Best Method for Suspending Flourescent T8 Fixtures

[Vet65te]

I'm working on plans for a 32' deep by 36' wide working garage with 11 foot ceilings to be built with a new house in Prescott AZ. It will all be painted and suspect I'll go with plywood wall panels.
I'm in the middle of determining the amount and location for the T8 light fixtures. The old T12 8-foot long 2-bulb fixtures I have in my current garage here in Northern California are suspected from open rafters with those small chains and are about 8.5 feet off the floor. From all the old threads I've read and pics I've seen, having the fixtures mounted flush to the ceiling does look clean but also increases the distance the light has to travel. I never did like those chains and have seen a few Forum Members who used metal brackets in order to drop the light fixtures but not sure how easily you can 'level' them with those brackets. If I mount the lights up to the ceiling, I expect I'll definitely have to increase the size of the light fixtures. If I drop them down a few feet, anyone have suggestions on how to secure them and be able to level them? Thanks, Mike T.

 

[MotoDave]

I would keep them on tyhe ceiling and add more if you find you need more light. Mine are only ~8' off the floor and I've busted bulbs more than a few times.

 

[Steevo]

+1 for flush to ceiling.
I have 12' ceiling and still managed to hit/break two bulbs in the last year.

If you must suspend them, and don't want chain & hooks, then check these out:

http://www.griplocksystems.com/lighting/products.cfm

 

[kartracer23]

Another consideration is that if you flush mount them, you can put them above the doors. If you suspend them, you have to either just barely suspend them or only do them past where the doors open up to.

I've got 8' doors and a 10' ceiling. We left just enough room to clear the flush mounted lights when the doors are up.

 

[Vet65te]

I think you guys are right, the flush mount will look a lot better so with 11-foot ceilings I better think about 4-tube fixtures instead of 2-tube versions. Probably no way to actually measure this and I do believe that a fixture with a reflector hood does transmit more light 'downward' than the simple fixtures that have no hood, but I suppose the added brightness from the hood won't be enough to make a 2-tube fixture perform like a 4 tube fixture?
Thanks, Mike T.

 

[Garage Flooring]

4 light T8 Fixtures put off a TON of light. Th nice thing about 4 bulb fixtures is most of mine only have two bulbs in them but where I need more light I use it. I am picky when it comes to light. I would use 4 bulbs on the perimeter, two bulbs in a 4 bulb fixture towards the interior and then I have some quality track lighting over the work area. The spectrum and direction from the track is very helpful.

 

[KPSquared]

I'm flat mounting all my T8's. Paint the ceiling a glossy white and stick 'em up. 11' isn't that high and those T8's will light it up like day.

I have 24 4' T8 fixtures in a 30x36 garage. . . overkill? Maybe, but I bet no one will ever complain that it's to dark. . . Here's my plan for lighting layout: (the room in the upper left is separate)

According to the formulas I used, I should have 1.6 watts/square foot, which is right around ideal for a working shop.

 

[Vet65te]

KPS - I checked out your shop build and noticed you have 12'6" ceilings, very nice shop by the way. Kinda surprised that you can light up the area of your workbenches with only 4 fixtures at that height and they're not directly over the benches. I'm kinda new to the T8's, having found out that T12's are on their way out when one of the many old style T12 ballasts failed on me last year. I did find that while the T8's only use 32 watts compared to the 40 watts for a 4-foot T12 tube, the amount of light/lumens they kick out is about the same. Do your light fixtures have hoods?
Mike T.

 

[Strouty]

I have 12'6" ceilings with T8 fixtures tight to the ceiling on the factory chains. Once I get drywall up, I will absolutely flush mount them, they look better, it is easier to clean and change the bulbs, and they look better.

 

[rlitman]

Actually, the T8's put out slightly more light than the T12's from the start, and diminish less in light output over time too.

 

[Steevo]

I think you guys are right, the flush mount will look a lot better so with 11-foot ceilings I better think about 4-tube fixtures instead of 2-tube versions. Probably no way to actually measure this and I do believe that a fixture with a reflector hood does transmit more light 'downward' than the simple fixtures that have no hood, but I suppose the added brightness from the hood won't be enough to make a 2-tube fixture perform like a 4 tube fixture?
Thanks, Mike T.

The 4-tube, 8-foot T8 fixtures are low-cost, and put out a lot of light. If you plan the fixture layout for best coverage, fixtures in rows, approx. 6' between rows, etc., you can make it look like daylight in there:

 

[Vet65te]

Steevo, gotta admit it sure does look bright in your shop and with 12-foot ceilings and no hoods on the light fixtures too. I've run through the Lowes and Home Depot sites but didn't see much in the way of the 8-foot long/2-tube T8 fixtures. Might have been there and I just missed them. I will probably plan on those fixtures directly over my workbenches and then run the rest of the rows on 6-foot centers which is what I have in my garage now. Maybe one of the reasons I thought putting the lights up so high might cut back on the light being produced is that when I walk out into my garage I sometimes forget that most of those T12 tubes are old and no doubt have lost a few 'lumens' along the way.
Also, I'll need to determine how I want them grouped. I suspect the ones over the bench will be one circuit and then just a matter of figuring out the rest.
Side note...where did you find that stainless steel service sink, the one with the attached drain board?
Mike T.

 

[DirtRoad]

I have the 8ft 4 light T8 fixtures. I flush mounted them and also wired them with pig tails so that if i want to move them around it would be no problem to do so.

I do need like 10 more of these fixtures.

 

[Rowdy9]

I would look at the T5 lights. I have a 36X30 with 13' walls and I have 6 T5 8'long 4bulbs per light and my shop has a ton of light. You can see them alittle here. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=165615

 

[KPSquared]

KPS - I checked out your shop build and noticed you have 12'6" ceilings, very nice shop by the way. Kinda surprised that you can light up the area of your workbenches with only 4 fixtures at that height and they're not directly over the benches. I'm kinda new to the T8's, having found out that T12's are on their way out when one of the many old style T12 ballasts failed on me last year. I did find that while the T8's only use 32 watts compared to the 40 watts for a 4-foot T12 tube, the amount of light/lumens they kick out is about the same. Do your light fixtures have hoods?
Mike T.

The ones over the bench area have chrome hoods and will hang from chains. The rest flat mount. I currently work in there at night ( insulating etc) with one T8 two bulb and it's enough to work in. I'm amazed at how much light they throw down.