opinions needed for my lights

[trdtaco]

ok guys setting up my lighting in the 3 car..

2 stalls are all set will be using 10 4ft twin flourecents in each stall.

but my third stall with cathedral type ceilings i am not sure how to hang the lights.. the lights in stalls 1-2 are hung about 9 feet from the ground and provide ample light for my needs.

in stall three the first 4 lights that are hung are about 11 and 13 ft respectivly. if i continue on the same course the next row of the lights will be about 15 and then next row will be around 14 and last row back to around 12 feet.

im just looking for opinions of you guys before i wire them i and find out they are way to high for good light.. i dont want to have to add chain because they are already hanging on 36 inch chain and dont want to have 6 feet of chain to bring the lights down to around 10 feet

lets hear your thoughts guys

 

[trdtaco]

pictures

 

[trdtaco]

Any9ne?

 

[mooseeater19]

I would put 2 T5HO fixtures probably the 6 lamper at 25% of the total length out from each end of the bay.
Another option is to wall mount them at 45 degree angle.

 

[JoeFin]

Hard to tell without a floor plan

But what ever you decide, once those walls and ceiling are sheetrocked you room will be much better lit

 

[xSoFx]

I agree with Joe on that, I put up insulation in my garage recently and without any other changes it appears brighter.

 

[2ManyProjects]

ok guys setting up my lighting in the 3 car..

2 stalls are all set will be using 10 4ft twin flourecents in each stall.

the lights in stalls 1-2 are hung about 9 feet from the ground and provide ample light for my needs.

I would think so! Assuming each of those "stalls" is approximately the typical 10'x20', that works out to nearly 300 lumens/ft.^2 -- YIKES!!! Of course, based on your photos, a great deal of that "excessive" lighting is being wasted, due to poor layout: You're mostly lighting up the roof of your car... How often do you work on that? (This effect is also exacerbated by the type of fixtures you chose. Those reflectors further limit the ability of the lamps to spread their output over a wider area.) So maybe in the end, you come out at "adequate"; but if so, you achieved that in a very inefficient manner.

in stall three the first 4 lights that are hung are about 11 and 13 ft respectivly. if i continue on the same course the next row of the lights will be about 15 and then next row will be around 14 and last row back to around 12 feet.

Actually, that would be a GOOD thing.

Fundamentally, you have the same problem here as in the other two bays: You're putting the light sources more-or-less directly ABOVE the vehicle to be worked on; which in turn means that vehicle casts a giant shadow over the workspace. But the higher those light sources are placed (and especially the further ABOVE the vehicle), the more chance they have to usefully distribute their output by the time you get down to "working height".

im just looking for opinions of you guys before i wire them i and find out they are way to high for good light..

You seem to be laboring under a fundamental misunderstanding. In all respects EXCEPT last-gasp maximum intensity (which is easy to obtain in other ways, as you so aptly illustrated with your other lights), higher mounting is ALWAYS "a good thing".

i dont want to have to add chain because they are already hanging on 36 inch chain and dont want to have 6 feet of chain to bring the lights down to around 10 feet

Why use chain at all? And yes, that question applies THROUGHOUT your garage. Mounting directly to the ceiling will allow each fixture to cover a greater area, and thus require fewer fixtures overall.

I would put 2 T5HO fixtures probably the 6 lamper at 25% of the total length out from each end of the bay.

WHY?!?

More intensity out of each fixture is the LAST thing he needs. A dozen F54T5HO tubes would yield approximately 60,000 lumens from just two (widely spaced) sources. That would be HORRID.

But what ever you decide, once those walls and ceiling are sheetrocked you room will be much better lit

There's that, too. Don't forget the white paint.

 

[trdtaco]

Thanks guys

2manyprojects

Thanks for your input. The size of the "stalls" are 14 feet wide and 35 feet deep

I picked these lights because the shield direct the light down instead of lighting the ceiling. Was I wrong in thinking that?

The car will be parked in stall 1 and that will leave stall 2 and 3 open and clear. It will be used as a workshop and garage. I work mostly on motorcycles and jetskis so am planning just general light for now that will best light the entire space. Any car work will eventually be done install 3 when lift goes in years from now. At that point i think i will install some wall lighting around the lift.. so as of now i think the general hanging would be good for working on smaller projects that cast minimal shadows..

