Bright enough to operate under

[aggie113]

Planning out the lighting for my new 1200sqft garage and one thing I wanted was to slightly overdo the lighting. I was looking around at LED solutions and I was going to go with a superbrightled choice but then I found an even better option with lights that have double the lifespan:
https://www.prolighting.com/applications/warehouse-lighting/led-high-bays/et-hbl3100050wh1.html

I plan to install six of these in the garage. I expect it to be very bright, but they can be dimmed if needed. With the light grey coloring in the floor and the white from the insulation on the walls I hope to get enough light bouncing around that carefully positioned shop lights will not be needed much when working on cars. Just hope I get full life out of these lights for as much as they are costing me (contractor was only willing to roll 3 of them into his existing bid).
So tell me I'm crazy

 

[mm08822]

these are highbay lights. 15 - 45' mounting heights. I would think 6 of these lights @15' would provide rather uneven lighting.

What are the room dimensions, ceiling ht, ceiling finish/color?
Size and number of garage doors?
Type of work you plan on doing in there?

Dimming is a nice option to adjust according to work being performed.

 

[aggie113]

Probably will be mounted around 18', but depends on how the layout is setup with the rafters.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Regardless of fixture lumen output, you'll need minimum 8 fixtures for even light distribution in a 24x48x18 or 34x34x18. I have no idea what your space size is.

If long life is your goal, this one claims 122,000 hrs: https://www.ledlightingwholesaleinc.com/LEDFHB180-5K-MVDIM-V2-p/ledfhb180-5k-mvdim-v2.htm

 

[aggie113]

Well, contractor didn't move quick enough and now those lights are discontinued (of course). So I've decided to order lights myself, and since my idea of overkill didn't seem to be enough by some folk's measure I ordered 8 of these:
https://www.greenelectricalsupply.c...n-led-highbay-shop-lights-120-277v-5000k.aspx

At least I got a discount for ordering more than 7

 

[dutchgray]

I would have gone for a greater number of lower output fittings, built a garage for a customer, they had 8 5' led twin tube equivalent fittings, I can't tell you the output on them because I don't know, but its 8' eaves with a 25 degree roof, steel frame so roof is open, lights were mounted about 10' from floor in two rows, its plenty bright enough but coverage could be better, needs some more lights around the walls above the benches etc IMO, its only 600 sq foot or so.

 

[cadunkle]

I think you're going about this wrong. Yes total lumens matters, but personally I hate shadows. I think you should go with fewer lumens per fixture but more fixtures spread evenly over the space. For my 24'x30' with 10' ceiling I went with 20x 2 tube 4' T8 style LED fixtures with 2200 lumen 5k tubes. My garage is an odd layout, 30' deep with the last 10' being split along the middle so there is a 12'x10' enclosed room (office, with it's own lighting) and a 12'x10' area with an 8' ceiling. There is a mezzanine above the rear 10', over the enclosed room and other space.

For the 12'x10' 8' tall space under the mezzanine I have 4x twin tube LED fixtures mounted in two rows. For the 24'x20' main space with 10' ceilings I went with 16x twin tube LED fixtures mounted in four rows. The outer rows are 2' from the outer walls, the inner rows are 7.5' from the outer walls. I haven't finished wiring all the lights in the main area but the idea is to minimize shadows by spreading out the light.

So for a 600 sq foot area I have 44,000 lumens. You would have 87,639 lumens in the same space with your original plan, but from far fewer fixtures (although at greater height than my 10'). I think this is a recipe for shadows, which will be exaggerated with such intense light sources. Personally I would be inclined to go with however many rows of T8 style direct wire LED fixtures it takes to cover your space. Space the outer rows 2'-3' off each wall, and give about 4'-5' between each row. Alternatively for a very large space with fixtures mounted higher than 12' you could go with 4 tube fixtures in rows but put a few feet between each fixture. I'm no authority on lighting, but I think more lower lumen fixtures would be a good idea. Shadows ****.

 

[aggie113]

I could perhaps go with cheaper/less bright/more abundant lighting as another option, but I don't want to have to start a go-fund me page for the extra cost the electrician is going to charge for the extra work
The garage is a simple 40x30 with rafters at 16ft. With that height and a diffuser panel on the lights I think I'll be able to get away with it. Regardless, the lighting has already been ordered.

 

[cybrdyke]

Lighting can be hard to understand. On one hand, you just know that you want a lot of light, so more lumens MUST be better right? On the other hand, the total lumens that you have means nothing in relation to the quality of the result. No one in the lighting business uses total lumens in their daily work or lingo. You'll also hear some folks refer to how many lumens per square foot that you should have. Again, this figure means nothing in the lighting industry. It just has no relevance when designing a quality lighting plan.
It's hard to fault the OP for selecting the fixture that he did. The website information is grossly misleading, stating that the fixture is equivalent to a 400w Metal Halide fixture. It isn't. It's equivalent to a 1000w Metal Halide. Imagine having 8 stadium lights hanging in your garage. But how was he to know when there's so much bad information out there?
So, for those of you that are looking for advice on lighting, just scroll the Lighting Layout Collection thread, or post your questions. Or, you'll need to do a layout from a legit layout program. There are free ones online.
But, dump the total lumens or lumens per square foot lingo. It's not helpful information.
CD

 

[spudley]

It's hard to fault the OP for selecting the fixture that he did. The website information is grossly misleading, stating that the fixture is equivalent to a 400w Metal Halide fixture. It isn't. It's equivalent to a 1000w Metal Halide. Imagine having 8 stadium lights hanging in your garage. But how was he to know when there's so much bad information out there?

Good question, if only there was a readily available info source...

So, for those of you that are looking for advice on lighting, just scroll the Lighting Layout Collection thread, or post your questions. Or, you'll need to do a layout from a legit layout program. There are free ones online.
But, dump the total lumens or lumens per square foot lingo. It's not helpful information.
CD

Ding ding ding, we have a winner! I guess some would rather buy first and do research later. It's a shame after all the free design work professionals like you and others (specifically Platonic Solid) have done. You guys are incredible.

 

[tonyciambrone]

Yeah shnikeys 30000 lumens is a lot. I'd rather have 16 4x4' LED tube fixtures, 2400 lumenish bulbs.

I want to see a picture with them on...

 

[aggie113]

Yeah shnikeys 30000 lumens is a lot. I'd rather have 16 4x4' LED tube fixtures, 2400 lumenish bulbs.

I want to see a picture with them on...

Not to scale..

 

[aggie113]

Please ignore the floor for now. Excess coloring has yet to be washed off.
Video post to show the full effect of the lighting. Video was taken at dusk so no sunlight leaking in.

https://imgur.com/a/XGiJnxA

 

[Jakemedic]

Please ignore the floor for now. Excess coloring has yet to be washed off.
Video post to show the full effect of the lighting. Video was taken at dust so no sunlight leaking in.

https://imgur.com/a/XGiJnxA

Looks nice! Brightness you shall have! Enjoy