Light Fixture Layout Collections

[wantacoe]

Thank you Platonic. One more question if you don't mind. I will not be using a dimmer so would I just use the black, white and ground wires?

 

[Platonic Solid]

wantacoe - Correct

 

[Iron-Butt]

I built a 40 by 60 shop with 16 foot walls. i have a 18ft x 14ft door. the roof is a 1/12 pitch. it will be a shop to work on my hot rod cars. I m looking for a layout for the lights.

Will four rows wide and 4 rows deep work.

 

[rjacobs]

New 3 car garage.

32x21.5 with 10' ceilings.

Was originally looking to flush mount Eaton FP 1x4 panels, but the ceiling framing is going to make that wonky so thats out and I am back to surface mounting.

Looking at Eaton FP 24FP6450C in surface mount kits instead. These are 2x4, 60w, 5000k LED panels.

Eaton's lighting designer with 3 rows of 3 fixtures(9 total) gives me 72FC and .8w/sq. ft.

I am reading that I want more FC than that for a garage, something more like 100. With 3 rows of 4 or 12 total fixtures gives me 95FC or 1.1w/sq. ft.

I ran this whole calculator with the 40w/5000k lights they also have. 3x3(9 fixtures) was 52FC or .54w/sq. ft. and 3x4(12 fixtures) was 69FC or .72w/sq. ft.

I think no matter what I do I want the 60w fixtures. I believe the price is the same. They are also 0-10v dimmable.


I dont THINK I want to run the 4' t8 style with LED retrofit bulbs, but I guess I could be convinced. It seems like I would need at least 5 or 6 per bay to satisfy my lighting needs, but I probably dont really know what I am talking about(I dont have access to an analyzer program for that style of light).

 

[DEllis]

Single bay workshop.

24 wide by 26 deep. Ceiling height is 9'3". Single 10 x 8 door on one end. Two man doors and a single window.

Rafter ceiling all the way up a single ridge beam. No attic space. Ceiling pitch is 10 12 so very steep.

8' door follows the pitched ceiling up. Here's a sketchup render. The roof pick on this is wrong though. (only 6 12)

The space will be used as a car workshop. I'm not sure where to put lights given the huge difference in ceiling height from the door (9', 3") to the ridge beam.

Thoughts?

Screen Shot 2020-02-02 at 5.02.14 PM by duncanrellis, on Flickr

 

[Platonic Solid]

rjacobs - Not sure if you're opting for the flat panel for esthetics. If you're good with retrofit bulbs, consider Qty.12 (3x4) pattern of 3-lamp 4ft strip light (link). Yields 93fc @ 30" work plane in 32x21.5x10. Target for mechanical workshop is 93fc.

 

[Platonic Solid]

DEllis - Pitch = rise/run, so I think your numbers are backwards. Sorry no quick simple answer. This requires experimentation to get it right.

 

[rjacobs]

rjacobs - Not sure if you're opting for the flat panel for esthetics. If you're good with retrofit bulbs, consider Qty.12 (3x4) pattern of 3-lamp 4ft strip light (link). Yields 93fc @ 30" work plane in 32x21.5x10. Target for mechanical workshop is 93fc.

Esthetics, yes. My original plan was to flush mount, but the joist spacing ***** so they wouldnt be evenly spaced. I also like how they spread the light out pretty evenly on the panel. That may or may not mean anything in actual light throw.

The 2x4 FP panels are only 76 dollars a piece and the surface mount kit is like 25 or 30 bucks... so price wise they are competitive.

So it seems I am on track with 12 of whatever I choose in order to get enough FC.

 

[DEllis]

DEllis - Pitch = rise/run, so I think your numbers are backwards. Sorry no quick simple answer. This requires experimentation to get it right.

Thanks. I updated my post. Any suggestions on good LED fixtures to use for my experimentation? Flush mount would probably be easiest in case I get it wrong the first time.

Duncan

 

[Platonic Solid]

rjacobs - Yes, 12 - 8000 lumen fixtures (FP or strips) will get you where you need to be.

32x21.5x10 4x3 pattern 9' x 7' center to center fixture spacing. This should get you enough light between cars and walls with minimal shadows.

 

[Platonic Solid]

DEllis - My pitch statement was incomplete: Pitch = rise/run with run expressed as 12"

 

[DEllis]

DEllis - My pitch statement was incomplete: Pitch = rise/run with run expressed as 12"

Thanks. The (8 10) now edited to (10 12) was a typo caused by late night posting.

 

[rjacobs]

rjacobs - Yes, 12 - 8000 lumen fixtures (FP or strips) will get you where you need to be.

32x21.5x10 4x3 pattern 9' x 7' center to center fixture spacing. This should get you enough light between cars and walls with minimal shadows.

Thanks.

Im actually leaning towards those fixtures you posted. I think they would end up being almost 50% cheaper than the LED flat panels.

 

[Platonic Solid]

rjacobs - If you go the strip light route, remember the 7% GARAGEJOURNAL discount at checkout.

 

[rjacobs]

rjacobs - If you go the strip light route, remember the 7% GARAGEJOURNAL discount at checkout.

