Garage lighting issue - canopy light glare

[dtenney]

I recently hired an electrician to cleanup the wiring and lighting in my shop. I decided to install new 45w LED slim canopy lights vs retaining the old 4' tube fixtures(which I had converted to LED).

The electrican ran new conduit and electrical boxes per the attached sketch. E marks each box location
The main issue is these new lights put off a lot of glare - see attached picture
Ceiling height is 10'0"

Options I have considered:
1) Switch to canopy lights with dimmer function - $$$
2) Install film over lense of canopy light - $
3) Switch to new LED 4' tube fixtures - $$

Thoughts on what would be the best approach?

Thanks,
David

 

[Toomanytools?]

Do the new ones have a frosted lens? That would be the best, maybe you can order one. You have looked at film that would be your cheapest solution, maybe do one or two and test it. If the lens is clear with a dimmer you will still have some glare.

 

[Bert_]

Link to fixture specs?

 

[dtenney]

Do the new ones have a frosted lens? That would be the best, maybe you can order one. You have looked at film that would be your cheapest solution, maybe do one or two and test it. If the lens is clear with a dimmer you will still have some glare.

The lens are clear. See attached pictures. One shows the OEM lens and the 2nd picture shows a couple pieces of film I tried inside the lens. The film I tried did not reduce the glare enough, but possibly a darker film would.

 

[dtenney]

Link to fixture specs?

https://www.1000led.com/product/27/45w-led-slim-canopy-light

 

[dtenney]

I am starting to think that canopy lights are not the right solution for a 10ft ceiling height

 

[jeepxj]

https://www.1000led.com/product/27/45w-led-slim-canopy-light

1-10v dimming function on them no?

 

[dtenney]

1-10v dimming function on them no?

No dimming function on these square ones. But I did buy one of the round models, with dimming function:
https://www.1000led.com/product/182/45w-led-round-slim-canopy-light-120-277v-10-year-warranty

I hooked the light up without the dimming wires and the glare was slightly less than the square style. I would need to add 2 additional wires and a dimming switch to test further.

 

[jeepxj]

Ahh I saw in the spec sheet you can have motion sense or dimming:
https://1000led.com/images/45W_CP_SPEC_SHEET.pdf

 

[cybrdyke]

I am starting to think that canopy lights are not the right solution for a 10ft ceiling height

Thats for sure. And they're also not for a garage.
I'd be uncomfortable with film inside the fixtures. Those things get hot! Not to mention that it would violate the UL. And with film, you'd have no idea how much light you'd be blocking. Adding a dimmer isn't a good solution either. You'll still have glare, albeit a smaller amount, but you'll have less light, too.
Seems like new fixtures are in your future.
Good luck,
CD

 

[jeepxj]

you could put egg crate on them as a ghetto fix.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-PACK-1-2...695362?hash=item4215fc4342:g:42wAAOSwVCpcPkSD

 

[dtenney]

Thats for sure. And they're also not for a garage.
I'd be uncomfortable with film inside the fixtures. Those things get hot! Not to mention that it would violate the UL. And with film, you'd have no idea how much light you'd be blocking. Adding a dimmer isn't a good solution either. You'll still have glare, albeit a smaller amount, but you'll have less light, too.
Seems like new fixtures are in your future.
Good luck,
CD

I agree, any recommendations on fixtures?

 

[cybrdyke]

I agree, any recommendations on fixtures?

Ugh. So many choices.
From a quick glance at your dimensions, it seems like you're underlit anyway.
And you just paid to have all that electrical work done. That's a killer.
Do you want to keep the current location of the fixtures or are you open to a do-over?
CD

 

[dtenney]

Ugh. So many choices.
From a quick glance at your dimensions, it seems like you're underlit anyway.
And you just paid to have all that electrical work done. That's a killer.
Do you want to keep the current location of the fixtures or are you open to a do-over?
CD

I would rather do it right

 

[AntonLargiader]

You’ve realized this already, but let me confirm the problem isn’t brightness so you can’t dim your way out of it. It’s intensity... there’s not enough diffusion in the fixture so you have a hot spot in the middle. Honestly, that just looks like a crappy fixture that will have a hot spot no matter where it’s installed. If the light were scattered more within the fixtures they might be tolerable, but you would need a material with some texture to it to achieve that and not just gel sheet.

I just bought some cheap lampshades for my girls’ clubhouse. Not enough diffusion; you could see the bulb clearly just like in your fixtures. I lined them with some very thin parchment paper and it was perfect. Not saying that’s your solution, but it is your problem.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Wow, You've achieved the worst of all worlds. Not enough Lumen output, too wide distribution, poorly design fixture, and a bad layout.

 

[dtenney]

Wow, You've achieved the worst of all worlds. Not enough Lumen output, too wide distribution, poorly design fixture, and a bad layout.

It really does feel that way, I am open to suggestions for improvement, too bad I did not take the time to research first and do it right the first time.

-David