Shop Light Advice

[Coach James]

Hey all,

I am meeting with the electrician for my new shop this coming week, and I am still figuring out lighting. I'm sure he will have some ideas, but I want to hear from other folks as well. I have tried using online lighting calculators and get results that are all over the place.

My shop is 30 x 40, there is a thread in the garage forum, with a 12 foot high ceiling. Walls and ceiling are white.

My current garage is 20 x 25 with ~ 10,000 Lumens. It is okay for general work, but I want more illumination/area for the new shop.

I know it is more than just Lumens, but what are opinions on 40,000 Lumens in the 3500K-4500K range? I'm thinking 8 t8 fixtures of 2 bulbs each.

Thanks

 

[mcspeed]

Just finished my shop. Consulted a friend who does lighting and he recommended LED strip lights.

They are low profile, offer any color you want ( I prefer 4,000k) and also have a variety of different diffusers and can be over 1,000 lumens per foot if you want it bright.

Another benefit is they are not limited to your typical 4 or 8’ lengths. You want 16’ you can have it.

My ceiling is only 9’ and I also have open rafters to expose clerestory windows. I like the low profile design as they will hug the rafters and take minimal space so I can deal with bikes, kayaks, lumber etc. storage overhead.

I will be doing them in my new building.

I’m doing 6 8’ strips in my 16 x 28 shop. Not sure 8 as you mentioned will be sufficient for your larger building but depends on your specific requirements.




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[James-W]

When I built my garage, 24 X 36 with an 8ft ceiling, I installed 12 screw-in sockets spaced evenly and 12 CFL 100 watt lights. They have worked well since 2012 when I built the garage. Now a few of them have burned out and I have replaced all of them with 100 watt LED screw-in lights. I prefer these types of lights rather than strips or LED tubes because it is so simple to replace one if it burns out or otherwise becomes defective.

 

[cybrdyke]

For your new 30x40, use a minimum of 12 (3x4) Two-tube 4' fixtures. You can go with more as your budget allows. Alot of folks would use 20 (4x5) . Thinking about it in terms of total lumens will lead you in the wrong direction.
CD

 

[13mo]

That is not going to be very bright, 8

Hey all,

I am meeting with the electrician for my new shop this coming week, and I am still figuring out lighting. I'm sure he will have some ideas, but I want to hear from other folks as well. I have tried using online lighting calculators and get results that are all over the place.

My shop is 30 x 40, there is a thread in the garage forum, with a 12 foot high ceiling. Walls and ceiling are white.

My current garage is 20 x 25 with ~ 10,000 Lumens. It is okay for general work, but I want more illumination/area for the new shop.

I know it is more than just Lumens, but what are opinions on 40,000 Lumens in the 3500K-4500K range? I'm thinking 8 t8 fixtures of 2 bulbs each.

Thanks

8 two-lamp, 4' T8 fixtures will give you about 25 fc, which is not very bright. It would be OK for parking cars but not for doing much work. Typically garages designed for working are lit up to 75-100 fc which would require 3-4 times as many lights. T8 strips are a good choice at 12 feet, they are inexpensive, they are simple to mount, and don't have excessive glare like T5HOs, highbays, and a lot of LED fixtures. You can use the 8' fixtures instead of the 4' units, but get the ones with four 4' lamps instead of two 8' lamps, the 4'ers are less expensive and way easier to handle.

 

[truckin-on]

Sorry - didn't intend to resurrect an old thread...

 

[sparky 1971]

Nevermind. I didn't realize it was an old thread resurrected.