Cheap Garage Lighting Solution

[novaboy009]

I've looked through Veno's thread and saw his successful use of the big 400 watt equivalent CFL's with reflectors- they're usually in the 3,800 lumen range. These average out to about $18-$20 a fixture when shopping around. I have a 9.5 ft ceiling instead of the much taller ceilings the big bulbs are usually used on. I tried the big bulbs and didn't like how much they hung down and the amount of glare close to eye level. So, I tried something a little different:

Parts List:

Ceiling Fixture Box (Lowe's) - $1.08
Porcelain Fixture (Lowe's)- $1.54
2 bulb screw in adapter - rated for 660 watts (Lowe's)- $2.60
23 Watt GE CFL soft whites x 2 (Sam's Club - come in packs of six) - $2.88

Total = $8.10 a fixture @ 3200 lumens each

Not quite as bright per fixture, but works better in a short ceiling situation. I'm happy with the output. I'd prefer 5000k daylight bulbs, but I can only find them at about $8 a fixture unless I go Chinese brand.

Here's a quick peak for reference, I'll show the complete effect when I finish wiring up the other 9 fixtures.



Just thought I'd share if anyone else wanted to be cheap like me!

Kev

 

[novaboy009]

Actually, I just double checked the price. It's $6.58/6 pack, so $2.19 in bulbs per fixture. Total cost is $7.41/fixture. You of course need more BX wire and connectors/conduit and wire or just wire, but there is some economies of scale involved and most shops like my 32 x 24 won't require more than 100 feet of surface mount stuff.

Kev

 

[iroc409]

150-watt equivalent bulbs aren't as big and put out about 2600 lumens, very close to a T8 bulb. With a bulb adapter they are pretty much the same as a shop light. They are about 40 watts, so OK for a bulb splitter.

The bulbs are $10 a piece though, and can be unreliable at times so I just opted for another shop light.

 

[novaboy009]

That's kind of what I was thinking - the big bulbs are expensive. If I hit one with a 2 x 4 or it burns out, it's a pain in the **** to source and $$$. If I whack a 23 watt CFL, I pick up another bulb while I'm grocery shopping for a couple bucks.

Kev

 

[taumac]

My cheap way was to pick up 4 ft twin bulb fluorescents when place do remodels or see one tossed out.

 

[novaboy009]

Are they all T12's though? I liked the fact that these are new and won't be obsolete in a year - I don't see the normal screw in light bulb socket going away even in the next several generations of technology.

Kev

 

[eljefino]

A lot depends on how your state/ PUC subsidizes CFLs. Seems the bigger bulbs get less subsidy.

There's a WM here that sells 13 watt (60 equiv, 880 lumens?) for FOUR CENTS a bulb. That would require a bunch of sockets, and the inefficiencies of dozens of ballasts would hinder operation.

Though it would be cool to score a makeup mirror with a couple dozen sockets from the trash pile.