Shop lighting

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As I do my insulation and wall board in my 16x24 detached garage, i need to run all the wire for whatever kind of lights I'll be using. I was thinking of just buying some cheap 4' flourecent fixtures and screwing them right to the ceiling. Also maybe some outlets up high on the wall and mounting some 500watt halogens on some kind of swivel mount, switched separatly from the flourecent fixtures.   What kind of lighting do you all prefer?Safety 3rdGump
Reply:Recently went thru this myself, found that contractor spec 8ft 4 bulb t8 florusents with 6500k bulbs and quality eletronic ballasts for cold starts were the best choice for us.
Reply:I did the cheap 4' residential dual T8 strip fixtures with wraps in my garage and have been very happy with them.  No RF interference like some people have, but I'm only running four fixtures.  Used the brightest 6500k color bulbs I could find. http://www.homedepot.com/Lithonia-Li...&storeId=10051Last edited by sporadic; 02-17-2012 at 01:12 PM.Lincoln SP-135 PlusParker Metalworking Plasma-Tec 40DVHF 4x6 Bandsaw
Reply:I went with two 8' 4 bulb t8 flourecent's (from homedepot) in my 12x16 shop. I've got them mounted on the rafters on each side of the peak. TONS of light inside. I've also got my 1200w spot lights on a hook centered above the 8'x8' barn doors. that I can plug into the wall if I need to. But I haven't had any need to.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by WinmacRecently went thru this myself, found that contractor spec 8ft 4 bulb t8 florescent with 6500k bulbs and quality electronic ballasts for cold starts were the best choice for us.
Reply:I got to tell you that I ran a zillion receptables in the cieling for shop lights and have many of the 4 foot fixtures on them....but I also used cheap screw in bulb fixtures for CFL and those work great.!!! and they are easy to wire and cheap.bobs77vet/37ford4drEastwood digital TIG200HH190Lincoln Invertec 155sLincoln weldpak 100sears/craftsman (lincoln) 50a 240v buzz boxO/A rig Harris gaugesnexion cut 50 dxchicago electric (HF) 240v spot welder
Reply:My shop is 30x38 and i used 14 4' plug in t8 flourescents cold start.    Have them broken down into 3 circuits so i can light up where its needed    Gloss white walls,  brighter than day   plug ins make them easy to change if needed
Reply:If i had 10ft or taller ceilings I would use nothing but the cheap porcelain fixtures with cfl bulbs and reflectors like 37ford4dr.. My 24x30 with 8ft ceilings I have eight 8ft T8 lithonia fixtures with sylvania 5000k bulbs, I have a single 4ft t8 fixture over my workbench.. I'm looking for some tracklighting, when I find some its going over my mill and workbench..tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:Originally Posted by brucerIf i had 10ft or taller ceilings I would use nothing but the cheap porcelain fixtures with cfl bulbs and reflectors like 37ford4dr.. My 24x30 with 8ft ceilings I have eight 8ft T8 lithonia fixtures with sylvania 5000k bulbs, I have a single 4ft t8 fixture over my workbench.. I'm looking for some tracklighting, when I find some its going over my mill and workbench..
Reply:They just replaced the mercury vapor 400w fixtures in our shop with flourescent fixtures. 30' ceiling and we had 15 or so fixtures and they replaced every one under some sort of 'green'' program.Initially everyone was sceptical that the amount of light would be as good, well it's better, far better. Bright, so bright you can now see how dirty and crappy everything looks, the walls, ventilation ducting, crane rails etc.They're 6 tube T5 fixtures and I guess they're expensive, I priced out 4 tube fixtures and they're $180 plus $15 a tube. The only issue that we could see was the shades are ventilated which will allow dirt to settle in and block the light so it's going to be a maintenance issue.......Mike
Reply:I had a ballast bite the dust last week... this would be the third ballast for this location... so I replaced the standard T8 bulbs with LED bulbs. They weren't cheap at $56 each (I later found some on Amazon for $45), but I hoped to save some energy and hopefully be trouble free for a few years. The LED lights have 300 LEDs and take about 5 minutes to install. You bypass or remove the ballast entirely and they can run on 100v to 270v. They appear to be every bit as bright as the fluorescent lights. The light is all directed downward so they appear very bight. They only use 17 watts per bulb compared to the 32 watts per bulb of the T8s. Not sure if the photo does it justice. The light is very clean and no flicker. Time will tell. I'd do the while shop but replacing 150+ bulbs at $50 each is not in the budget for a while.  Attached Images
Reply:LED's flicker- you just can't see it Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Originally Posted by AlbieMy shop is 30x38 and i used 14 4' plug in t8 flourescents cold start.    Have them broken down into 3 circuits so i can light up where its needed    Gloss white walls,  brighter than day   plug ins make them easy to change if needed
Reply:25x25 with 6-2bulb fixtures will give a light level of 20 foot candles, chart of recomended foot candles by task.http://www.naeg.com/cost-savings/foot-candles-chart.htmBriggs weldnpower 225/210/cvLn-25 suitcaseMillermatic 130
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1LED's flicker- you just can't see it
Reply:Low beamsHigh beamsI like lots of lightSyncrowave 350Coolmate 3Millermatic 251Spoolmatic 30A
Reply:Originally Posted by ian1386How many bulbs do each of these fixtures have in them?I, too, am going to be redoing my garage very shortly and am in the same dilema. It's about 25x25ft, and I'm not sure how many lights to install. I was originally thinking having 6, 2-bulb 4' fixtures, so 12 bulbs in total, but based on what you guys are saying..."eight 8ft fixtures in 24x30", I'm thinking maybe I should beef it up?I don't really care about the cost...another hundred or two will easily pay off in a short time if it means excellent shop lighting...
