Alternative garage lighting

[tonyx]

As LED's make inroads the CFL bulbs are being sold at rock bottom prices. Just wondering out loud if it makes good alternate lighting solution to dot the garage ceiling with cheap and cheerful light bulb base with screw-in CFL light bulbs.

On floor space of:

15 x 27 = 405 sqft

9watt bulb x 18 = 162 watts
550 lumen x 18 = 9900 lumens
9900/405 = 24.5 lumen/sqft
9900/162 = 61 lumen/watt

 

[Tscott]

I did this in my 40 x 60 shop. I hung lighting fixtures similar to this and installed big 60 watt CFL bulbs. They work well and I figure I am more or less future proof as far as the fixture goes. I'm pretty sure the standard screw in fixture will be around a long time even after CFl goes the way of the incandescent bulb. I still haven't finished adding the rest of the fixtures all these years later but at night, the existing 8 fixtures shine plenty of light on the half of the shop they are located in and a workable amount of light on the other, though I need to get my **** in gear and add the rest of the fixtures since they would give me a ton of light.


Tom

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[tonyx]

As I posted my thoughts there was suspicion someone has done it already. Looks like you beat me to the punch. Well done!

Just stopped by SAMs club, they had 9-13W bulbs for $6 and 4-23W builbs for $7.50.

 

[alfredeneuman]

A standard 4' T8 fluorescent puts out 2750 lumens.

If 9900 is your target, that would amount to less than 4 of them.

The price of the boxes, keyless lampholders, and wire to hook them all up would probably be more than the tubular fluorescent fixtures. The fluorescent bulbs cost about $3 each.

 

[jlckmj]

Here is a thread that covers what you are talking about in depth.
I have 10 - 100 watt CFL's (400 watt equivalent) and I love it.

Jim

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38658

 

[JCByrd24]

Yes it's a good idea and is cheap! When I did my garage (26x28) over 5 years ago the box/bulbholder/bulb combo was like $5 per (I used more common 750 or 100W equivalent bulbs not the crazy huge ones) and I used like 16 of them. A T8 fixture was like $40 with no bulbs so for the cost of two I did my whole garage with CFLs. Lumen per lumen I never did the math but 2 fixtures does not "cover" a 2 car garage the same as 16 bulbs. I now have a T8 fixture over my work bench and it is nice, but to do a whole garage in them isn't cheap.

 

[tonyx]

@jlckmj, thanks for the link. Looks like this has been done and done. Kudos to Veno and others who've been using CFL methods for years.

I'm really leaning towards the 105W CFL in Veno's thread - 6500 lumens each and $10/bulb at amazon.