Grow lights are essential if you are growing your plants indoors. The purpose of grow lights is to mimic the natural sunlight that plants require for photosynthesis. Different plants need different grow lights. For example, microgreens do not require to grow lights with high intensity, while other plants do.

While your plants can be an essential indicator of the kind of grow lights you require, you’ll find a range of options, which can make it tricky to decide which one you should purchase. As an enthusiast for indoor growing, your need to protect your grow lights from the environmental conditions that prevail in a growing space. They mainly need protection from dust, moisture, and a range of particles.

If you are looking for quality products, opt for the ones that come with certifications for various grow lights. This article will cover everything you need to know about different grow light certifications so that you can pick the one that's best for you. So let's discuss this in detail!

A Glimpse into offered IP Ratings?

An IP rating represents the protection a grow light has against dust and moisture (IP stands for Ingress Protection). Humidity is usually high in grow tents or grow rooms; hence it is even more important that your lights are protected from the atmosphere. IP ratings have two digits, and we are mainly concerned with IP ratings 54, 65, and 66.

The first digit is a measure of the protection the light has from particulate matter such as dust. The second digit refers to how effective is your grow light against water, whether it's in the form of ambient moisture or spray. The maximum rating is IP 69, which means total protection against dust and water sprayed at high pressures at close range.

IP54 Grow Lights

Now that we know how IP ratings function, just looking at the value can give us some idea about what IP 54 would mean. This light is somewhat safe from dust (5/6) but has weak protection against water ingress (4/9). Moreover, there’s protection against more substantial objects, along with water sprayed from a 6.3 mm nozzle.

IP65 Grow Lights

IP65 grow lights are commonly used by growers. Again, looking at the rating, we can see that dust protection is 6/6, which means that your grow light has maximum protection against dust. Water and moisture protection is 5/9, which is great for a grow room environment. You can clean your grow space and spray your plants without worrying about your lights.

IP66 Grow Lights

Grow lights rated IP66 have similar levels of protection to IP65 lights. But, as the rating indicates, they have higher protection against water. The 6/9 indicates that the light is protected from water sprayed at higher pressures.

IP67 Grow Lights

We want to mention the IP67 grow light as well. Did you notice the relatively higher value of the second digit, i.e., 7/9? Water protection ratings above 6 indicate that the light can withstand water for certain durations. An IP67 is protected against water immersion up to a meter for half an hour.

Now you don’t need that kind of protection to grow room setting as you won’t be submerging your lights in the water. But if you have the budget, you can go for it since this will be a long-term investment. This light won’t need repair any time soon! And since the light has a 6 in the first digit, it has maximum protection against dust.

What does a DLC Listing Mean?

The reason that many growers opt for LED lights is that they are energy efficient. Different LED lights have different energy efficiencies.

A DLC listing indicates that the light you’re using is highly energy-efficient and is one of the best LED grow lights in these terms. Using DLC-certified grow lights can be beneficial for you. In some states, you even receive a rebate for being energy efficient.

Ways to get a DLC Listing

A DLC certification is only applicable for LED grow lights. There are specific criteria that a grow light must meet before a DLC qualification.

• Light efficacy higher than or equal to 1.9umol/J in a range of 400-700 nm.
• The quality of light emitted has to be Q90>36,000 hours.
• The light must not require the use of any external cooling systems.
• The driver of the LED must have a minimum lifespan of 50,000 hours.
• The light needs to have a warranty of 5 years.
• Safety certification by a relevant body in Canada or the US.

Difference between ETL Listings and UL Listings

There is no major difference between both these listings. ETL and UL are organizations that provide certifications for the efficacy and safety of grow lights.

ETL stands for Electrical Testing Labs. It is an old organization, and by old, we mean 100 years old, founded by Thomas Edison. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories.

Both organizations are NRTLs, which stands for Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories. A UL or ETL certification means that a grow light can be safely used in a workplace environment. If you have a commercial growing operation, it's best to get ETL or UL-listed grow lights for OSHA compliance.

CSA Listing

The CSA Group is a Canadian company designing, making prototypes, and testing LED lights since 2008. They perform the same function as UL and ETL, i.e., certifying that a grow light is safe and reliable to use in a workplace. However, their testing criteria vary slightly.

Final Thoughts

Light certifications are essential. It’s best to check the listing and IP rating of the grow lights you’re investing in, even if you aren’t growing commercially.

Here at GroIndoor.com.com, we have a wide variety of certified LED grow lights with a range of IP ratings, so you’re bound to find one that suits your requirements! Contact us now!