Existing T12 8' Shop Lighting Upgrade?

[xjfish]

Shop is roughly 32'x48' and currently has 2 rows of 4 - 8' double T12 110W bulbs. 13.5' ceiling. Lighting is a bit inadequate IMO. I would like it to be brighter and have the existing fixtures to work with. There is a separate workbench light with an additional identical 8' fixture. I plan to add additional lighting eventually, possibly some to walls and above doors, as there is none there...

As a first step for improvement I'm thinking of installing high lumen, higher wattage LED tubes, found online only. I have only found them available in 6000k 144 watt with clear tubes, vs frosted. Supposedly they are good for 18,800 lumens each. I believe the current "HO" 110w florescent bulbs are pretty decent at around 7,000 lumens ea. They are much more "yellow" probably around 4k temp? Current lights put off fairly even light but I feel like 3-4 rows would be better. LED tubes with clear covers gonna be crappy and uneven with a white shop?

What say you good people of garage journal?

 

[dudley123]

I just finished my lighting upgrade in a very similar sized space. 3-car very-oversized garage w/12ft ceilings. I pulled 9 8ft T12 fixtures down and replaced them all 1:1 with "The Bolt" 8ft 6 bulb LED fixtures from Prime Lights: https://www.primelights.com/collect...8-6-lamp-led-shop-light-16-840-lumens-frosted

Turned out insanely bright and have them split between 2 switches so can do 50% or 100% of the banks.

Also used some of their UFO LED's for my 16' high bay. Highly recommend them, quick shipping too out of Austin.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Switching to anything else will be $$$ !

As long as the current lighting is "adequate" and you can get replacement bulbs and have the necessary equipment to change them, stick with what you have.

 

[Bert_]

Looks like the existing fixtures are very far from the walls. Are there certain areas that are dark or just the whole building?

 

[xjfish]

I just finished my lighting upgrade in a very similar sized space. 3-car very-oversized garage w/12ft ceilings. I pulled 9 8ft T12 fixtures down and replaced them all 1:1 with "The Bolt" 8ft 6 bulb LED fixtures from Prime Lights: https://www.primelights.com/collect...8-6-lamp-led-shop-light-16-840-lumens-frosted

Turned out insanely bright and have them split between 2 switches so can do 50% or 100% of the banks.

Also used some of their UFO LED's for my 16' high bay. Highly recommend them, quick shipping too out of Austin.

Those look awesome. Expensive. Roughly $1,000 more than the ballast-bypass tubes I had in mind to do all.

Switching to anything else will be $$$ !

As long as the current lighting is "adequate" and you can get replacement bulbs and have the necessary equipment to change them, stick with what you have.

"Lighting is a bit inadequate IMO. I would like it to be brighter"

Looks like the existing fixtures are very far from the walls. Are there certain areas that are dark or just the whole building?

They are. The whole building is darker than I would like at night. (It does have windows that let in a fair amount of natural light = OK during the day) Twice the lumens seems about ideal. Lights are orientated towards rear of shop and not underneath overhead doors. The front of shop and overhead door area needs some additional fixtures.

 

[theoldwizard1]

"Lighting is a bit inadequate IMO. I would like it to be brighter"

The most "cost effective" solution is remove what is there and replace it with 4' LED shop lights.

 

[BillK]

The most "cost effective" solution is remove what is there and replace it with 4' LED shop lights.

Not sure why you would say that ??? Way too much work. I redid all of the 8 ft T12 fixtures in my shop with ballast bypass 8Ft LED tubes. The first one took me about 30 minutes figuring out the wiring but after that I probably spent 10 minutes on each fixture. I did have a man lift which made it a lot easier.

I cant imagine wanting to take all of those fixtures down. Makes absolutely no sense. I paid about $23 for each 8ft tube. I bought them local at an electric supply house almost next door to my business. You can get them cheaper if you want to buy them online.

 

[The Cobbler]

The most "cost effective" solution is remove what is there and replace it with 4' LED shop lights.

until the fixtures **** out and need to be replaced. I am not ashamed to admit that I am in favour of retrofitting existing fixtures to LED . for the price of the bulb, and a bit of labour, you have a lifetime fixture with easily replaced bulbs

 

[u2slow]

...

 

[Bert_]

The most "cost effective" solution is remove what is there and replace it with 4' LED shop lights.

Why bother with lights at all? Just get a couple headlamps to wear all the time.

I mean since we are both suggesting the worst possible choices...

 

[BillK]

until the fixtures **** out and need to be replaced. I am not ashamed to admit that I am in favour of retrofitting existing fixtures to LED . for the price of the bulb, and a bit of labour, you have a lifetime fixture with easily replaced bulbs

Exactly why I chose that route

 

[Bert_]

Adding some fixtures near the walls will help tremendously. If there is no lights above or around the garage door, add them there also.

I installed salvaged 8' fixtures with led tubes in my garage. The fixtures can be found for free.

