For example a 5710K lamp made by GE produces only 45.4 lumens per watt and is rated with a color index of 15. In contrast, the 4100K lamp used in the Sunstreamer produces 84.3 lumens per watt and has a CRI of 84.3. The lamps used in the Sunstreamer were carefully chosen to optimize all possible features, but the one that counts the most is lux (the intensity of the light that the eye receives). And in these categories especially, the Sunstreamer really shines.
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