Thanks again. Im leaning that way as it would be way cheaper... and I could put a few along the walls over work benches without them looking way out of place.

 

[Dawyer]

Been reading through several of these threads and wanting to see if anyone can point me in the right direction or verify what I am thinking. We are building a shop with an apartment inside. The overall building size is 84x48x16. Inside of that there will be an apartment approx 35x41x8 or 35x41x9.5 to the top of the trusses. Leaving the large shop side at 49x48x16. I am leaning towards the Greentek LHB 2ft - 110W fixtures. If i figured right, looks like I would need 16 of them. Spaced 4x4. 6ft from the walls and 12ft apart. Does this look right? If so for the space above the apartment, would you recommend using T5's. For this area, we are only using it for storage where as the larger area will be used as a workshop.

 

[stuman]

Hey Platonic - I'd appreciate a sanity check before I hang my lights. I've got a 24x35' space with 8' ceilings that I am needing to setup. Drywall ceiling/wall painted white, bare concrete floor. Bought the Maxlite/LEDMyPlace 4000K setup per your "Best Lighting Fixture Ever" recommendation.

The front half of the shop will typically have two cars in it for automotive maintenance/fab and the back half will be a general fab space. I used the Visual Interior Tool to come up with a 3x6 layout resulting in 104fc @ 30" workplane. I am thinking about moving the outer two rows closer to the walls so that I am framing the cars. My workbenches along the wall in the back half of the shop are 24" deep. I was thinking of mounting the lights 2' off the wall rather than the 4' recommended by the tool. Don't want shadows around the cars or at my workbenches. What is your recommendation?

 

[Platonic Solid]

stuman - By the fixture orientation I assume there are 2 garage doors on the 24' end. Yes I would move the fixtures 2ft from walls. I would also change the 5.8 spacing to 5.5. Then add 4 more fixtures - Two 2ft from back wall and Two 2ft from front wall (parallel to walls and centered between the 3x6 pattern). Essentially framing the entire perimeter with fixtures 2ft from walls.

 

[stuman]

Platonic - Thanks so much for the feedback. You are correct, there are two 9' wide doors on one 24' wall. Just to confirm, if you added the 4 end fixtures and reduced the spacing to 5.5', the offset of the first fixture in each row would increase from 3' to 3.75'?

Unfortunately I probably can't add 2 fixtures on the end with the doors. Because of my low 8' ceiling, my garage doors almost touch the ceiling when the open. Speaking of, my door tracks are ~19" inboard of the outside 35' walls on either side. Should I build a cantilever mount and hang the lights below the doors to maintain the 2' offset of the rest of the row, or can I mount the first two fixtures in each row even closer to the wall than 2', somewhere around 12-16"?

I know this is not ideal, I assure you if I ever get to build a shop from scratch it will have 12'+ ceilings!

 

[Platonic Solid]

stuman - Yes 3.75' and just offset the offending garage door local fixtures closer to the walls as necessary. It's not perfect, but that's life.

 

[stuman]

Will do! Appreciate all the expertise you've provided over the years, gave me plenty of reading material to help plan.

 

[mas8849]

Hi All,

Thanks to all for the great information on this thread. After a lot of reading, I have a question regarding lighting layouts for a garage with a pitched interior ceiling. I am building a 30x60' attached garage shown in the attachments. The interior pitch is a 3.5/12. The height of the interior walls is 10'6" at the walls and 14' 9" in the center at the peak.

I haven't seen too many light layouts for a pitched ceiling and (maybe because of my basic ability) haven't been able to make the online tool simulate anything other than a single height/flat ceiling.

Some other information- There are two 16' garage doors biased to one end of the 60' length. The first double door is for day to day parking. The second double door and remaining garage area is for a workshop and hobby area for machining, fabrication, woodwork, etc.

Judging by other similar projects posted here, the following light seems OK for this application. https://www.prolighting.com/commercial-lighting/ledready/t443ssubcxx00p0-18w5k.html

I estimated I need 28 of these in a 4x7 pattern. This is generally unfounded and only based on me trying to extrapolate similar patterns from other projects.

What do you think? Are there any typical rules to follow for lighting a pitched ceiling? What 'should' the arrangement be? Is this the right fixture?

Thanks! I look forward to when I contribute in helping folks after I finish my first major project.

 

[Platonic Solid]

mas8849 - You're not doing anything wrong. The Visual tool is too basic for pitched ceilings. Best you can do with that tool is average out the ceiling height to 12.62' @ which point the 8000 lumen fixture you linked to will work. To take it to the next level, you need to model the space in Dialux Evo.

 

[997Turbo]

mas8849 - You're not doing anything wrong. The Visual tool is too basic for pitched ceilings. Best you can do with that tool is average out the ceiling height to 12.62' @ which point the 8000 lumen fixture you linked to will work. To take it to the next level, you need to model the space in Dialux Evo.

Could I get your advice on my garage below? Happy to Venmo or PayPal you for your service! Value and respect your time and skills.

