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Lighting with vaulted ceilings

cjp4627

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
13
All,

My dad has a 26x48 garage. It has 10ft walls with 7/12 pitch vaulted ceilings. He has never had any acceptable lighting in it and I'd like to help him with that.

The building was build using the "Socket-Set" system who is now out of business. They claimed it was a clear span structure with vaulted ceilings but we had serious issues with the building spreading over time at the tops of the walls. We have since corrected that issue with steel cables and turn buckles but it is not longer a clear span.

The best way I can describe the structure is that there are 6x6 exposed beams running from the top of the walls to the top of the peak that are attached to steel pockets at each end. These beams are the entire structure of the garage.

I'd like to mount 8‘ T8 fixtures along each beam in the garage. The beams are roughly 10ft apart and I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on a few items.

1 - How will the output of the lights be affected once they are mounted along the beams at a significant angle to the floor?

2- Are the fixtures designed to handle the strange orientation of forces that will be exerted on them due to their mounting angle?

3 - Are T8 strip fixtures the best option here? I just put up 14 4' T8 Strip lights in my 24x24 with 8' ceilings and couldn't be happier. I am wondering if that translates to this application.

4 - Will 8 8' fixtures in this layout provide a decent amount of space lighting? Am I way under what I need to be for such a large volume of space?

I look forward to hearing everyone's input!
 
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frankush

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Joined
Oct 23, 2011
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1,156
Location
IL
Welcome to the Forum. First off a drawing would help. I personally like T8's. I think you'll need a few more than you're planning on. Mounting the fixtures at an angle is not a problem. I really think you'd be better served by bringing the lights down. You could use chain or threaded rod as needed or even aircraft cable to match the look of the cables that are keeping the structure plumb. I'd also run perpendicular to the beams, using 3 rows of fixtures and staying about 4 feet away from the walls. The center row could be higher if you like. That's how I would do it. There are lots of options.
 
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Norcal

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Mar 16, 2008
Messages
13,754
This is a photo of a similar ceiling, the roof pitch is 4/12, & the fixtures are T8 Kenal "Millennium Stretch" mounted on unistrut hung off all thread, the rest of them are T12 800 ma high output.

 

frankush

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Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
1,156
Location
IL
I personally like hanging rows off of strut, but it can get pricey. You could also use 3/4 EMT and back to back minnies, as a substitute for the strut. Its not as solid, but it works.
 
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