Question 20x22 Garage Lighting

[mayday0017]

I am getting the keys to my first house next week and I am finalizing plans for the garage so I can start buying things to be ready for the first weekend. I do quite a bit of mechanic work on motorcycles in my garage and lighting is very important. I have been planning on doing 9 standard 2 bulb T8 fixtures, but now I'm starting to think that might be over kill.... So looking for feedback, do I go w/ 9 fixtures or 6 fixtures...?

These are the bulbs I plan on using...
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Are those bulbs good for the $$ or are there better for close to same price?

 

[Jack 39]

It takes a little more work but I always put my lights in rows over the whole garage. I then put in a switch for each row. This gives you the ability to give direct light in the area you are working and indirect in the rest of the shop. If you want you can turn all of them on for jobs like rubbing out paint. T8 lights work good, they are instant start. I also put a light over each bench so you don't get shadows when working on small projects. Good luck

 

[mayday0017]

Jack 39, thx for the response....

Anyone else have input on if 9 lights is over kill or about right?
Also really looking for input on these bulbs if anyone has some....

Thanks

 

[Boyd Who]

I have a 20 x 22 and there's 9 permanent-mount fixtures plus two more hanging shop lights over the work bench. You can never have too much light in a garage. I have the two outer banks of lights on one switch, the center set on a second switch, and the shop lights on a switch by the workbench.
Please excuse the mess, I just finished putting the drywall up on the ceiling today.

 

[mayday0017]

WOW THX! That looks excellent, I keep slowly trying to talk myself out of plans I have and now I'm just a week away so trying to make sure I make the right decisions. 9 looks like the magic number for the space only shadows I can see are on the ceiling Those also look like the same fixtures I am looking at, can you tell me where you got the bulbs and your opinion on them?

 

[gordsgarage]

I agree with Boyd Who, you can never have too many lights. In my old place I had a 22 x22 garage and I installed 8 double tube T12 96" fixtures. I had them split in half, 4 on one switch and 4 on the other. It was bright, the wife refused to come in the garage without her sunglasses. I loved the light level though, no straining to perform tasks.

I like to overkill on the lighting and then split the switches up so you can choose how much lighting you want depending on the project.

I don't think 9 -2 bulb T8 fixtures are overkill.

Good luck!

Gord

 

[noslo04]

3 rows of 3 lights plus 2 lights (perpendicular and in between the rows) at the workbench end of my 20x21 garage. 4 switches. Also have one on a wall (for detailing my car) and two retractable fluorescents (for underhood work) installed above the front bumper of my cars. It was well-worth the investment.

 

[MoonRise]

A 'standard' height garage of about 10-12 feet ceiling height?

9 2-bulb 4ft T8 fixtures would be about right, as a minimum, with 3 rows of 3 fixtures each. That should give a calculated 115 lumens/ft2 blanketing the entire area (ignoring fixture and bulb inefficiencies), or about 90 lumens/ft2 with an 80% efficiency factor.

A general ballpark number of the amount of light needed for detail tasks is 100 lumens/ft2. So you are pretty close to that.

No that would not be overkill if you are doing detail tasks (assembly, paint, etc). It would be overkill for just pulling into the garage and parking.

As mentioned, if you have or plan a workbench, put some more fixtures over and around that area to get a little more light (and hopefully no or minimal shadows) in the workbench area.

+1 on putting the lights on more than one switch. This way you can have less light if you are just parking or passing through or getting a tool or whatever, and more light when you need it. With 3 banks of 3 fixtures, I'm seeing a pattern of "3" so maybe just have each row/bank on its own switch (thus 3 switches). Plus another switch for the workbench lights.

As to the bulbs, they should be OK. Full-spectrum and an CRI of 85 with a color temp of 5000K is about what I consider OK. A lower CRI usually means colors will look 'off'.

 

[mayday0017]

Thx, everyone!

The plan w/ 9 is to run 2 switches one bank of 5 and another bank of 4 (the corners). That way i should have good coverage of low light for day to day tasks & better coverage and increased brightness for more detailed work. Sounds like I am in the ballpark with my plan now just have to count the days until I get into the house so I can do a little wiring

 

[burleymike]

In my 22x22 garage I have two (4) lamp fixtures in the back and two (2) lamp fixtures in the front above the garage doors. I am very happy with the light output.

 

[Boyd Who]

WOW THX! That looks excellent, I keep slowly trying to talk myself out of plans I have and now I'm just a week away so trying to make sure I make the right decisions. 9 looks like the magic number for the space only shadows I can see are on the ceiling Those also look like the same fixtures I am looking at, can you tell me where you got the bulbs and your opinion on them?

My pleasure. Pictures are worth a thousand words and I happened to take the pics the day you posted your question.

I got the bulbs at the local Co-op building center. I don't know what exact type of bulbs they are other than T-8, but I do like the light they put out. They're bright enough that I normally only use the outer 6 lights. The fixtures have good cold-weather ballasts and I know they'll fire up even at -30F. I don't plan to let the new shop ever get that cold inside, though.

 

[Falcon67]

I don't have a pic, but in my 20x24 I have 12 4' 2 bulb T8 lights. They are switched in banks of 6 and all have the pull string so I can control them individually if I want. There is an 8' 4 bulb unit over the main workbench and any machines or smaller benches have 4' task lights.

 

[IONH]

I have a 24w X 32d garage and was planning on 15 2 bulb T8 fixtures (3 rows wide of 5 deep). Two switches, one handling the rear 9 and the other handling the front 6. All would retain their pull chains so I could turn off any which were not necessary.

Haven't done it yet, but I think your idea of 9 sounds about right to me.

By the way, beautiful setup Boyd.

 

[ut-jeff]

I know this is not what you are referring directly to, but I am finishing out my 22 x 22 detached garage. I had an electrician come and hardwire twelve (12) cans of recessed lighting. I have a row of four (4) directly over my workbench area. Then I have two (2) rows of three (3) for the rest of the garage placed symmetically where you would expect them and the other two (2) in the front of the garage. I have two switches - one controls only the workbench lighting and the other controls the remaining lights. I have pics that I will be uploading as soon as I have finished my garage majal. It looks really nice. I just finished the walls today. Drywalled the studs, textured, painted. This place looks like someone's game room in a custom home right now. I am now building the workbench...pics to come...

 

[Boyd Who]

I have a 24w X 32d garage and was planning on 15 2 bulb T8 fixtures (3 rows wide of 5 deep). Two switches, one handling the rear 9 and the other handling the front 6. All would retain their pull chains so I could turn off any which were not necessary.

Haven't done it yet, but I think your idea of 9 sounds about right to me.

By the way, beautiful setup Boyd.

Thank you!