Covered or Uncovered Lighting?

[jake26]

I cannot decide if I should purchase florescent lighing with the wrap around lens ( http://www.contractorlighting.com/4ft-lamp-32wt-fluorescent-wrap-around-fixture-120277-p-419.html ) or without ( http://www.contractorlighting.com/4ft-lamp-watt-fluorescent-double-channel-strip-120277-p-400.html )

I plan on having 10 fixtures ( along with some under cabinet lighting) in my 25' x 25' garage. How much light would I lose because I do like the cleaner look?

 

[Stuart in MN]

I don't think you'll lose any appreciable amount of light. The covers will diffuse the light and give a more even coverage. They also provide a little bit of protection for the lamps in case you accidentally hit them with a 2x4. On the other hand, they also create a place for dust and dead bugs to accumulate, particularly in a garage.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I used the strip lighting in my garage along with a white ceiling, it sure seems brighter as the light hits the ceiling and isn't shaded by the covers.

 

[kbs2244]

Have you ever seen covers on big box store fixtures?
They want every bit of light they pay for.
I go bare bulbs and wipe off the surviving one when one of the bulbs dies.

Unless you are doing something that creates a lot of dust, like body work, grinding down welds, some kinds of wood working, this should be good enough.

But then if you are doing that kind of stuff, you will be vacuming the light anyway.

 

[Steevo]

If you think about it, a fluorescent tube gives off light evenly all the way around. Only half of that surface faces downward, the other half upward. If you can get some of that upward light reflected back towards the floor, you gain lumens.

In this picture, you can see that a great deal of light is hitting the ceiling and reflecting back.

Of course, shields, reflectors and diffusers provide some protection for the tubes, in addition to any other benefit they provide.

 

[RVDan]

the covers are good if you're sensitive to the flickering of cheap lights, and maybe they'll diffuse the light for more even distribution

but I prefer bare bulbs with reflectors above them, we recently added some reflectors to a couple of our shop lights at work and it made a substantial difference

 

[rocco]

either go with the standard strips or if you're going to bother having a lens, use a vapourtight/dust tight fixture, otherwise you'll end up with a bug and dust bucket in the ceiling.

 

[Norcal]

I got a deal on some Kenall "Millennium Stretch" vandal resisistant fixtures, they have some extra options such as 2 single programmed start ballasts per fixture, & prewired w/ 2 circuits per fixture, these were new in box also, open or inclosed will have a lot to do w/ one's budget, IMO. Here is a pic of them installed.

Some specs here: http://www.kenall.com/MLHA12S.pdf.khtml?cid=17&iid=1820

 

[kbs2244]

I feel reflectors are a maybe thing.
It is dependent on ceiling height and color.
Eight foot is as low as you can go with them.

In Steevo’s PIC the bright white ceiling does a good job of both reflecting and defusing the light.
But it is high enough that I feel reflectors could be used and still get enough deflection to avoid “hot spots” at floor level.
And it is new and clean.

If you do dirty stuff, come cleaning time, it is easier to wipe off the reflectors than to wash the whole ceiling.

I have a catch as catch can mix of with and with out reflectors.
I like them and have even retro fitted fixtures without them with reflectors from scrap fixtures.
I am kind of casual in cleaning them.
I wipe down the half that the blown bulb is removed from when I change it.
But the other side can wait until that bulb dies.

 

[Greatbear]

Steevo's pic is a fine example of using open fixtures against a white ceiling. You get a good spread of light, the room has even lighting and you have an overall "clean" look. If you have high ceilings with fixtures hung more than a foot below the ceilings, or have an unfinished, open rafter building, consider fixtures with reflectors. Half of your usable light will be wasted in the rafters and open space otherwise, since there would be nothing to direct the light down. Disadvantages to this solution will be a dark ceiling, and a somewhat claustrophobic feeling to the room with a dark ceiling. For this, consider using apertured (slotted) reflector fixtures, which let some light escape upwards to wash the ceiling area with light.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'll throw up a couple of pics. This is over the work bench area. the ceiling is foil backed insulation. It is getting a little dirty and the height is about 8'. The amount of light strips might be over kill but since it was the work area, I wanted plenty of light.

These are the same fixtures on the higher ceiling, 11 feet and a painted white surface.

I basically replaced what I had and then added the old fixtures along the center to get some light along the side of a vehicle. they will get replaced with some more strip lights eventually.

another view.

Honestly, seeing these strip lights up, I don't think I would buy another regular shop light fixture.