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Mylar Vs. Foil

On my terrarium I have foil lining it and I've read that a lot of people use mylar which has brought up the question of whether mylar is better or just easier to work with. I used foil just because that's all I have right now but if mylar is better than I'll definately be looking to upgrade.

So which is better... mylar or foil? Or are they both the same?
 
It's better and easier to work it. Foil actually diffuses light instead of reflecting most of it.

I heard that a "reflector" made from something smooth painted white is better than foil.

I think you can buy stuff in an aerosol can that sprays on glass, and then you turn the glass over and it's like a mirror finish. Spray on mylar I guess.
 
I go to wally world and buy my Mylar, (really my only option, small town america) go to the camping supplies and get one of the "Emergency Blankets"... dirt cheap, but it will have the creases in it

I also get the spray glue from the wally world craft aisle and line the inside of my reflectors with it,

cheap and effective, you will notice the difference as soon as you turn the lights back on :)

Cheers'
Av
 
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yhst-3786489705811_1930_75811792


two or three dollars usually,
 
i covered my petiolaris tank with Mylar and it works well. all the light just bounces all over the place and the plants love it!!
Peter.
 
Hmm where can you get just plain mylar though? I know exactly where I can get emergency blankets but I didn't know they were made of mylar.
 
Hmm where can you get just plain mylar though? I know exactly where I can get emergency blankets but I didn't know they were made of mylar.

Do a google search on "mylar sheeting" or something similar. For the about price you'd pay for a 3 or 4 feet at an aquarium store you can get a 55in by 25 foot roll. You can get the thick 4 mil stuff that's black coated on one side for zero light leakage if you want.

Or try a hydroponics supply store.
 
I use white posterboard. $3.59 f/10 sheets and I only used 4 for a 95 gal. tank, might double em up though and I have the glossy side facing in the tank.
Duct taped em to the outside of the tank on the back and two ends.
Lemme tell ya, it is Bright! Reflects better than any mirrored stuff, looks better and is cheaper.
I also use white shower curtains on three sides of my grow chamber and that is bright as the sun too! Hurts my eyes to look into the thing...
 
For that blanket you can just cut it up to fit and won't have the creases right? I to use foil right now but I'm going to switch.
 
  • #10
For that blanket you can just cut it up to fit and won't have the creases right? I to use foil right now but I'm going to switch.

The space blanket will have creases. Just pull it as tight as you can when you tape it down. A heat gun would probably take out the creases but wreak havoc on your plant temps. Remove the plants :)
 
  • #11
I think the pet store (somewhat) near my house has mylar for the back of fish tanks and stuff but I don't know if it's mylar or just reflective material...
 
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  • #12
hydro shops should be a good source... I have bought some pretty nice stuff from edmund scientific over the years... and their description of mylar sounds a lot like the blankets, and if you look at the pic carefully you will see the same size creases ;)



Mylar Reflective Film Sheeting

Mylar – History and manufacturing

DuPont developed Mylar in the mid-1950s. In 1960 and 1964 NASA launched the Echo satellites, 100-foot diameter (30M) balloons of metallized 0.005 inch (0.13 mm) thick Mylar film.

In manufacture, a film of molten PET is cast on a roll and subsequently stretched orthogonally to the direction of travel. One side is normally microscopically smooth, while the other side contains microscopic asperities, which promote adhesion of coatings and printing media.

Mylar can be aluminized by sputtering a thin film of metal onto it. The result is much less permeable to gasses (important in food packaging) and reflects up to 99% of light, including much of the infrared spectrum. Like aluminum foil, aluminized Mylar has a shiny reflective side and a dull side. Mylar does not tear easily, unlike tin foil and aluminum foil.

Metallized nylon (or "foil") balloons used for floral arrangements and parties are often mistakenly called "Mylar". Many museums, archival institutions and those in the collecting areas of currency, stamps and comics use Mylar to protect their collectibles from damaging light rays.

In addition, farmers and hydroponics enthusiasts employ Mylar in their craft because the highly reflective nature of the film increases plant growth and yield by 35% or more.

Useful as an insulating material to reflect away heat and/or light, and as a light filtering element. Pkg. of 2.

Specifications:

* Thickness: 0.5 mil
* Dimensions: 56" x 84"
* Reflectance: 90%; 0.4 to 15 micron range
* Transmission: 10%; 0.4 to 15 micron range
* Mylar Sheeting (Pkg. of 2)

item number: 3053604 Mylar, Blanket Sheeting Pkg/2 56" x 84", Reflects 90% Of Body Heat Back, Weight 2oz

edit: but given the choice of creases or no creases well... thats a no brainer
 
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  • #13
OMG! I JUST order a bunch of stuff from that site! In fact, I JUST got the shipment today! xD Damn that sucks!

I'll remember that for later! I can't believe I didn't think to look there!
 
  • #14
Well Chrono,

Every indication I see is that what they have is the same blanket...only a couple dollars more expensive, which is kind of common for Edmund

I agree with "Not" a hair dryer should take out the wrinkles... but if I lived near a hydro shop, and I wasnt in the number 3 area for pot production and I wasnt a teacher.. I would go to the hydro shop LOL

be my luck it would be full of my students LMAO

ahhhh im here for my CP's hehehehehehehe

yeah sure Mr T

:-))
 
  • #15
I've done a little bit of research on this and apparently emergency blankets are made of specially made aluminum with a plastic coating but other than that there is not much of a different between it and mylar since on one site it says that a sheet of mylar as a substitute for an emergency blanket. That specifically is because it reflects body heat but if they are both similar in that way then I would imagine they are similar in their light reflection properties as well. Or at least close enough that there's not a noticeable difference.

So yeah, Av8tor1 is right! Basically the same thing. ^^

About the creases... do they really matter? Surely they'd work themselves out eventually but I wouldn't think that it'd matter since it would only change the direction that it reflects the light? If the whole area is enclosed in reflective material then it shouldn't matter, right?
 
  • #16
I changed one half of my bulbs, and added the e-blanket material to the light fixtures creases and all... everything else was exactly the same with the exception of a shorter photoperiod to simulate the change in season

so with both changes I'll admit it is not really a controlled experiment but FWIW previous bulb changes havent ever made that much of a difference

before:
beforemylar.jpg



after:
after-mylar.jpg


now i will admit that the original reflectors were pretty cheesy (Wal-Mart el-cheapo w/ electronic ballast) so the visible lumen difference was pretty intense

Av
 
  • #17
bulbs:

2-40w GE Chroma 50

2-40w Sylvania Tri-Phosphor Gro-Lux F40/GRO/AQ/RP (Note: Not their wide spectrum Gro-Lux)
 
  • #18
Wow, that is a REALLY big difference. o.o The after picture is AFTER you added reflection, right?

It's going to be such a pain to pick out the lights for my plant shelf so many different kinds and so many different numbers to remember, lumens and whatnot.
 
  • #19
Chrono,

Don't get too hung up on lumens... that is a measurement of visible light intensity, the F40/GRO/AQ/RP bulbs have a very low lumen rating and will appear quite dim. But they are sending out all kinds of light energy that the plant can "see"... not us ;)

Av
 
  • #20
I use emergency blankets for hikers. They're mylar.

Foil and mylar have similar reflective abilities but mylar is not as easily ripped (though it is fragile) and easier to work with since it comes in big sheets whereas foil doesn't.

I put mylar around 3 of the 4 sides of my growracks. I use foil-coated tape to hold it to the growrack that looks exactly like mylar, so that the tape doesn't show.

Ken
 
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