Lights over my door/ Need options

[sharpshooter]

My garage has 8ft ceilings, My door is 7ft tall. When the door raises it gets really close to the ceiling so I have no lighting in this area... Really makes the garage feel dingy and in need of more lighting. Who else has ran across this issue and what did you do to resolve it... Can lights would work, However my ceiling is finished with foam board and I guess heat would play a part in that scenario. It would also throw out a different kind of light. Im currently running 14 or 15 4ft lights with cool white colored bulbs.

 

[pattenp]

So how close is "really" in inches?

 

[sharpshooter]

Well, I would say 3 maybe 4 inches... I havent put a tape to it in a while, I just knew it was cutting it real close based off the depth of my other lights..

 

[rburke65]

I mounted an 8' fluorescent fixture right on the upper section of the garage door. I ran a length of 16-3 SO cord....thats a well insulated, round, black commercial extension cord.....from the fixture, up through the ceing to my electrical junction box from where the other garage lights were fed. My door was 16' wide so I just stapled the SO cord right to the door after it leaves the fixture. Since your door travels up 7' pick a point half way on the doors travel, about three and a half foot out from the front wall of your garag, to poke a hole in the ceiling for the SO cord. This hole will have to be near the outer edge of the garage door track and the cord may/will rub on the track. You could cushion this with a piece of garden hose, duct tape, or any thing your imagination can come up with. The SO cord wont rub much. Mine has been installed for 20 years and I have had no problems. I have posted on here about this a couple years back with a picture or two, but don't ask me where the pics are now....have NO idea. Hope this helps. Before you poke a hole in your ceiling, you can attach a piece of rope to the edge of the door and run the door up n down and determine the best place for the hole. Good luck, you can do this.

 

[sharpshooter]

RBURK, I like that idea, However When the door is down I am missing that "overhead" lighting.... Ultimately this may be the only route to go...

 

[Falcon67]

LOL - I just noticed this "issue". My door and ceiling are the same and from measuring, it looks like my $40 8' T8 fixtures with bulbs may just clear the door by fractions of an inch if screwed right to 7/16" OSB. Note that most doors have a "kick up" from the way the rollers are positioned at the top of the door. Make sure your tracks are level - and you may have to cheat that a hair for clearance. IF YOU DECIDE THAT - put a 3/8" bolt in the tail end of each track for safety. Actually, you should have bolts in there already to stop a run away door. Mine are exactly level and the top of the door looks to just clear. Lights not installed yet. (nor ceiling). Get a chunk of styrofoam and cut it to the same thickness as your lights, tape it to the ceiling in places and raise the door. Quick way to find where it clears, or doesn't.

Here's another idea:

http://www.warehouse-lighting.com/i...ot-side-mount-strip-fixture-no-reflector.aspx

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Subscribing.

I'm in the same boat as OP. My ceiling is 8'3". With the garage door up, there is only 8-9" of clearance from that front/top edge of the door where it angles up and the ceiling.

sharpshooter, I figure I'd add lights above the door but place them on the side closer to the door opening than the center of the garage. I normally only use the garage lighting when I work into the evening/night and I usually close the door (live on culdesac and everyone up the hill on the next block can see me). I don't know, still thinking but it's about time to get them done.

 

[pattenp]

Here's how close my door is to lights.

View media item 15975

 

[DustynF]

I have ran into the same problem but decided not to mount anything above the garage doors because in the summer i leave them up which would be a waste for me. After mounting and powering them on I don't have any problems seeing in the back where I didn't place them. Also I work in the engine bay most of the time and not in the trunk.

See attached for placement. I used lithonia's tool for placement. After painting the walls I could have around 50 FC which is enough light for me. I also have 6 inch cans mounted for stress free lighting.

 

[sharpshooter]

Patten, Your door looks to be sitting level with the ceiling. My door has more of a slight taper once its raised.. The tracks are level but the door has an angle to it... I have about 8 in or so of space between the tracks and the ceiling... The door is another story.

 

[ishiboo]

My garage has 8ft ceilings, My door is 7ft tall. When the door raises it gets really close to the ceiling so I have no lighting in this area... Really makes the garage feel dingy and in need of more lighting. Who else has ran across this issue and what did you do to resolve it... Can lights would work, However my ceiling is finished with foam board and I guess heat would play a part in that scenario. It would also throw out a different kind of light. Im currently running 14 or 15 4ft lights with cool white colored bulbs.

Retrofit IC can lights and CFL flood bulbs will do you right. Keep in mind cold weather performance when selecting a bulb if need be.

 

[Falcon67]

>Here's how close my door is to lights.
Looks like plenty to me. Mine will be closer than that.

I will be putting the over door lights on a separate switch. Did that in the old shop because yea, they are kinda useless with the door up. And with a 16' wide door, placing them on the sides doesn't get it done.

 

[BevoZ06]

>Here's how close my door is to lights.
Looks like plenty to me. Mine will be closer than that.

I will be putting the over door lights on a separate switch. Did that in the old shop because yea, they are kinda useless with the door up. And with a 16' wide door, placing them on the sides doesn't get it done.

I did the same as Falcon67. By putting the over door lights on a separate switch I only turn them on when the door is closed. There's no need to run them when the light from them is obscured by the raised door.

 

[kyle242gt]

barely visible here:

it's the absolute leftmost fixture in the picture, in front of the Buick's ample snout.

I put some brackets to the door tracks and ran a steel cable between them, then hung the light from the cable.

Voila, light at the door whether it's open or closed.

I have 12' celings, the track is probably 8" down from the rafters. The cable is 3" below the tracks, and probably sags 3" in the middle, on 8" chains.

You could surely get it closer. Just happened to line up nicely with the other lights hung from the 10' ceiling (the goofy angled ones).

 

[Falcon67]

>Here's how close my door is to lights.
Looks like plenty to me. Mine will be closer than that.

Ha, I win. I will have 11/16" clearance. The lights I'm using are 3 1/8" thick.

 

[rburke65]

Well.......I never thought about suspending a fixture from a cable. That is the great aspect of having a forum such as this Garage Journal where it proves that a lot of heads are better than one! kyle242gt, don't know if it's your idea or if you stole it......no matter....good idea. Thanks for the option.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Suspended light under the door are a good idea, but seems like they'd work better in a taller garage/garage door.

For example my door track is at 7'. Would a suspended light be too low and in danger of getting in the way or getting knocked around? Any guys with suspended lights have them that low?

 

[takeiteasy]

Have you all considered Jack Olsen's idea? It is pretty awesome I would say! See it here.
It probably wouldn't work if you have a truck as it would probably hit them, or if you don't have a wall next to it. But this idea along with the cable idea mentioned earlier, may turn into something great!

 

[jdaallen]

Here is what I did. Works well.

 

[Greatbear]

I have two rows of lights over each of my two doors. I lined up the fixtures such that when the door is open, the windows in the doors are directly below one of the rows of lights. The light shines through the glass and helps with the otherwise "dark spot" I would have with the doors blocking the lights.

 

[matt_m3]

Greatbear,

Can you share the brand and model of your lights, they look fantastic!

Matt