Storage unit lighting???

[onebadtwo]

My new shop is in a storage unit... The main "room" is approximately 20x23 with a smaller storage area which is not separated. The wall closest to the main room has my storage racks which are 8ft tall and 12.5ft long. The unit currently has 2 4' T12 shop lights on the ceiling which is concrete. What recommendations do you have for lighting??? There isn't any existing wiring so I will be running fresh wires for the fixtures to the existing sub panel. I currently have 3 4" T12 light fixtures that I will be removing from my old much smaller shop that I plan to install in the storage area, unless yall recommend some other use for them...
Thanks
Curtis

 

[onebadtwo]

The extension cord wiring was preexisting, I will be installing correct wiring in conduit...

 

[onebadtwo]

Anybody have any recommendations?

The ceiling has a slight slope and is between 8.5 and 9 feet high. The main room is actually 18.5 x 23, and it will only contain my project car and the shelving pictured. The small storage room is 7.5 x 11.5, and will contain my toolbox, a 6 x 2 workbench, some small light duty shelves, a metal storage cabinet, and a couple parts.

I was imagining 3 rows of 2 (or possibly 3) 4' t8 2 bulb fixtures and some 100w CFL bulbs in the existing sockets right behind the doors in the main room. For the smaller storage room, I was going to install 2 of my 3 existing 4' t12 2 bulb fixtures.

Here's about what I'm thinking...

 

[sands35]

IMHO - the simplest solution is to install a few double duplex switched outlets on the ceiling, then use corded T8 fixtures. Keep adding them until you are happy with the results. (Could use direct wire fixtures with BX wire to j boxes rather than corded fixtures to outlets.)

Make sure you have direct mount fixtures, not hanging ones. Since your ceiling is concrete, you don't have to worry about over heating joists or wall board, but the fixtures themselves might overheat.

If the car in the picture is how you are going to work on it, then put two fixtures on each side and one over the engine bay. Then one in the other corners.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

The big question is what the owner will allow. Me, I would not want someone drilling into the concrete ceiling to put anchors, might OK some kind of super epoxy to bond fittings to the roof to hang lights from, Just use something better than they did in the Big Dig in Boston.

Use T8 fixtures, you will be much happier with the light from them, that or change out the ballast and bulbs in your existing fixtures. Good bright T8 4100K bulbs are so much better than any T12 you would have. T8 with electronic ballast weigh half what those old T12/magnetic ballast weigh, less strain on the anchors or hanging method. If you REALLY want light, Install T5HO strips.

Charles

 

[onebadtwo]

The big question is what the owner will allow. Me, I would not want someone drilling into the concrete ceiling to put anchors, might OK some kind of super epoxy to bond fittings to the roof to hang lights from, Just use something better than they did in the Big Dig in Boston.

Use T8 fixtures, you will be much happier with the light from them, that or change out the ballast and bulbs in your existing fixtures. Good bright T8 4100K bulbs are so much better than any T12 you would have. T8 with electronic ballast weigh half what those old T12/magnetic ballast weigh, less strain on the anchors or hanging method. If you REALLY want light, Install T5HO strips.

Charles

They are pretty easy going over there... The prior tenant is a good friend of mine. He had a total of 12 T12 4' fixtures wired up and screwed into the ceiling with short Tapcon screws. I was just reading up about the T5HO lights on another thread... Do you think I would be OK with 2 of the 8' units from HD? I would probably put one of the 4' units in the smaller storage room later down the road. I really need to go up to HD to take a peek at the T5HO fixtures!
Curt

 

[onebadtwo]

They are pretty easy going over there... The prior tenant is a good friend of mine. He had a total of 12 T12 4' fixtures wired up and screwed into the ceiling with short Tapcon screws. I was just reading up about the T5HO lights on another thread... Do you think I would be OK with 2 of the 8' units from HD? I would probably put one of the 4' units in the smaller storage room later down the road. I really need to go up to HD to take a peek at the T5HO fixtures!
Curt

OK... After visiting my local HD store, the T5HO lights have me dreaming about them... I am currently thinking of either using 3 of the 8' T8s or 2 of the 8' T5HOs. I think the 3 T8 units will spread the light out better than the 2 T5HOs. But, those T5HOs have been keeping me up at night dreaming about them. I also picked up a couple 100w 5000k CFLs for the existing lights. Everybody that sees the CFLs has been impressed with their brightness. I will definitely be going with 5000k bulbs in whatever I end up with!
Curt

 

[onebadtwo]

Heres a couple pics after getting a little more settled in. I still have a ways to go!

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Check out Lowe's tandem T-8 fixtures, 39.95 each, and use 6500K light bulbs. They seem to be good bang for the buck. I've got them in my shop and a buddy of mine saw them and installed them in his shop and cut off his HID lights. 12 ga. BX around here is about $0.50 p/ft just for the cable without fittings. I used that to connect my light fixtures to the 4x4 deep boxes with the "snap-it" connectors. They work great, really fast to install as long as you never plan to remove them. If you use BX cable, go buy a BX cable cutter, it's a breeze to cut the cable with.

 

[JohnX14]

Don't bother with T5's on a ceiling that low. (I did put T5's in my old 28 x 28 shop with 10 ceilings as they were left over from a job and it was unbelievably bright.)