commercial electric 18,000 lumen layout

[vlocci]

All,

I just scored 20 of these Home Depot commercial electric 18,000 lumen 2x1 foot lights for an absurdly low price.

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/d8/d8814a2e-679d-45cd-ac6b-9d8c7c7b513c.pdf

I would like to install these in my soon to be built 30x35 garage (13 foot ceilings). This is underground, no windows, concrete roof and walls. A cave effectively.

I tried modelling these in the Acuity tool to some success.

Do you think 3 rows of 4 (12 total) is too much light for this shop? I plan to run these on a dimmer so if too much I can dial them back. Accuity says 150 ft/candles but I don't know if I should trust it.

Alternatively, the Acuity tools seems to suggest 9 lights for just over 100 ft/candles but I'm concerned about shadows given they will be pretty far apart.

Any thoughts on layout and has anyone used these fixtures?

Vin

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I haven't used them in a garage, but retrofit similar panels in our office space at work in place of florescent. One day we were in the 1970's, all greenish tinted with buzzes and hums and the occasional flicker of a tube running on a bad ballast, and the next day it felt like the starship Enterprise (the J.J. Abrams one....where everything is shot super hot, with all those flash effects and sunbursts in every scene.) It was awesome

Love love love the panel lights. Great light. Perfectly silent. Efficient. The dimmers work great.

To your question of will they be too bright. No. You may want to use the dimmer, but you may find you just turn it up to high and let it go. As I've gotten older, it has become very difficult to read small print in dim light, and I find my self doing a lot of that in my garage (instructions on paint cans, assembly instructions, manuals, etc.) It just can't be too bright IMHO...but if it is, you can use the dimmer(s).

Good luck!

Phil

 

[Bopbop]

I have installed 3 of these exact fixtures in my open pole barn. It is 24 x 35 and has 11 foot ceilings. The lighting output is awesome. I plan on adding some more when I rework the low roof I plan on adding 2 more for that area which is 12 x 35.
In my work shop I have a similar light fixture installed. It is a commercial grade high bay fixture. The size is the same as the home depot fixture. The fixture installed is 9,000 lumen or half the output. My shop is 30 foot x 60 foot with 12 foot eve height and 17 foot clear in the ceilings. I have 3 roll up doors, 1 man door and 2 small windows. So with the doors closed i have a cave.
I have 24 light fixtures in the space for a total of 216,000 lumens. Your 12 will have the same output. My lights are located at the ceiling and i have 4 rows of 6. Everything is evenly spaced. At the 3 foot level i have between 80 and 100 foot candles of light. It is VERY bright in the space with the doors closed. Also all of my fixtures are served from 1 20 amp circuit with extra to spare.
With your layout of 12 @ 18,000 lumens in a 30 x 35 will provide you with more than enough light. I would put in the 12 lights as you are thinking and put them on a dimmer and adjust the lights to the level that makes you happy. It is easier to dim the lights than to increase the lighting after you are finished.
Bopbop

 

[Stuart in MN]

They're high bay fixtures - per the data sheet in your link they have an "Ideal Mounting Height of 16ft - 24ft". As a result, with a 13ft ceiling you're probably going to get uneven light distribution, with hot spots under each fixture.

That doesn't mean you can't use them, but be aware the light may not be as nice and even as you'd like.

 

[cybrdyke]

All,

I just scored 20 of these Home Depot commercial electric 18,000 lumen 2x1 foot lights for an absurdly low price.

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/d8/d8814a2e-679d-45cd-ac6b-9d8c7c7b513c.pdf

I would like to install these in my soon to be built 30x35 garage (13 foot ceilings). This is underground, no windows, concrete roof and walls. A cave effectively.

I tried modelling these in the Acuity tool to some success.

Do you think 3 rows of 4 (12 total) is too much light for this shop? I plan to run these on a dimmer so if too much I can dial them back. Accuity says 150 ft/candles but I don't know if I should trust it.

Alternatively, the Acuity tools seems to suggest 9 lights for just over 100 ft/candles but I'm concerned about shadows given they will be pretty far apart.

Any thoughts on layout and has anyone used these fixtures?

Vin

OK, so you scored these at a great price. That's great. Just understand that they're waaaaay more than overkill. But, we can mitigate that.
The beam on these is more narrow than normal. That's because they're supposed to be hung much higher than your ceiling. So, your concern about spacing is valid. 9 fixtures with that tight beam wouldn't normally be good. 12 will be better. However, if you have a light colored floor, white walls, white ceiling and not much "stuff" in the space, you would get alot of light bouncing around that would fill in those darker areas. If you have a rough floor, wood walls and open ceiling with lots of equipment, shelves, etc. then you wont get so much reflectance and it wont fill in the dark spots.
Even though 12 fixtures is going to give you way too much light (150fc is crazy bright), you can dim it down pretty easy. You'll have 17A to dim, so you'll probably need 3 devices to accomplish that. You'll be able to set them at about 50% and leave them there for a good level.
You can also zone them. In fact, you'll probably have to anyway based on the electrical system. Alternate them on 2 circuits or create 2 or 3 zones to your liking.
Too much light is very damaging to your health, so be sure to do something to bring them down to a normal level.
Good luck,
CD

 

[vlocci]

All,

Thank you! You confirmed my suspicions so dimmers it is.

CD, you mentioned too much light being detrimental to ones health. What exactly do you mean by that?

Vin

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