Need Some Rental (temporary) Lighting Advice

[purpurite]

In the last couple of weeks, I picked up my family and my whole life and moved from Chicago to Des Moines for a new job. In the process, we are (trying) to rent our place in the Chicago 'burbs and thus renting a house in the north suburbs of Des Moines. It's a beautiful relatively new house with a 3-car garage (yay!) and more than enough of room for my tool boxes and car stuff. I'm thrilled, and we are even talking about potentially buying this place someday down the road.

However, the garage contains THREE single lightbulb fixtures, with one of them now filled with a ceiling fan. The two remaining sockets are filled with craptastic CFLs that take 5 minutes to come to full strength in colder temps, and aren't bright enough to even cast shadows off a person standing in the middle of the garage. They are terrible for working.

I'm of the belief that if you aren't getting a tan from your garage lighting, you don't have enough light. This couldn't be further from ideal for me.

With that, I am looking for suggestions on temporary—but potentially something in a garage that I may own—but usable when needed. Two sockets, finished ceiling and walls, no access to any attic above (rooms above) and I don't want to spend a ton of money on something that I don't own (yet).

Any ideas? Right now, I'm ready to climb up there with 150 watt floods just to get something brighter. No idea what else can be done to fix the lighting woes in this garage, though. Any help is appreciated.



doug

 

[Thumper68]

In my shop all my lighting (well almost all) are 8 foot t-12's with cords installed so they can be plugged in to outlets in the ceiling, you could do the same just use the screw in adaptors to change from a bulb to 2 outlets.

 

[Delta74]

how about construction String lights, that would give you 10 bulbs to spread around the garage, could use CFL's or just plain 60 watt bulbs, I think for a basic set your looking around 50 bucks for the strings each.

 

[purpurite]

8 foot t-12's with cords installed so they can be plugged in to outlets in the ceiling, you could do the same just use the screw in adaptors to change from a bulb to 2 outlets.

how about construction String lights, that would give you 10 bulbs to spread around the garage

Two very good ideas. I didn't know something existed to convert a bulb socket into a 2-plug outlet. Very cool!

Thanks for the tips, I might just try the socket adapters.

 

[rsanter]

They also have cover plates that will change the box used for lighting to hold a 2 recptical outlet
I used these in the last garage and then plugged 2 - 4ft florescent fixtures into each of them.
Some florescent fixtures can be daisy chained in that the have a short cord on one end and a plug in the other to connect another florescent fixture.

This is what I would do because the screw holes you put in the ceiling will be minor and easy to fix down the road.
Keep the original pieces so you can change it back if you leave the house and take the good stuff with you

Bob

 

[purpurite]

That's a great Idea, Bob. I think I will do just that, and it will keep my switch functionality, too. Brilliant. Now, to find those outlet boxes...

 

[RickP]

I use 4 foot T-8s in my basement shop as "temporary" lighting (for 3 years and counting). I would recommend using these, instead of socket adapters.





Edit: Bob beat me to the post - good idea.

 

[SMKS]

As already mentioned,

In my past rental garages I used these screw-in adapters and plugged 4' fluorescent fixtures into the adapter. The only damage to the ceiling will be the small holes for the hooks that the fixtures hang from. I used the heap 4' T8 Walmart fixtures.

I've plugged two 4" fixtures into each of the bulb receptacles using a splitter, but you can also get a screw-in adapter with more than one plug. That still may not be enough light for a 3-car garage, though.

 

[2ManyProjects]

With that, I am looking for suggestions on temporary—but potentially something in a garage that I may own—but usable when needed. Two sockets, finished ceiling and walls, no access to any attic above (rooms above) and I don't want to spend a ton of money on something that I don't own (yet).

In my shop all my lighting (well almost all) are 8 foot t-12's with cords installed so they can be plugged in to outlets in the ceiling, you could do the same just use the screw in adaptors to change from a bulb to 2 outlets.

I've suggested similar in the past when it seemed like the only viable solution; but it is FAR from ideal on several counts. Among the larger problems are that such adapters CANNOT provide access to the EGC ("Equipment Grounding Conductor" -- a.k.a. the bare-copper "Ground" wire). So any "temporary" lights which use 3-prong plugs (which is most of them) will not work; and bypassing those third prongs, via either yet another adapter or by (GAAAK!!!) cutting them off, is a VERY bad idea).

