Re: [APD] Re: ah supply reflectors

[Chrys <celticchrys at gmail_com>]

Beware that potato chip bags will disentegrate into little flakes of
plastic after a while.  This creates a big mess in your tank.   I
found out the hard way, and just wanted to offer a warning.
-Chrys

On Wed, 09 Feb 2005 14:47:16 -0800, Wright Huntley <whuntley at verizon_net> wrote:
> Shiny aluminum looks great but stinks for reflecting fluorescent lights
> (except for the far blue and UV).
> 
> The AH reflectors are shiny aluminum, but with a dielectric overcoating
> that raises reflectivity dramatically from the original 85% that is
> typical for pure aluminum. Roof flashing and other non-dead-soft alloys
> are probably a worse.
> 
> The screwing you get with aluminum is probably worse than the simple 15%
> loss, as quite a bit of useful light may involve hitting the reflector
> more than once in most designs.
> 
> Hey, it is better than white paint, but not really a lot. The aluminum
> tapes I have tried are quite a lot worse than plain polished Al, BTW.
> 
> If you want to line a hood I suggest you find some of the silvered mylar
> materials that feature reflectivity well over 95%. 3M Silverlux was once
> discontinued, but I still see variations on it for sale around the web.
> 
> Forget plain aluminum or aluminum tape, if you want efficiency. You can
> likely do better with potato-chip bags or cut-up CDs.
> 
> Wright
> 
> PS. If I was using twin-tube T-5 CFs, I would not hesitate to buy the AH
> reflectors. They are cheaper than anything I have tried that was
> comparable, and a pretty decent optical design. [Not ideal for
> single-tube T-8s tho.]
> --
> Wright Huntley - Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514 - whuntley at verizon_net
>                        760 872-3995
> 
> ...frontier society offered 'the most civilized type of association'
> because it had 'the absolute minimum of external regulation' and
> therefore 'the maximum of voluntary civility and morality.'
>        ------ Isabel Paterson
> 
>                 http://www.libertarianism.com/
> 
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