 

[xjfish]

Not sure why you would say that ??? Way too much work. I redid all of the 8 ft T12 fixtures in my shop with ballast bypass 8Ft LED tubes. The first one took me about 30 minutes figuring out the wiring but after that I probably spent 10 minutes on each fixture. I did have a man lift which made it a lot easier.

I cant imagine wanting to take all of those fixtures down. Makes absolutely no sense. I paid about $23 for each 8ft tube. I bought them local at an electric supply house almost next door to my business. You can get them cheaper if you want to buy them online.

What kind of LED tubes did you end up going with? Do you recall how many lumens? Happy with the light they put off vs florescent?

I do plan on adding additional fixtures someday, especially at the front of bays under doors. This is often where i find myself working on something. I really would prefer to keep the existing fixtures. They are solidly mounted and cleanly installed.

In my old shop/garage I had a mix of florescent and LED fixtures screwed up all over the place. Worked very well for 8' ceiling...

 

[Bert_]

Rab makes a fairly nice bulb

 

[mikedodge]

I'm in the same situation (sort of). When the ballast failed on one I replaced it with 2 4 foot shop lights because I already had them. I have another bad ballast now if led conversions are that cheap I might try that.

 

[drmarkr]

I don't know what your definition of expensive is, but this will light that space you have like sunlight. Actuallly, 6-8 of them will, and you'll have two spares for other spaces. Not lying....you won't believe it until you see it. $300, and a 10% discount right now for prime.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQT6HQP7?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[BillK]

What kind of LED tubes did you end up going with? Do you recall how many lumens? Happy with the light they put off vs florescent?

These are the ones I got except I got the 5000K version.

Keystone Technologies KT-LED43T8-96G-840-D-CP :: 8' 43W T8 LED Lamp, 40K :: Gexpro

LED Lamp, T8, Linear, 96 Inch, 43 Watt, Single Pin, 5500 Lumens, Ballast Bypass, 4000K, Fa8 Single Pin, Cat #: KT-LED43T8-96G-840-D-CP, Mfr: Keystone Technologies

www.gexpro.com

They are a 100% improvement over the T-12 florescent but I could actually use at least another row of them. My shop is 30 x 60 with 15ft height to the "ceiling" I have 6 double tube fixtures total. The picture attached makes it look brighter than it actually seems in person. I also have a 6 tube 4 ft T-8 fluorescent unit that you can see in the far left back. I bought it as a trial before LEDS really became popular. It helps tremendously in that back corner.

The old round high bays dont work and I have been too lazy to get them down

 

[sparky 1971]

The most "cost effective" solution is remove what is there and replace it with 4' LED shop lights.

Can you show how it's more cost effective? The end result has to be that the lighting is equal to or better than what is there now for less money. It's not going to happen.

 

[Norcal]

I am in the retrofit the existing fixtures camp, when the inevitable time comes & LED fixtures **** out & there are no parts or matching fixtures, simply removing failed ballast bypass LED's & replacing them is a less wasteful solution.

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

I have done retrofits in the house garage with decent luck but only cause the ceiling is not high enough to run UFO Highbay. You have enough space to do either 100w or 150w if you really wanted.

Tubes are definitely cheaper but UFO LED high bays are not all that expensive at the same time. I think you would only need 8 of them for that size to have equal spacing roughly 9-10ft apart. https://hi-hyperlite.com/products/led-high-bay-light-hero-black-4000k-5000k?variant=49576988901677 With only 8 that would be $559.90 + tax. The conduit and electrical boxes for them we likely be the more costly part these days.

 

[Bert_]

I won't install the UFOs in a shop. Too much glare unless you have 20ft+ ceilings. They are nice if you need a fixture that can handle a wet environment.

 

[sparky 1971]

I won't install the UFOs in a shop. Too much glare unless you have 20ft+ ceilings. They are nice if you need a fixture that can handle a wet environment.

Same here, but I have installed them in shops with 16' celings. When the customer has read enough online about how great UFO fixtures are and insist, I tell 'em fine, but they have to supply them. That way, I can say I told you so and I don't have to worry about warranty. I did the same thing when T5 florescents were the rage and I was willing to supply T8 fixtures. Yeah, I'm a jerk, but have come to accept that about me.

 

[slodat]

I’m in this same predicament currently. New to me building has 28 8’ T12 single pin fluorescent fixtures. Only a couple of the bulbs light up. I picked up a few ballast bypass bulbs from Home Depot to give the concept a try.

 

[BillK]

I’m in this same predicament currently. New to me building has 28 8’ T12 single pin fluorescent fixtures. Only a couple of the bulbs light up. I picked up a few ballast bypass bulbs from Home Depot to give the concept a try.

Only way to go. Once you do the first one and get the procedure down pat it will only take a few minutes to do each additional. Amazing difference.

 

[slodat]

Got the 8’ T12 LED ballast bypass bulbs from HD installed in two (of 28) fixtures. Really happy with how they turned out.




(Roof was fixed years ago.)