fixture mounting

[stage20]

Putting up some T8 4' fixtures in shop and id like some opinions or advice.

no diffuser, 4" short or 6" wide diffuser? so many options out there. im not sure which would best suit me. its in a metal building, so the roof and walls are a nice primer/painted bright grey.

im also up in the air about mounting the lights. 9ft walls to a 12ft peak at gable. should i mount the light directly to the truss at an angle, or hang them down level?

 

[pattenp]

The diffuser is your choice. Mine have no diffuser so I'm no help with that. The mounting will depend on the type of fixture you buy. Some can be direct mounted, others need to be suspended. My choice would be to have them all at the same height. But it all depends on your needs and use of the space.

 

[Zeke]

Consider mounting the fixtures perpendicular to the trusses. If mounted directly I'd make angle blocks to level the fixture when using reflectors. Otherwise you cheat the perimeter of light. I have seen them mounted in line with the truss and at an angle. It works fine, the lighting is the same. Just not my preference in overall looks.

 

[stage20]

i should have said deflector, not diffuser. i think it was read as deflector so we are on the same page. id rather have them mounted on a truss and out of the way than hangind down into space. went to home depot and lowes looking at lights and now more confused as ever which i want to go with. pricing and styling is all over the map.

 

[2ManyProjects]

Putting up some T8 4' fixtures in shop and id like some opinions or advice.

no diffuser, 4" short or 6" wide diffuser? so many options out there. im not sure which would best suit me. its in a metal building, so the roof and walls are a nice primer/painted bright grey.

im also up in the air about mounting the lights. 9ft walls to a 12ft peak at gable. should i mount the light directly to the truss at an angle, or hang them down level?

i should have said deflector, not diffuser. i think it was read as deflector so we are on the same page. id rather have them mounted on a truss and out of the way than hangind down into space. went to home depot and lowes looking at lights and now more confused as ever which i want to go with. pricing and styling is all over the map.

As others have touched on, pretty much everything you're in a quandary about largely depends on the specific characteristics of the space in question, and on exactly what you'll be doing in that space, as well as where within the space the primary work areas will be and and how things in general (toolboxes, workbenches, stationary machines, etc.) will be laid out inside. With so little (virtually no) information to go on, no one can give you any meaningful specific "prescriptions".

 

[stage20]

i was just looking for general info to get me on the right path. i used a formula from another thread and found i need 100 lumen per ft.
this has rounded out to 15.78 4ft bulbs at 2850 lumen each.

now the question begins do i want to do 8 2 bulb lights or 4 4 bulb lights. the 4 4bulb lights seem to be a higher quality fixture, at a higher price of course, but the cheaper fixtures can be spread out more and replaced one by one as the ballasts go out. ive never had any luck with lights period, but i want it bright as possible.

i will have a seperate 4ft light for my workbench. my issue is its always dark under the hood of a car working and i want to get it bright enough not to have to use halogen lights on a stand or a worklight under hood for most small projects.