Help needed

[Sleddog]

Hi All,

New to the site, and looking for advice. I am getting ready to finish wiring and lighting my shop within the next month or so, and am looking for lights to purchase.

The cieling is app. 9'6 inches over two thirds of it, and app, 13' over the other third, where the hoist will go. Typical 3 car garage. I am looking for the cheapest, brightest, most efficient way to light the shop. (Isn't everyone)

Anyway, i would like to find an IC rated fluorescent two or four bulb fixture that will put out enough light at that height to help under the hood and then some. ( I currently have blown in insualtion but would like to flush mount the fixtures if possible without building a box around the top.) I have some standard ceramic base plates mounted to the ceiling for light right now.

I really don't have the money to spend on LED right now, nor the desire.

Also, are there any reccomendations for lighting on the wall down low to help with seeing the underside of the car that will be on the hoist? FYI- this is a private garage, not commercial.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[pattenp]

I think surface mount T8 fluorescent is the way to go.

http://www.cooperindustries.com/con...all_mount_lighting/ceiling_mount/_135332.html





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[frankush]

A recessed fluorescent is probably going to cost two to three times as much as a standard strip. I don't even know if they make an IC version, but a plenum version may do the same thing. A recessed version would still require you to build a frame for the wings (that support the fixture) to rest on. It would probably be cheaper to build the recesses, drywall them and then mount the surface fixtures in that recess. You'd be creating an inverted box or tray for each row of fixtures.

 

[2ManyProjects]

Hi All,

New to the site, and looking for advice. I am getting ready to finish wiring and lighting my shop within the next month or so, and am looking for lights to purchase.

The cieling is app. 9'6 inches over two thirds of it, and app, 13' over the other third, where the hoist will go. Typical 3 car garage. I am looking for the cheapest, brightest, most efficient way to light the shop. (Isn't everyone)

Bare-tube fixtures will be the most efficient, in terms of lumens/watt; but are probably NOT the best choice for a typical low-ceiling garage application such as yours. Something with a simple clear diffuser/lens will do a better job of distributing the light evenly, AND provide some degree of impact protection, while imposing little enough penalty in terms of raw output to be more than worth the trade-off. Any of the following would be reasonable choices:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Lighting-2-Light-Utility-Light-3348-2L32W-WRAP/100654395

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia...hite-Fluorescent-Light-Fixture-3324/202192968

http://www.lowes.com/pd_163697-337-WP232RLU_0__?productId=3181895

http://www.lowes.com/pd_336745-13537-336745_0__?productId=3686312

http://www.lowes.com/pd_384285-337-WP217RNKLLU_0__?productId=50077497

Anyway, i would like to find an IC rated fluorescent two or four bulb fixture that will put out enough light at that height to help under the hood and then some. ( I currently have blown in insualtion but would like to flush mount the fixtures if possible without building a box around the top.)

You near-certainly do NOT want to bother trying to recess the fixtures into the ceiling. It's far more trouble (and expense) than it is worth, to save maybe two inches of clearance in a few isolated spots. Besides, a recessed fixture will necessarily lose at least most of the "gain" from the ceiling's reflective and diffusive properties (which becomes more important the lower the ceiling is), and thus force you to use more fixtures (each spaced closer to the next one) than would otherwise be necessary.

Also, with only a 9.5-ft. ceiling, you WILL want to use twin-tube fixtures, exclusively. Your biggest challenge will NOT be getting "enough" light; it will be distributing that light evenly throughout the areas it is needed.

I have some standard ceramic base plates mounted to the ceiling for light right now.

I won't hold that against you.

Seriously, you're going to want to ditch those. You MAY be able to salvage some of the wiring, but I would not try too hard on that front; better to wire things the RIGHT way from the get go.

I really don't have the money to spend on LED right now, nor the desire.

That's OK. At this point in time, LED does not represent a particularly good value for general-purpose lighting, at least in a typical garage/shop environment. It can be useful in some "special purpose" applications, of which the most common is task lighting for workbenches when they can be mounted in relatively close proximity to the work surface.

Also, are there any reccomendations for lighting on the wall down low to help with seeing the underside of the car that will be on the hoist? FYI- this is a private garage, not commercial.

Anything mounted low enough to do that job will require some fairly robust impact protection, such as:

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/59133/TCP-WL4WA254USPQS.html

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia...Fluorescent-Fixture-XWL-2-32-120-RE/202034431

Depending on the specific details of your lift, you MIGHT be able to mount something like the above on the lift posts themselves, which will put the light in about the best possible position for lighting up the underside of a lifted vehicle. But even so, some form of portable task lighting will probably still be useful. At least one high-quality "drop light" on a retractable cord reel mounted to a nearby spot on the ceiling (or MAYBE fairly high on an adjacent wall) will be "de rigueur".

 

[Sleddog]

I really appreciate the advice and the suggested products posted by you all as well.

It appears that I will be sacrificing the "clean look" of recessed fixtures in order to get full lighting and keep costs down.

Is there any advantage to using a four bulb fixture over a two?

Will the lights provide enough lite in the 13ft high area when the lift is not in use?

Forgive the questions, but I am definately not an electrician.

 

[pattenp]

I like the 2 lamp because it allows for better placement to prevent bright spots. The downside is more fixtures and wiring. The same fixtures in the 13ft area should be okay. The amount of light needed is a very personal choice. I like from 100 to 125 LU per sqft.

 

[2ManyProjects]

I really appreciate the advice and the suggested products posted by you all as well.

It appears that I will be sacrificing the "clean look" of recessed fixtures in order to get full lighting and keep costs down.

A wise (or at least pragmatic) decision.

Is there any advantage to using a four bulb fixture over a two?

Not really; "pattenp" pretty much nailed it: Given your relatively low ceilings, in order to get the light where you need it (AND to control it effectively via a multi-stage switching system; to be discussed later, if you like), individual four-foot twin-tube fixtures are without question the best way to go. They also tend to be the most cost-effective choice, due in part to their popularity. You MAY even want to mix in a few matching two-footers (based on F17T8 tubes), depending on the specific layout you wind up with (but probably only "a few", because these tend to NOT be as cost-effective).

Will the lights provide enough lite in the 13ft high area when the lift is not in use?

Near-certainly yes. You MIGHT want to use a few more of them (per square foot of floor area) in that area, to compensate for the somewhat greater losses you'll get at "working height" due to the greater source-to-subject distance; but I certainly would not expect this to be a major issue.

 

[PRH44]

The Vaporlume that 2 manyprojects recommended is a great shop fixture.

Not only is impact resistant it keeps fine dust and bugs out. Keeping your lamps bright and clean.
I installed them in my wood shop and they have held up well against unruly pieces of lumber and the dust doesn't penetrate at all. My lenses are still looking good after more than 15 years no discoloration, fracturing.
I really like the industrial look