 

[Platonic Solid]

997Turbo - Image is way too small.

 

[mas8849]

mas8849 - You're not doing anything wrong. The Visual tool is too basic for pitched ceilings. Best you can do with that tool is average out the ceiling height to 12.62' @ which point the 8000 lumen fixture you linked to will work. To take it to the next level, you need to model the space in Dialux Evo.

Platonic, thanks! I started to model it with the basic visual tool. I used EMS L48 8000LM IMACD PGD 80CRI 50K because it had the same specs as the TechBrite mentioned early. The tool suggests 30 lights as shown below.

http://www.visual-3d.com/tools/interior/default.aspx?id=217794

Since this is a pitched ceiling, the lights would need to run parallel to the 60' wall and not the 30' wall as shown. Any issues or improvements you see in this design?

 

[Platonic Solid]

mas8849 - Visual tool settings are stored locally, so posting a link doesn't allow me to see what you see. Fixture you selected is too wide. try this one (ignore the 3000K CCT - that has no impact on layout)

http://www.visual-3d.com/tools/PhotometricViewer/default.aspx?id=217917

You can change fixture rotation by selecting orientation box at bottom.

 

[mas8849]

Got it! Thanks for 'teaching a man to fish' Looking at options and then the power of the Dialux software...in another life I could see myself really interested in this.

 

[997Turbo]

997Turbo - Image is way too small.

Does this work? https://www.dropbox.com/preview/Keswick House/Screen Shot 2020-04-22 at 3.12.51 PM.png?role=work

 

[Platonic Solid]

997Turbo - Nope

 

[997Turbo]

997Turbo - Nope

Reattempted. Drew it, basically, in paint.

 

[Platonic Solid]

997Turbo - You've left me speechless. Try the Visual tool (link)

 

[997Turbo]

997Turbo - You've left me speechless. Try the Visual tool (link)

That link is great! Thank you so much.

 

[bpaulik]

Hello, I am new to this forum and found this post. This is amazing. I am in the process of building my garage now. Its a 30' deep by 36' wide attached to my house. I have looked at several different options for lighting layout but not sure if I have ample coverage.

Any suggestions?

I tried to add an image but it wouldn't allow me to. So the front of the garage has two garage doors (one 18' and on 9'). These are along the 36' long wall. There is also a L shaped staircase in the back right corner going to the upstairs. It will have 11' 5" ceilings.

I don't know if this is enough information or not.

 

[rxtrom]

I have a 32'w x 21'd 3 car garage, 10.5' ceiling. On the very back wall I have a toolbox, work area, and several cabinets across almost the whole wall. Not to mention if I work on a car the engine area is in this general area since the garage is not that deep.

I used the visual tool layout and since it did not concentrate fixtures where I wanted I took it upon myself to add fixtures in that area and before I knew it I had 6 fixtures in a row, no gaps on that back wall. 3ft off the back wall and 3ft off the side walls on each side.
Will this be a problem if I then follow the rest of the plan for the generic 32x21 room?

Fixtures:Maxlite LSS2XT8USE4803
Bulb: Greentek Energy Systems GT-T8-18W1200 BIXX(5000K)

Thanks in advance. This thread and the fixture thread have been a wealth of knowledge!

 

[boley]

Do windows have much affect on lighting for a garage? My soon to be started 24x26x10 detached garage will have transom windows near the top of two walls. These windows will each be 1' x 8' Since these windows are so high up, will they allow a lot of light out, as opposed to a wall that can reflect some of it back in?

After using Visual Photometric Tool it appears I need around 10-12 of the Best Lighting Fixture Ever lights. Current plan is to get 11 of the two bulb 48' TechBrite lights (TechBrite 48" 2 Lamp LED T8 Strip Fixture - 5000K - 5,346 Lumens).

Light plan and rendering attached.

 

[Platonic Solid]

rxtrom - I would use 12 of the 3-Lamp Strip Lights running parallel to and in between the cars, and cars and walls = 4 rows of 3 fixtures, 2.5ft from parallel walls, 9ft spacing between fixture rows.

Impossible for me to comment on your original question without modeling it.

 

[Platonic Solid]

boley - I don't worry about windows. I take it you're not interested in workshop level lighting in the trailer area. You'd need 16 fixtures to hit the 90fc area. 3 rows of 4 as you basically have already, then 2 fixtures parallel to front and rear walls centered between existing rows @ about 2.5' from walls.

 

[boley]

boley - I don't worry about windows. I take it you're not interested in workshop level lighting in the trailer area. You'd need 16 fixtures to hit the 90fc area. 3 rows of 4 as you basically have already, then 2 fixtures parallel to front and rear walls centered between existing rows @ about 2.5' from walls.

Thank you for the info. As you assumed, I don't need full shop level lights over near the trailer. Any work will be on the opposite side. If the current plan is not enough I can always order a few more.

 

[chopper88]

This is an awesome thread, being busy with a new lighting layout myself at the moment this truly one of the pearls of GJ!
I'm going to give Dialux Evo a shot as well.

Thanks for all your work and wisdom Platonic Solid!