Reply:Originally Posted by WinmacWhy?The lithonias you mention are good up to 13 ft, and i have some at 17 with reflectors that im very happy with.
Reply:the cieling fixtures for the screw in CFLs aren't even porcelain any more they are plastic and cost under $2 a pop.....you can easily control the bulb wattage by what you select when you screw it in and they give off great light....easy and cheap.  i dont even have any reflectors on them just the white painted cieling....since my cielings are so high i am not worried about accidently hitting them.  i can find no fault with the ones in my garage and its hard to beat cheap and easy.bobs77vet/37ford4drEastwood digital TIG200HH190Lincoln Invertec 155sLincoln weldpak 100sears/craftsman (lincoln) 50a 240v buzz boxO/A rig Harris gaugesnexion cut 50 dxchicago electric (HF) 240v spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by brucerIt wouldnt cost near as much to run the cfl's...  I also heard they were going to stop selling the t8 bulbs in the near future..
Reply:I did my 16x24 with 6 light fixtures.  The recessed 4' long 4 bulb T8 lights.  LOTS of light and i painted the walls and ceiling with a gloss white.  Not a dark spot in that small garage.
Reply:I would rather you to buy a LED light because it is more energy efficient to use though it is more expensive than any other bulb.Also,the low power requirement for LEDs, using solar panels becomes more practical and less expensive than running an electric line or using a generator for lighting in remote or off-grid areas." target="_blank"> Stand Alone LED Solar Lighting Adelaide
Reply:Thanks for all that info......been lighting the workshop/garage for 20 years with 4 ft flouros.I didn't realise the LED's now come in strip lights....with 300 LED's!!!!....gotta check Ebay to see what's on offer.Ian.
Reply:Originally Posted by audreyhudgesI would rather you to buy a LED light because it is more energy efficient to use though it is more expensive than any other bulb.
Reply:Got any solar powered welders ?  Originally Posted by audreyhudges Also,the low power requirement for LEDs, using solar panels becomes more practical and less expensive than running an electric line or using a generator for lighting in remote or off-grid areas.I never direct wire any of my lights so I can change them out at will or take them down for work. I put outlets spaced apart where I figure I will want lights. This way I can move the actual lights around where I want them. Take them down to fix them, or change them out completely. I use the 4 bulb 4' fixtures and like them. I have two fixtures per switch and then a few separate fixtures with their own switch for different places in the shop like over the lathe or work bench.Can see a few of the lights here. Some hangers, some solid.
Reply:Originally Posted by VPTI never direct wire any of my lights so I can change them out at will or take them down for work. I put outlets spaced apart where I figure I will want lights. This way I can move the actual lights around where I want them. Take them down to fix them, or change them out completely. I use the 4 bulb 4' fixtures and like them. I have two fixtures per switch and then a few separate fixtures with their own switch for different places in the shop like over the lathe or work bench.Can see a few of the lights here. Some hangers, some solid.
Reply:I put all T5 lights in my shop, they are only 4' long but 4 wide with the reflectors.  all I can say is wow! Those lights really are bright.My next shop will have T5's unless LED's come way down in price.---No good deed goes unpunished---
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammersome places this wouldn't pass inspection. others it would. Just depends on where you are.
