Do I need vapor tight lights?

[pmiranda]

Looking at buying over 40 fixtures for the new garage and vapor-tight (instead of just open T8) are twice as expensive. I get that having some shield over the bulbs will protect them from damage, but if I'm not painting in there, do I care about exposed bulbs and wires?
Just wondering if I'm missing something obvious?

 

[rjacobs]

Short answer: no...

Long answer: probably not...

If you arent actively using things that can explode, I wouldnt worry about it. Even paint fumes I wouldnt think are an explosion risk anymore since there seems to be no bad chemicals left in todays paints... I got a few buddies that paint in make shift paint booths at their houses and none of them have special lights.

Long story short: you would KNOW if you needed vapor tight lights...

 

[pmiranda]

you would KNOW if you needed vapor tight lights...

From the mushroom cloud rising from what's left of the garage?

Yeah, if I want to paint a car, I'd either get one of those big bubble tents that exhausts all the nasty stuff, or build a separate block building.

 

[rjacobs]

From the mushroom cloud rising from what's left of the garage?

No, im saying "if you knew you needed vapor tight lights, you wouldnt be asking this question"... People that need them generally already know they are needed for their application.

A standard garage...nope...

A chemistry lab...yea probably...

 

[rlitman]

...Long story short: you would KNOW if you needed vapor tight lights...

That was my thinking. And, if you're not sure, you don't KNOW.

I don't think that current water based paints offer any explosion hazards, but I don't know too much about modern automotive paints. In the past, sprayed paint thinners could allow a space to be within the explosive limits, but not too easily. Other than that, there really isn't any other good reason I can think of that would require vapor tight lights in a garage.

 

[gmwelder86]

Only place I’ve seen them used is around places combustible gases are know to develop. Industrial setting such as refineries and treatment plants. Also they pour some sort of seals t in the electrical conduit in this same situation. We also have them in of oxy/act bottle room at our training center for obvious reasons.

 

[rlitman]

Only place I’ve seen them used is around places combustible gases are know to develop. Industrial setting such as refineries and treatment plants. Also they pour some sort of seals t in the electrical conduit in this same situation. We also have them in of oxy/act bottle room at our training center for obvious reasons.

That's one place. Also around marinas to keep out corrosive spray.

 

[Sevenhills1952]

I'm in the process of installed these in our new horse stable I ordered from Home Depot. I'm using conduit, glass unscrews with cage off. It has rubber gaskets. Standard E26 lamp base, I'm using LEDs.
I chose them because of hay and straw dust (and methane gas [emoji3]).
In garage I just used fluorescent lamps, never had a problem. Propane furnace is in a separate room with steel door, away from cars.

Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk

 

[DwightS]

In your garage, no you don't need vapor tight. I would recommend LED over T8 fluorescent. LED typically gets you more light for similar up-front cost, but you will save in energy usage and maintenance.

 

[rlitman]

I'm in the process of installed these in our new horse stable I ordered from Home Depot. I'm using conduit, glass unscrews with cage off. It has rubber gaskets. Standard E26 lamp base, I'm using LEDs...

Stables can be quite corrosive environments, if not explosive. Plus there, you want hose-down capability. For real vapor proof installs, you need rigid conduit threaded in with sealant and special boxes too.

As for an LED in an enclosed fixture like that, it MIGHT work, but be careful. Most LED lamps are not designed to work in such a fixture and they will overheat. From what I've seen, filament style LED lamps should be reliable there.

 

[pmiranda]

Yeah, I'm only looking at LED, but the T8 form factor is the easiest to find. Actually found a vapor-tight twin-T8 at superbrightleds for not much more than the open ones at prolighting.
I also need to look at empty T8 fixtures and add my own LED bulbs..

 

[Norcal]

Vapor tight lights are not for hazardous locations they are for wet, damp areas and are also found under commercial kitchen hoods, fixtures for hazardous locations are mind numbing expensive & they have a label affixed to them stating the group and divisions they are approved for.

 

[clubairth]

I paint all the time and you don't need to worry about it.
Same thing with all the gloom and doom about using box fans while painting. It's all from people with little to no experience.

Is it possible? yes. Will anything happen no.
.
.
.

 

[Stuart in MN]

To be clear, are you talking about fixtures rated for hazardous areas, or fixtures that are rated for use in damp areas? Fixtures rated for damp areas would be useful if you're washing cars and/or spraying water around inside the garage, but otherwise regular open fixtures should be fine.

 

[kbs2244]

They are a fire code requirement.
Ask at the fire house.