Halogen pot lamps in a garage?

[Ratchety]

Hey Guys, I thought I would ask you all about the use of halogen pot lamps in a northern climate garage. I was told that you should not use them unless the garage is heated; does the cold temps affect the operation of the halogen?
Reason I ask is this; I am just in the process of finishing my garage and I am at the add more electrical stage. I have T5HO fixtures from vaultgarage.com for main lighting, but I have a bunch of extra 3" halogen pot lamps from my basement reno. MY PLAN IS TO PUT A PERIMETER OF POTS AROUND THE BACK OF THE GARAGE OVER WORK SURFACES AND CABINETS TO HIGHLIGHT THEM. (FEATURE LIGHTING)
Any thoughts about this?
Garage build thread to follow in a couple weeks.

 

[Ratchety]

By the way, garage is going to be heated, but only kept at a maintaining temp of +5 C max unless I am actually working there.

 

[Big N8]

Is your space going to be insulated?

If so I see no issue as long as you make sure to follow the manufactures recommendation when it comes to allowing the fixture to be in contact with insulation or not.

 

[Ratchety]

My ceiling will be a foot lower than my ducting and floor joists (bonus room above garage), There used to be batting, but I removed it and had Enviro foam come spray closed cell foam up there. (Like Holmes on Homes) There will be no insulation touching the fixtures. I am concerned of the operation of the lamps with regard to temp.

 

[hillbilly1]

You can't grow pot in -5 degree temps! Sorry, had to say it! No, the cold temps will not affect the halogen lamps, the only problem you might have is that it may draw moisture due to the heat and cold temps.

 

[swen]

If you are in doubt because of the low temperature, it may be better to buy a garage heater?

 

[Ratchety]

Garage heater was installed the other day; Lil Cayenne 45000 BTU furnace.
I came home from work when it was -20C outside and the installer left it on; it was warmer in the garage than the rest of the house.
With that being said, it is heated but will not be heated full time as cost is an issue. I plan to maintain the room at +5C and heat it up when required.
This +5C temp is what I am wondering about with regard to Halogen lamps...
It'll probably be fine.

 

[jvitez]

Do you mean halogen PAR type bulbs with a medium screw base, screwed into a pot-light fixture? (Yanks say can lights, Canucks say pot lights....eh! )

If so, halogens have no issue with cold temperatures. PAR-38 (PAR=parabolic aluminized reflector) bulbs are what I have on the outside of my house. They light beautifully even in -35C. By all means use them inside a garage, heated or not.

Now, the biggest safety issue is the type of can (pot) fixture, not the bulb. If it's from inside your house you shouldn't use it in a garage if there will be insulation on top of it. Pot lights for insulated ceilings should be labeled IC for insulated can. These are sealed, no need for vapour barrier pans, and are designed to have insulation of any type right on top of the fixture. Interior rated pot lights can overheat and catch the insulation on fire, so are only meant for non insulated applications. The pot lights in my soffits are non insulated. I'm installing one pot light over the interior man-door into my house, and it's a IC rated fixture.

Halogens are actually incandescent bulbs. A tungsten filament inside a halogen gas creates a chemical reaction called the halogen cycle. This allows the vapourized tungsten to re-deposit on the filament, thereby not causing darkening of the bulb. They run hotter than regular incandescents, therefore giving a whiter light. They also degrade less with age keeping light output higher, and are more efficient giving more light per watt of electricity used.

Whoever told you they don't like cold probably mixed up halogen bulbs with CFL's.

 

[ddawg16]

Halogens are actually incandescent bulbs. A tungsten filament inside a halogen gas creates a chemical reaction called the halogen cycle. This allows the vapourized tungsten to re-deposit on the filament, thereby not causing darkening of the bulb. They run hotter than regular incandescents, therefore giving a whiter light. They also degrade less with age keeping light output higher, and are more efficient giving more light per watt of electricity used.

Whoever told you they don't like cold probably mixed up halogen bulbs with CFL's.

It's nice to see someone posting accurate information.

FYI....Halogens are on average about 10% more efficient than a standard incandescent....but the downside is the higher heat (danger of starting a fire) and if you handle the bulb with your bare hands, the oil from your hands will cause premature failure.

If there is a cold issue, about the only thing I could think of would be condesation.

 

[Ratchety]

Thank you jvitez.
The cans are renovation style; you cut a 3-4" hole in dry wall and there are clips on the can that cantilever and lock the can to the ceiling board...with the little halogen bulbs that have a model number I cant rember, but use two brass studs for contacts that you key into slots in fixture and twist lock into place. With that being said, my ceiling is insulated with closed cell sprayfoam, which is at least a foot away from the ceiling board. (mostly sprayed between the floor joists to 3-4" thick for R21+ rating)
The fixtures will not have actual insulation like fiberglass batting ever touching them.