our 2car garage right now only have a two-socket outlet on the ceiling (one outlet used up by the garage opener), another outlet in one wall, plus a switch for a scew-in light bulb. I want to add some shop light to the ceiling after we settle in. at first i thought about just plugging a powerstrip into the one available outlet in the ceiling and plug the shop light in there. then I realize I have no way to turn it on and off convinently. how difficult is it to add a new switch that'll control say 3 or 4 shop lights? I do have the black and decker home improvement and home repair books, but its lost in the garage during the move and i don't know where they are.
garage lighting - difficult to DIY?
- Thread starter maximus96
- Start date
Ign
Well-known member
Is this currently drywalled? If so you might find it easier to run surface mount conduit, this is fairly common in garages. One 15A circuit should run all the lighting you need. Watts/volts = amps
Make sure both sides of that ceiling recep are actually hot. If the electrican was smart he woulda made one constant hot for the opener and one switched, or with the possibility of being switched later.
Make sure both sides of that ceiling recep are actually hot. If the electrican was smart he woulda made one constant hot for the opener and one switched, or with the possibility of being switched later.
yes currently drywalled. one of my problem is i don't know how to run and hide the wiring. i guess i'll have to resort to surface mount if running the wires is too hard. i plan to add no more than 4 shop light with 2 bulbs each probably. will the 15a circuit allow for all the lighting plus a 33 gal air compressor (i forget how many amps) and other power tools?
maximus96 said:
15amp seems small for a good/decent compressor, lights and power tools. I have my compressor run on a seperate 20 amp breaker however running all my lights on a 15amp isn't a problem and I've got 5 2 tube flourescents and want to add a couple more... doesn't seem to tax the service at all.
Ign
Well-known member
maximus96 said:
I'd say no. I'd put lighting on a dedicated circuit, but you're not easily gonna find a breaker less than 15A, which is why I suggested it.
If you can get into the crawlspace running the wiring up there won't be too hard, if you can run it along the rafters (properly stapled) and drop it down the wall above the service box, or down to your switch box and then into the service panel. You can probably use a remodel box which just drops into a hole you cut into the drywall and anchors w toggles. A small fish tape is probably your friend, but if you're really cheap a piece of wire might do to, depending upon the complexity of the pull.
Be sure to run #14 for 15A or #12 for 20A
I've had excellent results w the high output cold start flo ballasts from Home Depot. $55 for the fixture, plus bulbs (run the 110W bulbs, not the 90W units some supply houses sell)
Is this taped and textured? Do you have a service panel in the garage?
And do buy one of the lighted testers you plug in to receps. It'll tell you if you did it right or if you've reversed hot/neutral, open ground etc etc. Not foolproof but VERY cheap insurance and peace of mind
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...dave
Well-known member
Ign said:
Yeah, your best bet is to get into the attic. Shoot, for a couple of flourescent tubes, i'd just piggyback off the existing bulb.
For adding more outlets... long term, your best bet is to get an electrician to add a couple more circuits and do it right, if you're not sure of what you're doing... If you're going to be doing any real work in there, get them to run 2 or 3 20-amp circuits, with double outlet boxes, at least two on each side of the garage.
Ugh, one lightbulb and one wall outlet for a two-car garage
...dave
boiler7904
Well-known member
...dave said:Ugh, one lightbulb and one wall outlet for a two-car garage
...dave
I know what you mean. I have the final walk through on my house next friday. If I remember right, there is only one lightbulb on the ceiling and a wall outlet on each of three walls. Can't remember if the door operator has light bulbs in it or not.
I'm in the process of deciding what to add and where. Good news for me is that main service panel for the house and access to the attic are in the garage. The other positive that I have going is that only the walls that are common with living spaces or the other half of the duplex are finished with drywall (fire taped).