How rediculous is my light idea?

[stick70]

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some advice on a hair brained idea I have. I'm thinking of buying 3 ufo style high bay lights for above my shop doors. The main purpose is for outside working light, these will not be on all the time. These will be hung about 3 foot from the face of the building above each door, 3 doors total.

I know this fixture is supposed to be hung at like 20 ft, will it be unbearable at 12 ft? The one I'm looking at is rated at 15k lumens.

The second part of my hair brained idea is to sink this light inside of the shade of a "barn light", and hang it from a conduit that I'll fix to the side of the shop.

I could see heat being the only issue, but I can think of some work arounds in that department.

Am I crazy? I want LOTS of working light in front of the shop but have them look like they should be there (I live on a farm). 3 15k fixtures in front of a 50' long shop should be way overkill in my mind.

I have found one off the shelf barn light at 4k lumens but I'm worried that the height I'm hanging it at I won't have the level of light I see myself needing.

 

[BPJOOP93]

Link to lights?

 

[stick70]

https://www.warehouse-lighting.com/collections/ufo-led-high-bays

 

[LS6 Tommy]

You'll get skin cancer in a week.

Seriously, 15k lm is a LOT and at less than the recommended height it will basically be a spot light. The beam spread will be pretty skinny.

Tommy

 

[Stuart in MN]

LIke Tommy said, you'll have bright hot spots right under the fixtures, and not much light elsewhere.

 

[stick70]

So this was my backup option: https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/specialty-area-lights-dusk-til-dawn-and-goose-neck-barn-lights/42w-led-gooseneck-barn-light-swivel-head-4000-lumens/4021/13057/?gclid=CjwKCAjwsMzzBRACEiwAx4lLG7xZEBtraF6-mwH6GNdB8-qJ8SRyywfw5LrNlT9K83wMbzLz4hDMgxoC8nUQAvD_BwE

I was apprehensive of that just because I didn't know if 4k lumens would be enough outdoors honestly.

I did just find this low bay ufo light...https://www.warehouse-lighting.com/products/led-low-bay-lighting-fixture-50-watt-ideal-for-12-or-lower-ceilings-120-277v-6750lm?variant=27962717208676

 

[ambenz]

That 4K is plenty bright for outdoor use....it will be good enough for 60 year old eyes.
I have a 4 foot shop lite LED under a 20X10 canopy and it is rated at 45K...it's flippin bright enough not to need a shop light working in a engine bay. It is like daylight but remember as with any LED fixture, the more you use it, over time, the less it puts out. But you will get plenty of hours of sunlight.

 

[cybrdyke]

The second part of my hair brained idea is to sink this light inside of the shade of a "barn light", and hang it from a conduit that I'll fix to the side of the shop.

I could see heat being the only issue, but I can think of some work arounds in that department.

Am I crazy? I want LOTS of working light in front of the shop but have them look like they should be there (I live on a farm). 3 15k fixtures in front of a 50' long shop should be way overkill in my mind.

A couple of things on mounting these the way you describe...
Ask them how much they weigh. I dont see it on the spec sheet, but most UFO's that I've worked with are pretty heavy. No way would I trust them to be mounted on a horizontal gooseneck of 3/4" or 1" conduit.
There's not a way to connect the UFO to the inside of a barn light. The hole that the hook is threaded into is a really small metric size hole. If you want to connect it to conduit, you need the optional j-box, which adds a lot of depth to the UFO and it wont fit inside the barn light shade.
CD

 

[Platonic Solid]

I would expect your "hair brained idea" fixture to overheat due to reduced airflow. This will either trigger the drivers internal protective thermal shut-off (if it has one) or simply fry the driver and LEDs. Best case scenario is you'll just dramatically reduce fixture life. Worst case scenario you burn your house down. At the risk of stating the obvious = It would not be code compliant as the fixtures are not being used as intended.

 

[tonyciambrone]

Here is what I used on my shop outside-
https://www.warehouse-lighting.com/...galvanized-black-red-green-and-white-finishes

The light is very much cast onto the shop itself, and it provides some a very usable amount of light 6-8 feet away from the doors. 14.5" gooseneck on mine. I am using 100W equivalent LED a19 base bulbs.

https://www.warehouse-lighting.com/...8-series-available-in-multiple-color-finishes

I imagine a shade that is not angled, used with a bright LED Cob style bulb would provide light over a much greater area and give you the look you want, more or less.

The next step up I would say is forward-throw wall pack that I used on my office
https://www.jarvislighting.com/wp-c...2/Jarvis-AL-Series-Product-Overview-Sheet.pdf

And finally parking lot lights
https://www.jarvislighting.com/product/sar-series/


I think it's more expensive and more trouble than it's worth to try to retrofit a solution

 

[Mike Folks]

seen on FB ads for two companies;
hi-hyperlites and a company called Adiding for lighting.