Installing Lights in a Hangar Style Galvanized Garage

[Willy Boy]

Hey fella's. This is my frist post here. I'm sure most of you are aware of the type of garage I'm talking about. My wife and I just bought a nice place. Anyway, I want to wire up the garage but is there a way to attach lights to the steel hull without drilling? I want tube fixtures BTW. Thanks so much!

 

[FluxCore]

Hey fella's. This is my frist post here. I'm sure most of you are aware of the type of garage I'm talking about. My wife and I just bought a nice place. Anyway, I want to wire up the garage but is there a way to attach lights to the steel hull without drilling? I want tube fixtures BTW. Thanks so much!

Most certainly. In fact, that style building offer hundreds, if not thousands of attachment points.

Especially if it's the corrugated sectional, bolted together style like this:

http://www.americansteelspan.us/SModels.html

All those sections are bolted together using hundreds of thru bolts...once constructed, simply design your lighting layout, then install perforated steel straps that you can attach to some of the bolts to hang your conduits and fixtures...same for wall outlets.....Hopefully the bolts are long enuff you only need to attach strap over exposed threads and add an extra nut to hold it...worst case is you replace the bolts with longer ones... Oh and MAKE SURE to ground whole building well to earth.

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=0701900

You can obtain the strapping in differing thickness and with various hole sizing and spacing, or simply make your own.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

You referring to one of the "corrugated" buildings? The ones sold by the high pressure sales tactics like, "giant order canceled" or "price goes back up tomorrow" and and **** like that?

like the one in THIS THREAD by Autoclassicnut?

Charles

 

[Willy Boy]

Yes it is one of those building. I don't consider it **** though!? You have no idea how happy I am to have any kind of garage. I've got big plans for it.

That strapping will do just the trick. I wonder if Lowes has it?

Thanks so much.

 

[Willy Boy]

P.S. That building survived an F3 tornado in 2008!

 

[FluxCore]

There is nothing wrong with that style building. Several of my coworkers have built them recently and they love them.

However, it all depends on WHO you buy it from, and WHO makes it...So get on the forums and do your homework.

Oh, also consider shipping costs and your ability to deal/handle/unload it when it shows up. You can have it delivered to your street addy, or local shipping/transfer house.....if delivered to your home, you will need to have a forklift or other means of unloading it unless you opt to pay extra and wait longer for transfer to local truck with lift gate or piggyback forklift....They show up on pallets and are VERY heavy....The trucker won't want to wait around and allow you to bust the banding to unload it piece by piece.....When you buy, make sure to work out shipping costs/methods/delivery options with the seller.

 

[FluxCore]

You referring to one of the "corrugated" buildings? The ones sold by the high pressure sales tactics like, "giant order canceled" or "price goes back up tomorrow" and and **** like that?

like the one in THIS THREAD by Autoclassicnut?

Charles

LOL, you are SO right!

I really like the TV ad for one manufacture that has the Blonde gal in it...GAWD, that gal has killer hips..... I'm into hips like hers

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Yes it is one of those building. I don't consider it **** though!? You have no idea how happy I am to have any kind of garage. I've got big plans for it.

That strapping will do just the trick. I wonder if Lowes has it?

Thanks so much.

The **** I was referring to was the sales tactics, not the building.

I'm not fond of the buildings, have a full round (quonset style) one next door (dis-affectionaly called a "half a culvert" by another neighbor of mine), lots of wasted floor space and no insulation. The straight walled variety is much better, but still presents the insulation problem. Bats that push over pointed plastic studs that screw onto the threaded ends of the bolts and then have plastic discs to push on to retain them....... or spray on insulation, making it impossible to access any of the bolts without making a mess.

They certainly have possibilities however. Remember, the slab will cost about the same, no matter what you build, stick, block, traditional steel, pole, steel/wood mix, or these things.

Charles

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Another possibility is "connector nuts" with the right thread that you can screw on the ends of the bolts, then screw threaded rod into. You would have to bend the threaded rod to get it vertical, but that would work too.

Charles

 

[FluxCore]

Another possibility is "connector nuts" with the right thread that you can screw on the ends of the bolts, then screw threaded rod into. You would have to bend the threaded rod to get it vertical, but that would work too.

Charles

'Barrel nuts'

Better known as 'hex coupling nut'

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Another possibility is "connector nuts" with the right thread that you can screw on the ends of the bolts, then screw threaded rod into. You would have to bend the threaded rod to get it vertical, but that would work too.

Charles

'Barrel nuts'

Better known as 'hex coupling nut'

Possibly thats what You call them, but to someone searching Grainger or Fastenal or other sites that might carry them, you have to call them what the manufacturer and retailer call them if you plan on finding them with the search, and that term is "coupling nut".

Charles

 

[FluxCore]

Possibly thats what You call them, but to someone searching Grainger or Fastenal or other sites that might carry them, you have to call them what the manufacturer and retailer call them if you plan on finding them with the search, and that term is "coupling nut".

Charles

Yup, I pick those suckers up and save them whenever I find them...They are used extensively to hang pipe hangers and such...we constantly have contractors modifing piping or cable runs..they will open a box, use a few and leave them for the trash...They also leave tons of all tread up to an inch in diameter

Contractors are fixing to install two new chillers, pumps and towers in one of my plants`...they know my rules-if they leave it out at the end of the day, it's mine. ...I'm flush with pipe, but I can sure use more angle iron and channel...can always use electrical and hardware

 

[lakepappy]

You can drill through the purlans with self-drilling screws. There are also beam clamps available that clamp to the steel support beams soundly and have a 1/4-20 threaded hole on two sides to mount whatever you wish. You don't mention your ceiling height, but I just lit my metal building (12' sidewalls, 16.5' peak) with T5 high bay lights and I HIGHLY recommend them. They are a little pricey but for the light they put out you don't need many. I think they require a minimum height of 10'. Hope this helps.

 

[FluxCore]

You can drill through the purlans with self-drilling screws. There are also beam clamps available that clamp to the steel support beams soundly and have a 1/4-20 threaded hole on two sides to mount whatever you wish. You don't mention your ceiling height, but I just lit my metal building (12' sidewalls, 16.5' peak) with T5 high bay lights and I HIGHLY recommend them. They are a little pricey but for the light they put out you don't need many. I think they require a minimum height of 10'. Hope this helps.

Yup, but no purlans...it's a corregated sectional building...all bolted together...you know the type...it's constructed of segmented arches that bolt together using rubber washered bolts and rubberized tape-no internal framing....it's designed to support huge snow/ice loads and wind resistance if ends closed in and the roof will never peel off because the roof and walls are the structure.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

You can drill through the purlans with self-drilling screws. There are also beam clamps available that clamp to the steel support beams soundly and have a 1/4-20 threaded hole on two sides to mount whatever you wish. You don't mention your ceiling height, but I just lit my metal building (12' sidewalls, 16.5' peak) with T5 high bay lights and I HIGHLY recommend them. They are a little pricey but for the light they put out you don't need many. I think they require a minimum height of 10'. Hope this helps.

Its one of these................ No internal structure at all.

Charles

 

[Willy Boy]

Sorry I haven't replied again recently. I spend all day talking software into working for a hospital and I've been a tad insane lately. Anyway: To clarify, my garage is like the one in the most previous post. The ends of the building ARE enclosed and it actually looks rather nice. I'll have to post pictures soon. It is also on a solid slab. I would assume these factors are why it survived a direct hit by the tornado a few years ago. The house actually got tore up pretty bad. I'm gettin ready to order some #2 gravel for a new driveway. I'm pretty excited!