electrical and lighting newb ???'s

[matemike]

I'm building a 30X40 metal building with 12 ft walls and a 3/12 roof pitch making a 15'9" peak in the center. There will be no ceiling, just open through to the rafters/purlins.

I'll have three windows on one 40' wall where my bench and 10X12 room will go to help with light where I'll work the most. And the building will be insulated making the lining in the roof and interior walls a glossy white plastic, so that will help reflect light.

I'll get power run to a breaker box for four or six 110v outlets, maybe a 220V for a ductless split unit and possibly for a welding machine someday. Of course there'll be power for fixed lighting. I was just planning on spacing out eight 4' double bulb fluorescent lamp assemblies all the way up in the roof. Will that provide enough light?

Just going by my minimal experience, in my attached garage (32X24X10) I have 2 lamp assemblies which hold four 5' bulbs each, and I feel there is adequate light in there. It is standard dry wall with an egg shell paint color on the walls and ceiling.

I barely began research until I saw this thread and was blown away.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278420

Am I thinking into this too much? Are there thing that I'll surely want to stay away from? Do my electrical plans even sound feasible?

 

[pattenp]

IMHO I think the lighting is on the low side. If you're thinking T8 fixtures I'd double it and use 8 8ft 4 lamp fixtures. 8 4ft 2 lamp fixtures will be about 35 lumens(LU) per sqft and I think you won't be happy. I feel you should at least be up around 50LU to 75LU per sqft. I personally like 100LU per sqft.

 

[cybrdyke]

^^^^
What he said.
Dont listen to the folks that recommend the cheapest junk from no-name brands and weird LED stuff.
If you are building new, then spend an extra buck or two and get good quality stuff from a known provider. Ebay is not a known provider .

At 12' mounting height, 8 tandem fixtures should be good. 10 would be better. With no reflective ceiling and an open peak, it will be dark above the fixtures, giving you a "cave effect". This may or may not bother you.

Good luck.
CD

 

[k-os]

I've got 8 4ft 4-lamp fixtures in my 26' x 21' x 10' and I feel like it still isn't as bright as I had hoped. 4 of the fixtures are from Menards and 4 are from Home Depot. I'm using 4100K bulbs, I'll probably end up replacing these with 6500K bulbs eventually.

 

[matemike]

At 12' mounting height, 8 tandem fixtures should be good. 10 would be better. With no reflective ceiling and an open peak, it will be dark above the fixtures, giving you a "cave effect". This may or may not bother you.

Good luck.
CD

Thanks everyone. Good call at looking into lumens/sqft.

I'm not planning on having them drop down from the roof, they will be on in the roof pitch. I think this will help me to avoid having a dark area behind behind lights and making the "cave" feel.

 

[Platonic Solid]

I recently helped a forum member with a 40x60x12 metal pole building lighting layout. I used 24 tandem 4 light fixtures (96 F32T8 Lamps). Your garage has half the square feet, so no less than 12 tandem 4 light fixtures (48 F32T8 Lamps).

I originally wanted to mount the fixtures parallel with the ceiling as you mentioned above, but
(a) It's so much easier to hang them with Beam Clamps and Hangers.
(b) If you have any structural support cables, they will get in your way.
(c) There's no relevant light distribution gain.

 

[ddawg16]

Don't be afraid to have multiple banks.....you can do a combination of interleaved or in sections.

If it was me, I'd have one switch for 'entry'. I.e., you walk in and just want to grab something. I'd make this some LED's that turn on quick and give enough light to see where you are going without killing the electric bill.

Consider task lighting. You should have lights right over the work benches.

For the size building you have....you want zones....min Front and Back. No reason to have ALL the lights on if your working in only one spot.

You might also consider T5 lamps. Costs have come down and they are a bit more efficient than t8.

And lastly.....color. I would suggest something in the range of 5000K....adjust up if you like the blue tint....down if you like the warm yellow.