led strip lights on a high ceiling

[rslaback]

My shop building measures 30 x 40 with a 14' ceiling height. Drywall on the walls and an OSB ceiling. It currently has a woefully inadequate array of 6 standard screw in bulbs. I recently installed a loft area along one wall and installed some strip lights under it to light the area. I used 20W 4' lights and the visbility in that area is great.

I am considering doing something similar on the main ceiling. I want something that has a much larger output which the LEDs would be able to do without overloading the circuits and I want something that stays tight to the ceiling as there is then less chance of me hitting it with my manual forklift.

My concern is that at 14' ceiling heights I would be disappointed in the usable light if the same fixtures are installed at that height. Has anyone ever done it with 20W lights? I know I could move to 40W lights but even with that I am not sure if that really solves the problem as I understand it more to be a spot versus flood issue.

 

[19Vert64]

1 light vs 3 lights on a 16 ft ceiling. 4ft led feit from Costco, have 20 in there now. Plenty of light and will be even more when the ceiling is installed and Osb walls get painted white


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[GRB]

Don't even consider that Feit **** from Costco, even if those are fairly decent for cheap **** TASK lighting. You can buy a few for additional lighting over a workbench as they were meant to be used. As silly as it is to use the Costco Feits in quantity for General Lighting, the higher they are mounted the sillier it is.

14' is getting into the range where you can consider mid bay lighting but with a solid ceiling, continuous rows of surface mounted strip lighting is just so easy to wire and has great even lighting potential.

Use decent GENERAL lighting. See the sticky The Best Light Fixture Ever. Lots of geat info there.

 

[19Vert64]

Don't even consider that Feit **** from Costco, even if those are fairly decent for cheap **** TASK lighting. You can buy a few for additional lighting over a workbench as they were meant to be used.

Use decent GENERAL lighting. See the sticky The Best Light Fixture Ever. Lots of geat info there.

Agree to disagree, have no complaints with my “cheap feit Costco ****” provides plenty of light for any job and didn’t cost a fortune


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[GRB]

Feit is terrible quality and nonexistent on warranty. The Costco Feits have gone through several changes and seem to be much more reliable that most of the other Feit products. Costco does the warranty and forces it in Feit. Most people who have bought significant amounts of LED will have a negative reaction to Feit.

Their entire reason to exist was designed to be task lighting, where you hang one or two where you need extra light. That is why they have a cord/plug and a pull chain. They also use fairly poor drivers that won't take significant heat and the OP was about surface mounting on a high ceiling so likely high temp.

Better alternatives when you go to light a shop. Once you mount fixtures like in the sticky, you can change bulbs as they wear out or better tech becomes available. Also can add brighter bulbs for where more light is needed.

People seem to think LED somehow last forever. I've got several Costco Feits to fill in some area that will eventually have permanent lighting and they are noticeably toward worn out in 4 years of business use of 10 hours a day.

So when you are buying a couple to hang over a workbench or a piece of equipment, they are great. When you start filling the cart at Costco to light a shop it is generally not the best choice.

 

[Platonic Solid]

At 14' to 16' ceiling heights, I'd be looking at 12,000 to 16,000 lumen output fixtures - assuming you actually want to do something in there and these spaces aren't just for storage. Not sure why decent lighting is so difficult for people to spend money on. The better your lighting is, the more functional the space is.

Here's the lowest cost highbay fixture I'm aware of (link).
16,120 Lm @ $60 is about as cheap as it gets. On a Lumens/$ basis, probably about the same cost as those Cosco Feit shop lights.

 

[rslaback]

My problem with high bay fixtures, as mentioned in my original post is that I do not want to give up ceiling height and as I understand it they all need to hang to an extent so that they can cool. What is the point of a 14' ceiling if you only end up with 12 once the lights are in?

 

[GRB]

My problem with high bay fixtures, as mentioned in my original post is that I do not want to give up ceiling height and as I understand it they all need to hang to an extent so that they can cool. What is the point of a 14' ceiling if you only end up with 12 once the lights are in?

Many High bay fixtures say 2' clearance to the ceiling, which is usually not a problem since most industrial buildings don't have a finished drywall or OSB ceiling. Some are selling surface mount kits but if they are making that much heat then how is it going to cool?
That fixture linked by PS says 122*F and that is if you believe the spec provided by a low end vendor. With a 14' ceiling, that seems like it could be a problem in any place that sees a real Summer.

I tend to think of 14' as too low for a high bay like that and if you need clearance then they are way too low. Another couple of feet and it can be a different story. But some people are happy with them. PS did refer to 14-16' when he linked to those high bays. I was tempted to respond and ask about the temp spec.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Maybe I've gotten too used to ppl wanting the cheapest possible option - talk of the Cosco Feit fixtures helped me down that path. You just need a more efficient fixture. higher lumens/watt (thus less waste heat) with surface mounting brackets. I assume 4" from ceiling to fixture lens would be acceptably flush.

Minimum fixture Qty. = 12 @ ~12,000 lumens per

Deco DHL-LP-LED (link to spec sheet) Someone posted this fixture not long ago which has good efficiency, impressive projected LED life of 295,000 hours and has a surface mounting kit available.

Online retailers pricing on the DHL-LP-LED:

LightDisty (link)
LEDSupply (link)

So the 90W is $143 x 12 = $1,716 + whatever surface mounting brackets cost.

Another option:

[URL="https://www.ledlightingwholesaleinc.com/LEDFHB90-5K-MVDIM-V2-p/ledfhb90-5k-mvdim-v2.htm]LEDFHB90-4K-MVDIM-V2[/URL]

$82.50 + $6.25 for lens + $5.00 for surface mounting kit = $93.75 x 12 = $1,125

 

[Jurlilane]

If you want the circuit, not to overload, it is better to use LED drivers to stabilize the current. I bought 5 meters of expensive tape, in the hope that it will last a long time. But in the end, it burned out only after half the time spent on the package. I was wildly upset. I was crying because I liked the effect of such lighting, but I almost wasted the money. When I went to the store to get a new ribbon, the seller was surprised that I returned so quickly. I told him everything, and he advised me to order a driver from https://www.ukled.co.uk/led-drivers.html. I had nothing to lose. But after using the driver, I realized that it was not about the self-tape but the voltage.

 

[mike93lx]

I don't quite understand your question. If you want the circuit not to be overloaded, it is better to use LED drivers to stabilize the current.

Considering this thread is almost 2 years old, not sure if the question still needs answering...