New Construction, Best Light for 12'6 Ceiling

[Ol Trooper]

They'll be pouring the floor this week, so I'll need to pull the trigger on specific fixtures soon. Garage is 32X42, 2 bays, used as a detailing shop for the next 7-9 years.

The 2 bays will be approx. 32X32. I was thinking 3 banks of 2 4' T5HOs, but are the less costly T8s a viable alternative? Not sure about LEDs, no little about them other than they are costly.

Anyone have any advice on lighting or online vendors?

Thanks,

Mark

 

[tarmy]

I just switched both my garage and my 1500' shop from T8 to the T5 HO...and I love it. Both my upgrades essentially replaced the same locations of the previous 8' fixtures with the new 8' T5 fixtures ( they have two sets of the 4' bulbs).

The thing I did do in both shops was to consider two things. Where I wanted specific extra task lighting ( over table saw and drill press and obviously the workbench areas). There I went with 4 bulb 4' fixtures end to end to really bump up light.

The other thing to consider is amp draw. A lot more power... 2 amps ( essentially...a little less actually) per fixture for the 4 light fixture. So I ran extra circuits to the switch boxes and upgraded to 20 amp switches to easily handle the load.

They are expensive but I love the upgrade..and as I age my eye site will continue to degrade and the extra light helps...

 

[dogdas]

I just switched both my garage and my 1500' shop from T8 to the T5 HO...and I love it. Both my upgrades essentially replaced the same locations of the previous 8' fixtures with the new 8' T5 fixtures ( they have two sets of the 4' bulbs).

The thing I did do in both shops was to consider two things. Where I wanted specific extra task lighting ( over table saw and drill press and obviously the workbench areas). There I went with 4 bulb 4' fixtures end to end to really bump up light.

The other thing to consider is amp draw. A lot more power... 2 amps ( essentially...a little less actually) per fixture for the 4 light fixture. So I ran extra circuits to the switch boxes and upgraded to 20 amp switches to easily handle the load.

They are expensive but I love the upgrade..and as I age my eye site will continue to degrade and the extra light helps...

How high from the floor are the t-5's?

 

[tarmy]

10' off of floor. I did a lot of reading on this site and saw all the positive and negative thoughts/comments...

I used to have the t8 HO as the temp drops to about 10 degrees occasionally. The big ballast were noisy as hell.

I figured I would mount a couple in a few areas of garage and shop to see what it looked like to me. I love the clean bright lite...no noise...and like them for my needs. Off to Home Depot and bought a bunch and now can't believe I waited this long to upgrade.

I did notice that there are two types of HO bulbs ( one was about 10$ per and the other about 6 or 7) so I got about 4 of each and tried them...the expensive ones ( of course) looked better for me...

I talked to the contractor desk at HD they gave me a great deal because I bought a bunch of lites and bulbs all together...so when they made up my order they could take about 20 percent off...

 

[jimmie jam]

I might suggest that you go to www.autopia.org and as the pro's there about the lighting and placement...it's a great resource. I personally have a section of my garage that is 24 x 28 with 13' ceilings. Believe it or not I have three rows of three fixtures that have daylight CFL's that light the place up like a basketball court. I could even go brighter with bigger bulbs. This was a result of temporary single socket fixture/bulb that I needed to get a CC four years ago. I just left them in. You can use portable LED's on stands for side lighting/work.