They also have cover plates that will change the box used for lighting to hold a 2 recptical outlet

This is a MUCH better idea; but it's still not without its own set of problems. Read on...

I use 4 foot T-8s in my basement shop as "temporary" lighting (for 3 years and counting). I would recommend using these, instead of socket adapters.

The problem with these is that they will accept only old-style conventional Duplex outlets, as opposed to the more modern "Decora"-style outlets. This is an issue because, per the current NEC, any and ALL 120V outlets installed in a residential garage MUST be GFCI-protected; and GFCI outlets require Decora-style switch plates.

Even if you solve this by finding equivalent "Decora-style" cover plates for your round/octagonal boxes, there is potentially a secondary problem which may crop up depending on the height of the ceiling. I think that to meet code, the "Test" and "Reset" buttons on those GFCIs must be "accessible", presumably without climbing up on a ladder or similar. If this is the case, that means replacing the circuit breaker feeding those light sockets with a GFCI type, which can get rather pricey.

In EITHER case, there is still the underlying problem that GFCIs and fluorescent lights are often a bad combination. Due to the reactive nature of the load and the decidedly non-sinusoidal wave form of the actual current flow, GFCIs with large-ish fluorescent loads are often prone to "nuisance trips".

Which brings us to...

Really, the only RIGHT way to solve this problem is to properly install some real hard-wired light fixtures. Assuming a typical residential garage with low-ish dry-walled ceilings, any of these:

[url]http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Lighting-2-Light-Utility-Light-3348-2L32W-WRAP/100654395

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia...hite-Fluorescent-Light-Fixture-3324/202192968

http://www.lowes.com/pd_163697-337-WP232RLU_0__?productId=3181895

http://www.lowes.com/pd_336745-13537-336745_0__?productId=3686312

http://www.lowes.com/pd_384285-337-WP217RNKLLU_0__?productId=50077497

would be good choices.

Given the lack of access above the ceiling, this is likely to be a PITA, no matter how you cut it, and whether you do it now or wait until after you buy the house. But at the end of the day, it's the only RIGHT answer.

That said, and given the "No-Win Situation" you're in, what I would PROBABLY do in your shoes (at least as a "stop-gap measure") is go ahead and use the coverplates pictured above to install normal duplex outlets in those ceiling boxes, and forget the GFCIs. It won't meet the letter of the code; but it probably won't burn your house down either -- but if anyone asks, I didn't say that.

 

[purpurite]

Yeah, not installing anything that would A) need the owner's permission or B) require something that couldn't be easily and quickly removed if and when we move. No permanent solutions yet, otherwise epoxy floors, insulated garage doors, wall cabinets and countertops are also in order.

 

[bad12jr]

105w cfl bulbs. About 11" tall but put out a good bit of light. I ordered some from Amazon.

Here are 3 in my 24 x 36 x 12 shop. There are two up by the door and one back by the mess. Going to run 8 total but put the three up till I get time to finish them.


Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[2ManyProjects]

105w cfl bulbs. About 11" tall but put out a good bit of light.

An extremely poor choice, IMCO.

Typically, each of those bulbs will put out about 6,000-6,200 lumens (cf.http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/1556/FC105-FEIIIB105.html); and as noted, they'll use 105 watts to do it. So that's 59 lumens/watt. By comparison, a run-of-the-mill F54T5HO tube (cf. http://www.1000bulbs.com/search/?q=F54T5HO) will put out about 5,000 lumens, but use only a (nominal) 54 watts to do it -- better than 92 lumens/watt. Hence, to put the same TOTAL amount of light into the space, the CFLs will require about 57% MORE energy, which means 57% more operating cost, FOREVER.

But wait, there's more...

Per the above reference, the life of that $23 CFL is quoted at 8,000 hours. So that's approximately $0.003/hour (per bulb) in ongoing replacement costs. The F54T5HO tubes listed at the above-cited URL are all rated for 30,000 hours, and cost approximately $3.00 each. That's only $0.0001/hour in replacement costs. Bottom Line: The CFLs cost THIRTY TIMES as much.

