6500K daylight bulbs, not very bright!

[KCcham]

Hello everyone, i just switched out some of my bulbs for better plant growth and bought the 6500K daylight T8 bulbs from HD. They seem rather dull, not bright at all. Is this normal??? Compared to everything else I have, these seem like they are barley even on!

Thanks for the help.

 

[CarlC]

T8's are pretty dull especially if not using individual reflectors.

Carl

 

[KCcham]

Thanks, I was just making sure I didn't buy the wrong thing.

 

[Olimpia]

I don't know, I'd get different bulbs. Because even the T8s are definitely bright, definitely much brighter than the UVB bulbs.

 

[KCcham]

Now I'm really confused. I pulled one of the bulbs out and put it in a different fixture and it's really bright now. Here is a side by side shot of the same bulbs in two different fixtures. Could the whole fixture be bad??

 

[broderp]

Looks like maybe a ballast or other wiring/electrical issue with the fixture.

If the problem follows the bulb, then I say bulb, but if the problem follows the fixture, then more than likely it's the fixture.

 

[MelissaB]

Dumb question, do both fixtures has metal reflectors? If the 1st fixture doesn't have a shiny reflector, that might be why it's not as bright. If the bulb itself is dim, then it's probably the fixture.

 

[Ferrah88]

The black of the fixture on the left might also be absorbing light rather than reflecting it as the white one would. Either way, it's the fixture and not the bulb

 

[jmwhitel]

Bad ballast. Make checking the specs on the bulb/ballast combo. There are rapid start, program start, etc. They must match up.