New Shop Lights

[DJF3]

I'm getting close to wiring my shop for lights. Currently there is nothing, as it is a new build. I am looking at high bay UFO lights, something in the 150W to 165W range. One option I have found has a short cord with a plug on the end. These would get plugged into receptacles, obviously. This would make changing them quite convenient if one ever quits on me. The description on these lights is that they are dimmable. My question is, are you allowed to put receptacles on dimmers? And are they wired the same as regular receptacles?

 

[cybrdyke]

Do you have a 20' high ceiling? If not, those are way too bright.
Dimming isn't done through the power wires or the receptacle. There should be 2 extra wires on the UFO for dimming control. These are low voltage. They run to a low voltage dimmer on the wall. There are dozens of choices of devices for this.
Good luck
CD

 

[DJF3]

I have 16 ft ceiling.

As far as dimming...are you saying that the dimmable UFO lights with a plug will also have 2 extra wires? Oh...I just looked closer at the picture and there they are! Thanks!

 

[Treasure]

I am in the same stage of building as you and considered the UFO lights, but the reviews of bad glare really turned me off, so I opted for the Barrina lights from Amazon. Haven't installed them yet, but I like the linkability and thus flexibility of installation and how easy it will be to add more lights, reduce the lights, etc. as time goes on and needs change.

 

[Knight511]

I installed 19 8' Barrina lights in my 30x30 at the 15.5' height... I love them. Not a shadow to be had any where in the shop and "bright as day" lighting. I have them wired through 2 20amp breaks through 4 switches (2 levels of light). While I haven't had them long, I am currently completely satisfied with them. I would not change them for the same number of lumens in UFOs because the lower number of light sources would cast a lot of shadows as I am working.

 

[Treasure]

I installed 19 8' Barrina lights in my 30x30 at the 15.5' height... I love them. Not a shadow to be had any where in the shop and "bright as day" lighting. I have them wired through 2 20amp breaks through 4 switches (2 levels of light). While I haven't had them long, I am currently completely satisfied with them. I would not change them for the same number of lumens in UFOs because the lower number of light sources would cast a lot of shadows as I am working.

Curious as to why you used 2 - 20 amp breakers instead of 1?

 

[Knight511]

Short answer:

1. I don't know what the future holds and I was not sure the lights would be enough lighting. My workshop is completely wired with 10awg THHN, so I have overhead to work with if needed. Since I wasn't sure if the original 20 strips would provide the lighting level I wanted, I wanted to be able to add more. 1 breaker would have allowed me to only add 6 more strips based off the advertised wattage. Looking back: this set up would have been 100% fine on a single breaker.

2. I had a common trip 2 pole 2x20amp breaker that came with the panel I used. I wired the circuit as a multibranch (common neutral) which allowed me to use a free breaker and learn more about wiring.

3. I used Wago lever lock type connectors, so I can easily rearrange the wiring of the lights to accommodate other needs (I have no idea what those might be) in the future.

So I guess it comes down to this.... because I could.

 

[That Guy Scott]

I have 16 ft ceiling.

As far as dimming...are you saying that the dimmable UFO lights with a plug will also have 2 extra wires? Oh...I just looked closer at the picture and there they are! Thanks!

The dimmer function on those lights are 0-10 volt. You need a dimmer switch with the low voltage wires or a separate dimmer switch all together. I have mine on dimmers but rarely use them. It’s a nice function to have if you want to spend the extra time to do it. There is electrical cable with the low voltage wire and main power wires all in one.
BTW, I don’t understand everyone’s “glare” comments. I’ve see it said in other posts. I have 12 150W ufo lights mounted at 14-17.5‘ in my 40x50. In an empty shop, it might seem really bright, but once you start filling the shop with equipment and stuff, it buffers it a lot.