Here are 3 in my 24 x 36 x 12 shop. There are two up by the door and one back by the mess. Going to run 8 total but put the three up till I get time to finish them.

So that's only eight POINT SOURCES to light up ~864 ft.^2 -- which translates to an engraved invitation for "spotty" uneven light distribution with "hot spots" near the fixtures and noticeably dim/shadowy areas between them. Granted, your relatively tall ceilings will help ameliorate this to SOME extent; but that's still asking a lot from 12 feet, and even that presumes that the lights are mounted all the way up at the ceiling.

 

[bad12jr]

I only paid 11 a bulb. I have 14 total in each setup. It cost me 3 dollars more to replace each bulb vs 4 t8's. I can replace these bulbs 4 times till I offset the price of a good fixture. I'm not saying the they're better by any means but they seem to be working very well for me currently. And if something happens they don't. I'm out very little. I can also easily wire a t8 fixture into the boxes the light bases are on now.

To be honest I'm not as concerned with the math. If I can see well in the shop and be able to work on what I need I'm more then happy.

Just trying to give the guy a 20 dollar option with some good light output with nothing more then screwing in a bulb.

I appreciate the time and effort you put into the reply. That may help someone with there decision in the future I'm sure.


Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[purpurite]

Being 4° here currently, with wind chills far below that, working in the new uninsulated garage on lighting isn't my idea of a good time. The pathetic 40w CFLs in the 2 sockets in there now are terrible and take too long to have any sort of brightness in the cold. CFLs ****, plain and simple.

A trip to Menards yielded two Sylvania 200w incandescent soft white bulbs which instantly lit up the garage to be able to see what I'm doing in there.

I might hang a couple of fluorescent fixtures down the sides of the garage this spring when the weather is a little less nasty, but for now, the $6 solution seems to be working well.



Thanks for the ideas, guys. Much appreciated.




dc

 

[Cooter_76]

Thanks for all the useful info in this thread! I'm in the same boat as ApexSpeed - just bought a house with a 3-car garage with only two incandescent bulbs in the whole space. Based on the info above I replaced one fixture with a duplex outlet and hung two 4' fluorescent units in the single-car space (aka workshop.) The difference is...night and day.

 

[purpurite]

So, as fate dictates, we spent 2 years in Des Moines and wound up moving back to the Chicago area for work. Found a tiny house in the suburbs and then had to wedge everything from my previous 3-car garage into a very narrow and short 2-car detached. It's been a struggle to make my stuff fit clean, but the irony was that this new garage had one outlet, one light switch and 2 stone-aged hanging fluorescent lights with solid brittle wires run to the sole outlet with 50-year old extension cords. Yes, pretty much no light or electric in the garage.

How can people live like barbarians?

So on a cool weekend last fall, my dad and I wired the garage properly and put switches and outlets all over the place, and hung a few T5HO fixtures from the ceiling. Turned out great, and the light they give off is awesome. Best thing about them, they are plugged into boxes on the ceiling, and removable when we will inevitably move again.

 

[nadogail]

My cheap solution is 2 X 4 troffers removed from suspended ceilings during lighting retrofits. I hang them with Jack Chain.

You might have to change out the ballasts, if they were fed with 277, I have several 120 Coil & Core ballasts from removals.

What do you want for Cheap ?

 

[simpler=better]

Edit-I can't read.

So, as fate dictates, we spent 2 years in Des Moines and wound up moving back to the Chicago area for work. Found a tiny house in the suburbs and then had to wedge everything from my previous 3-car garage into a very narrow and short 2-car detached. It's been a struggle to make my stuff fit clean, but the irony was that this new garage had one outlet, one light switch and 2 stone-aged hanging fluorescent lights with solid brittle wires run to the sole outlet with 50-year old extension cords. Yes, pretty much no light or electric in the garage.

How can people live like barbarians?

So on a cool weekend last fall, my dad and I wired the garage properly and put switches and outlets all over the place, and hung a few T5HO fixtures from the ceiling. Turned out great, and the light they give off is awesome. Best thing about them, they are plugged into boxes on the ceiling, and removable when we will inevitably move again.

Thanks for the followup years later