A typical flourescent light lasts approximately 20,000 hours but the quality of light output gradually decreases over time around the half life point. This is based on running it for about 3 hours at a time. Life expectancy can increase to 34,000 hours if the light is left on for 24 hours each time.rainbowgardener wrote:Oh ouch, indeed! Sorry, applestar.
Anyone have any thoughts about how often you replace your fluorescent tubes?
So using the minimum 20,000 hours scenario to be safe, if you run for 16 hours a day for 3 months, you get 625 days or 7 to 8 years before you reach the midpoint of 10,000 hours and start losing light quality.
So if you got 15 years before you noticed a decrease in growth, you either did really well or you run your lights for less than 3 months time
Sometimes being a numbers geek has its advantages