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12 Volt lighting in shed

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couch67

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I'm sure someone has done this before, but didnt find anything in the archives.

My storage shed is going to be for just that - storage. I have an attached workshop for all the fun stuff. I do want to put a light in there for convenience, but its about a 150' run from the shed to the panel, and not an easy run either.

I'm thinking 12 volt. I have a spare utility battery and could wire up a simple switch and 12V LED light(s). A trickle solar panel mounted under the south eve would keep things topped up. I'd probably be in for about $40 to get it complete.

Any comments / concerns are appreciated - especially if you have done this before!

thanks
Couch
 
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couch67

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Let there be light !!!

Decided to put the 12 volt lighting together in the shed this weekend. Two light fixtures fed by a 12 volt battery, controlled by a light switch. Added in a battery topper.

The light bulbs were from Amazon, from the fine folks at ChiChin Lighting :) - I bought 4 of them for around 35 bucks.

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I used standard fixtures, wiring and switches, mainly because that's what I had on hand. If I ever run power to the shed it will be ready to go!

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Here's the power source - a utility battery that was bought for another project but never used. It now has a purpose! I wired a 5 amp fuse right at the battery.

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A solar battery maintainer to keep things topped up. Its 2.5 watts and facing south - a has a bit of cover but I am confident it will more than keep up with the intermittent demand.

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The final test - light! I was more than impressed by the amount of light these two small bulbs throw off. An inline ammeter measured 0.8 Amps, so around 10 watts of power consumed. I might add in a low voltage cutout at some point to protect the battery. Some family members are not as diligent in turning lights off..

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couch
 
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Infinia

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Hi
nice project and shed
keep an eye on the battery voltages some solar trickle chargers can ruin a battery in short order. 13.8V max and 12.4 min are the goal posts.
 
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Shiftless

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East Bay SFO
If your family members or even you yourself tend to forget to turn off the lights. may I suggest a timer switch like this one. Purely mechanical so it will work with low voltage.
 

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jim1reed

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Camper or RV lights might be easier to acquire.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
 
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southalabama

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Brewton AL
Couch67 to my rescue. I've got a shed needing a similar setup. I prop the door open and get in the back of it and the door blows shut and I'm standing in the dark.

I had been reading about solar panels and inverters and could never justify the expense. Duh. Keep the system DC. Battery and maintainer. Cheap, simple and effective.

This will be a project for the spring. Acquire knowledge and materials over the winter.
 
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couch67

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Thanks for the comments. We got about 20cm (8") of snow overnight, so the lights came in handy tonight when getting the blower ready!

Infinia, the solar charger documentation does state it has a built in controller to prevent overcharging. I'm interested to see how the system fares over normal use so will be keeping an eye on the battery V.

Shiftless, thanks for the tip. I'm thinking a motion sensor might also be an option if forgetfulness becomes an issue. I want to keep things simple so will likely keep the regular switch for now.

Jim1Reed, yes I did run into a few other options for RV lighting during my search. In fact, I believe the bulbs I bought were advertised for RV or off-grid use. Since I had all of the 120v wiring and fixtures from other reno's, this seemed to be the best option for me.

SouthAlabama and APEowner, I know what you mean about keeping it simple. I had original plans to trench in wiring, and stopped myself when realizing I just want to power a lightbulb! Really, a flashlight would do the job.

couch
 
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Ty.

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Northern Wi
I did not know they made 12v bulbs in a standard socket, good to know.

I have my ice shack wired in 12v off of a fused boat switch panel. I am able to run 6 led light strips, a small fan, and a cigarette lighter plug to charge a few cellphones and run a bait aerator for a full season without having to charge the big deep cycle battery I run it all off of.
 
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TractorJeff

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Elkhorn, WI
I had a hunting shack years ago in 12v (before LED) which served the purpose at the time. LED and Solar Panel technology is opening up a whole new avenue in Utility Lighting!
 
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couch67

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I do recall old school 12 volt incandescent light bulbs with really low wattage (20-25 watts). We used these in our camp years ago when I was a kid, as an
'upgrade' to coal oil or naphta (mantle) lighting.

The 12 volt light didnt give much more light, and because solar chargers weren't around, you were lugging around 12 volt car batteries to recharge after a weekend. LED's and solar chargers have definitely changed the landscape!
 
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