 

[trdtaco]

And the reason i hung the 2 stalls on chain is that once the job is complete and i get some work done i can pull them up and ceiling mount. Figured this way i can compare the light before anything permanent is done. Cant add wire but easy to cut a little of and raise the light up

 

[2ManyProjects]

Thanks guys

2manyprojects

Thanks for your input. The size of the "stalls" are 14 feet wide and 35 feet deep

OK, that makes the overall tube count much more reasonable. But it also means that you have much less "fudge factor" in terms of overall brightness to make up for the poor placement.

I picked these lights because the shield direct the light down instead of lighting the ceiling. Was I wrong in thinking that?

This depends mostly on whether or not you plan to "finish" the walls and (especially) the ceiling. I (and others) assumed that this WAS part of the plan -- or at least SHOULD be part of the plan. Hence, the reflectors will not be needed (and will actually be counterproductive) once that finishing is done.

The car will be parked in stall 1 and that will leave stall 2 and 3 open and clear. It will be used as a workshop and garage. I work mostly on motorcycles and jetskis so am planning just general light for now that will best light the entire space.

For working on those smaller objects, your current lighting will be more appropriate than it would be for working on cars, trucks, decent-size boats, etc. -- which is not to imply that it is ideal, just less of a problem.

Any car work will eventually be done install 3 when lift goes in years from now. At that point i think i will install some wall lighting around the lift..

I had a hunch that the cathedral ceiling was intended to accommodate a lift. Given that, you want any "overhead" lights to be mounted absolutely as high as possible, so that you maintain maximum vertical clearance for the vehicle on the lift. But by the same token, any lights which really are "overhead" will be nearly useless when a vehicle is actually on the lift. For that reason, running some additional lights around the perimeter of the bay, at approximately the height of the other bay's ceilings (or even lower, if you can find a good place to mount them), would also be a good idea. But still, nothing you do in the way of "permanent" lights is likely to completely obviate the need for one or more "portable" lights (usually a trouble light on a retractable cord reel) under the lifted vehicle itself

And the reason i hung the 2 stalls on chain is that once the job is complete and i get some work done i can pull them up and ceiling mount.

Are those fixtures rated for direct-contact surface-mounting? Most similar chain-hung "shop lights" are NOT so-rated.

Figured this way i can compare the light before anything permanent is done. Cant add wire but easy to cut a little of and raise the light up

A reasonable assumption. But were it my shop, I'd surely arrange the lighting differently in even those first two bays.

 

[trdtaco]

how would you run the lights? in a straight line from front to back? say two rows in each stall?

 

[2ManyProjects]

how would you run the lights? in a straight line from front to back? say two rows in each stall?

That is near-certainly where I'd start. Well actually, presuming there are no walls or other major light-blockers BETWEEN the stalls, a single fore/aft run between the two stalls will likely do an adequate job of lighting up that "half" of each stall. So three fore/aft runs, total, for the two stalls.

I'd then augment that with a "crossways" run a few feet off the back wall, and MAYBE one or two additional fixtures nearer the overhead doors (but on separate switches, as they will be blocked and useless with the doors open).

In all cases, I'd probably also use either open-tube "strip" lights, or "wrap" fixtures similar to the ones I cited in http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3568001&postcount=8. BUT... this presumes a "finished" ceiling (and, hopefully, walls), painted white or very light grey. As it stands now, with your open-rafter ceiling, you DO need those reflectors; the problem is, you WON'T want them once the walls/ceiling are finished.

Bear in mind too, the above is also in the context of automotive work being the most common chore. You mentioned things like jet skis, motorcycles & snowmobiles, which benefit from a somewhat more "closely coupled" lighting scheme. Given that, SOME additional "in-fill" lighting near the center of each bay would be appropriate; but near-certainly still not to the extent shown in your pics.

 

[trdtaco]

ok thanks 2 many..

all the lighgts are already hung so ill have to wait and see now may have to change the layout down the road once the lift goes in. and when walls and ceiling are finshed, hopefully next year, ill have to trim the shades down. also the lights are rated to hang or flush mount so that will not be a problem when ceiling is finished