LED's on your scrubber

[jstdv8]

So looking at many of the builds it appears that the 3w LED's are being used and that there are about 9 per side? So this is the same power consumption as the cfl I'm using. So is the only advantage just not having to change out the bulbs?
Thanks,

[ALENQUER A.]

So looking at many of the builds it appears that the 3w LED's are being used and that there are about 9 per side? So this is the same power consumption as the cfl I'm using. So is the only advantage just not having to change out the bulbs?
Thanks,

no, you cannot compare the result using leds to cfl, more green algae growth, more tickness, using the same wattage you will have a more powerfull scrubber

[kotlec]

You basicaly need only third to half wattage of those CFLs if LEDs are in right spectrum. I am using half for example.

[Enigma84]

The main benefits to using LEDs themselves, is that you can create a more even screen coverage, The heatsinks and LED's do not require so much depth as a CFL so will go into tighter installations. There is the benefit of them lasting 50000 hours, more efficient use of electricity, and this ultimately leads to more even thicker growth. People say that are cheaper, but i have not found this to be the case. I prefer them though, as i get to use a solder iron and do some DIY to just how i want.

[Floyd R Turbo]

If you figure that you have to replace CFLs every 3-6 months (depending on your setup / intensity) and the fact that cheap CFLs may or may not do the job (meaning you may have to pay more for the right CFLs) then LEDs will pay back pretty fast. Initially, not cheaper. Long term, definitely cheaper. With LEDs running 12 hours/day that is 11 years to the 50,000 hour point (at which point they will have 30% lower output, if they haven't burnt out, which most do not).

In that 11 years, you would have replaced your CFLs a minimum of 22 times, perhaps as many as 44. So then do the math comparing your cost of CFLs and the number of CFLs you have (at least 2, one on each side) to the cost of creating your LED array and see where the break-even point is.

With CFLs, it's really not that different, With T5HO, it's a slam dunk for LEDs.

[Ace25]

I was using dual 42w CFLs, cost $10ea at the time, so it got very expensive replacing every 3 months. The LEDs I use take 28w vs 84w in CFL, so that is exactly 1/3 the wattage and I get much better results on the screen. I have yet to replace an LED and I have been using them over 2 years now, 9 hrs a day (vs the 12hrs a day I used to run the CFLs).

[FrozenReef]

Everybodies is probably a little different. My screen is 18L X 10H. Each side lit w/ 2 X 24" T5s and icecap reflectors. I presume watts per lumen is much greater than the typical spiral cfl. Total wattage as 88w with killawatt meter ( uses Fulham ballast which is known to slightly underdrive bulbs. For a while I ran 21 LEDs ( 17 red 4 blue ) on each side wattage was virtually the same +/- a couple watts ( so negligible it would be just a few pennies per month ). Algae harvest didn't change at all still the same average of 2 cups per week. Only difference I found was bulb replacement costs. I bought the bulbs a case of bulbs @ $2.8 each after shipping. At 4 months per change that's $36 a year. So it would take 3-4 years to break even in my case. I went back to T5s since I have nearly a case of them and want to use them up. Figured I'd reuse the heatsinks and drivers for something else.