vettebrett
Active member
My garage is wired for 2 light bulbs only, should I take the fixtures down and rewire them to support 4 sets of shop lights or use the one outlet on the ceiling and plug 4 sets of shop lights into it and be done??
Only Have 2 Lightbulbs,Need Extra Lights??
- Thread starter vettebrett
- Start date
aandpdan
Well-known member
I think it's a judgement call. Neither is that hard to do.
Are the lights currently on a switch? If so I'd want to keep that.
Questions on the outlet: How will you plug 4 fixtures into one outlet? Will the cords reach? You're probably looking at installing at least one new outlet.
I prefer hardwired. Just pull some wire and mount the fixtures as you want. You can use the existing boxes for the light bulbs as a junction box to feed the new fixtures. Just get a blank cover.
Hope it helps.
Are the lights currently on a switch? If so I'd want to keep that.
Questions on the outlet: How will you plug 4 fixtures into one outlet? Will the cords reach? You're probably looking at installing at least one new outlet.
I prefer hardwired. Just pull some wire and mount the fixtures as you want. You can use the existing boxes for the light bulbs as a junction box to feed the new fixtures. Just get a blank cover.
Hope it helps.
I have worked for years with the cheapest shop lights at the big box stores plugged into those adaptors that give you 2 outlets in addition to a bulb socket when screwed into the original bulb socket.
You can hang the shop lights anywhere you need them.
If the cords don’t reach use cheap lamp style extension cords.
It isn’t classy looking, but it works a lot better that 2 100 watt bulbs.
You can hang the shop lights anywhere you need them.
If the cords don’t reach use cheap lamp style extension cords.
It isn’t classy looking, but it works a lot better that 2 100 watt bulbs.
aandpdan
Well-known member
Yes, but then those outlets are NOT grounded. Fluorescent fixtures need to be grounded for proper starting.
Per the NEC, extension cords are not to be used as a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure. You also need a 3 prong extension cord. NEC 400.8
Yes, but it's not up to Code.
If you want to go along this route, replace each lamp socket with a proper grounded receptacle. These outlets will need to be GFCI protected per Code as well. NEC 210.8 (a)(2). There are no exceptions for outlets in the garage anymore. Even the opener now must be GFCI protected.
If you go hardwired you won't need GFCI protection on luminaires (light fixtures.)
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I did pretty much what the OP is looking at. I took the porcelain bare bulb 'fixture' out and replaced it with a two plug outlet. I then hooked up several 'el cheapo' shop lights to the outlets...using a splitter so I could run even more...Yeah...I know...
Now that I am in the process of a re-do on the garage...I a **** canning the setup and am going to use the wiring in the existing box to daisy chain several hard wired 4 ft T8 strip lights.
I really HATE the el cheapo shop lights that hang from crappy little chains and crappy S hooks. It won't cost you too much to use hard wired strip lights that screw to the ceiling and avoid all the pains of the chains and hooks. I am going to use armored cable to hard wire them which is pretty cheap and looks easy to do...Food for thought..
Now that I am in the process of a re-do on the garage...I a **** canning the setup and am going to use the wiring in the existing box to daisy chain several hard wired 4 ft T8 strip lights.
I really HATE the el cheapo shop lights that hang from crappy little chains and crappy S hooks. It won't cost you too much to use hard wired strip lights that screw to the ceiling and avoid all the pains of the chains and hooks. I am going to use armored cable to hard wire them which is pretty cheap and looks easy to do...Food for thought..
Here2Learn
Well-known member
If you wire them all into an outlet, how are you going to have a switch to turn them on? My situation is similar.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
The receptacle takes the place of the light fixture that's there now, so the power to it is switched.
I'm in a similar situation with 3 lights. My plan is to add surface mounted extensions for the 3 existing lights and then branch off from there to make a total of 8-10 surface mounted simple porcelain screw in type fixtures, all enclosed in pvc conduit and boxes, probably painted to match my garage.
This will give me a total of 8-10 100W rated CFL at 5500K pulling an actual 270W versus the 3 100W incandescent bulbs I started with.
Somebody will probably tell me that's not up to code, but the fact is I'm decreasing the load on the circuit and it will all be contained to look good and will add the light where I need it.
I priced it all at HD and will get it done for about $50 in supplies and $50 in lights. Not bad for an equivalent of 1000W in a 22 x 22.
This will give me a total of 8-10 100W rated CFL at 5500K pulling an actual 270W versus the 3 100W incandescent bulbs I started with.
Somebody will probably tell me that's not up to code, but the fact is I'm decreasing the load on the circuit and it will all be contained to look good and will add the light where I need it.
I priced it all at HD and will get it done for about $50 in supplies and $50 in lights. Not bad for an equivalent of 1000W in a 22 x 22.
When we bought our house the garage had one fixture with a 150-watt bulb in it. Needless to say, that wasn't enough light. The first summer I simply added two 4' plug-in shop light fixtures. It certainly helped, but still wasn't enough. This summer I had the garage completely re-wired, adding 3 more outlets, and wiring in a total of seven 4' T-8 fixtures. Now I need welding goggles to work in there! 