Reply:Originally Posted by G-sonI don't agree. Flourescent lights can put out in the region of 100 lumen per watt. There are a number of LEDs than can do that too, or even 120+ in ideal conditions, but conditions simply aren't ideal very often. They only achieve efficiency anywhere near that when they are rather cool, and that means running them with big cooling fins and maybe at a quarter of maximum power (at maximum power they are closer to 50lm/w no matter how good cooling they have - and since LEDs are expensive, who can afford to use twice as many and run them at 25% power just to get good efficiency?). The ones with so high efficiency are also cool white, meaning they have a blueish light that isn't very good - I like cool white, but not THAT cool. Warmer white LEDs have alot lower efficiency.Finally, all LEDs needs some form of current control, even a high efficiency electronic one will make something like a 5-10% loss, a crude resistor setup supplied with DC doesn't really have a limit for how low efficiency it can have (depends on how it's all connected).I'd use something like 4' flourescent lights any day of the week. LEDs are improving quickly, so they may be good enough and cheap enough in a few years, but not yet.
Reply:I can't recall the name of my lights. They were the same fixtures that were installed in the warehouse of the local electrical supply where I bought the same lights after shopping for lights at home depot. I think there is 4-5 bulbs in each reflective fixture. Each bulb is about the diameter of a nickle and probably 36" long. They are super bright. ill try to dig up my receipt.
Reply:Jimmy pop,They are probably T-5 lights. Nick
Reply:ive got four of these along side the lights that were already installed when i moved in. sorry for the crappy photo. there are no shadows. an insane amount of light, especially at night time.
Reply:Originally Posted by GumpAs I do my insulation and wall board in my 16x24 detached garage, i need to run all the wire for whatever kind of lights I'll be using. I was thinking of just buying some cheap 4' flourecent fixtures and screwing them right to the ceiling. Also maybe some outlets up high on the wall and mounting some 500watt halogens on some kind of swivel mount, switched separatly from the flourecent fixtures.   What kind of lighting do you all prefer?
Reply:4 foot flourescents and overdrive them 2 or more times.  Requires additional ballasts and does decease the life of the bulb some.
Reply:My workshop, a two car garage, has semigloss white painted walls and a flat white 8 foot high ceiling.I used inexpensive fourescent fixtuers  the have two T-12 40 watt tubes in each.  I have five fixtures, each individually switched.Four of the fixtures are parallel with the side walls, the fifth is parallel with the end wall above the sink.I chose the fixtures for their low aquisition cost and ease of relamping. I buy a case of lamps every few years for general replacements in my  garage, Kitchen, and workshop.  The last case of tubes was purchased over five years ago and is less than 35% used.I have had a few ballast failures, but I have a lot of good used ballasts as spares. If you can find someplace that is converting to energy efficient lighting, you can ask for their discarded fixtures.  The installers may not be able to give them to you, but you can ask where and when they will throw them out and dumpster dive for the goodies.I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:Originally Posted by mebuilditI put all T5 lights in my shop, they are only 4' long but 4 wide with the reflectors.  all I can say is wow! Those lights really are bright.My next shop will have T5's unless LED's come way down in price.
Reply:I noticed it was back in February I posted about them replacing the fixtures in our shop with T5 6 tube fixtures. They're still brighter than the origonal lights they had but you can see them getting duller, hard to tell if it's from dirt or age. Personally I think it's age.....Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by mrmikeyI noticed it was back in February I posted about them replacing the fixtures in our shop with T5 6 tube fixtures. They're still brighter than the origonal lights they had but you can see them getting duller, hard to tell if it's from dirt or age. Personally I think it's age.....Mike
Reply:Time to break out the ladder and have a look see
Reply:I have a 16x24 garage with a 8' ceiling and I added 6 of the 4' fixtures with 4 bulbs in each.  I put them on two circuits and switches.  It works really nice in a small garage.  I flushed mounted my lights into the ceiling, and painted the wall and ceiling gloss white for better light reflection.  Good luck!
Reply:Local costco and home depot and lowes at various times have the CFL's on sale / subsidized by the local power co.  $0.79 for a 4 pack of 100w CFL's.  Lowes online has the cheap plastic lamp sockets $1.47 each.  They have single gang new construction outlet boxes for  $0.27 each.  So I now have 2,800 watts of CFL ready to install in my garage. which will only use 360w power.miller syncrowave 250hobart handler 140home made 400 amp engine driven in progress...