I need some direction on lighting.

[38 tow]

Hello all,

I am just finishing the siding on a 40x40 shop that I have spent the last 2 years planning and building. (I would have put a build thread here but I move too slow for that kind of stuff)

Here is the dilemma, I have a brain injury and although this may seem a little weird Florescent lighting give me debilitating head aches. HID lights like they have at big box stores do the same. Right now I get a round this by wearing really dark sunglasses when I go to these places.

I have been dreading the electrical on this shop because I am at a loss of what to do about the lighting.

I need some ideas and I need some design help. (I have searched but I am not all that great at the computer) can you guys help me out?

I have been thinking of doing just can lights, I would obviously be putting in a ton of those. The Shop has 12' high ceilings.

Any help or advice would be great. I don't want this new found haven to be a place I dread to go because of the lighting. I can't wear my sunglasses all the time

Thanks all,
Kendall

 

[SALIV8]

Check out LED, low voltage (12v) options, although these are very inefficient. There are still some incandescent bulbs available in some areas also but quickly disappearing. Maybe halogen lighting also, but like low voltage, these are very inefficient and give off lots of heat. I'm not sure what other options would be suitable for your comfort.

The fixture style would typically be your preference and what is designed for your lighting style and needs.

I would think high pressure sodium, mercury vapor, etc would give you a headache also as these use ballasts like fluorescents do and burn at high voltages.

 

[pattenp]

Is it a certain spectrum of light that bothers you? Do florescent in 3000K bother you as much as 5000K to 6500K?

 

[38 tow]

Thanks for the quick reply's,
I have not looked into low voltage options I will need to do that.
Also I am not aware if it a spectrum of light problem or just the (for loss of a better work) "flashing" of the florescent type of light.
I do know that I have yet to find a light since my injury that can both provide light and not give me headaches.
Thanks guys keep the ideas coming.

 

[cybrdyke]

Is your experience with fluorescents giving you problems with older fluorescent fixtures? Do the newer fluorescents also cause you problems? The reason that I ask is because electronic ballasts (at least the ones by quality manufacturers) run at 45kHz, which is 45,000 times per second, which is so fast as to be imperceptable (is that a word?) to humans. Older ballasts ran at 60Hz, which alot of people can have problems with.

 

[38 tow]

I am not sure if it is older vs. newer. I know that the new ones in a store that opened here in town still causes headaches.
I am a little hesitant to buy new florescent lights and then have them not work out.

 

[BoostAddiction]

Check out Big *** Lights. They are LED, and pretty fancy.

 

[Rusty Bumper]

My work hosted a energy fair last week. The theme seemed to be lighting. Viking Electric was there advertising a 48" T8 LED bulb that goes in an existing fixture. They said currently, the fixture has to be an "instant on" type. In 2016 they will have a style with a new component that will not need a ballast in the fixture.
The bulb is called SubstiTUBE. https://www.vikingelectric.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplay?storeId=13801&catalogId=10251&langId=-1&pageSize=45&beginIndex=0&searchSource=Q&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&pageView=detailed&isViewAll=false&URL=&searchTerm=Substitube

Another link on the handout I received is http://www.osram-americas.com/LED

Ooh, the shocker, $25 per bulb.

 

[toplessHO]

have you tried looking at t5?not any flicker with those

 

[Radix2]

Seems before you can make a decision, you need to buy and try a few kinds to determine the critical characteristic that is a problem.

Old fluorescent lights had a flicker that could be perceived as might some ballasted discharge bulbs, the bulbs also have a wide range of available spectrums that might be an issue, LEDs could be a problem in this regard, so outside of a massive number of incandescents, you really need to narrow down the issue, the folks can suggest some of the best and possibly lower cost ways to light your space.