The Best Light Fixture Ever!

[cybrdyke]

I’m not going to recommend using non-Type CC Instant Start ballasts with non-Circle I lamp sockets as it is not UL-compliant, thus not code-compliant, fixture construction.

I will.

Not to get nit-picky, but your comment is only true in new fixtures, by UL requirement.
For those that are retrofitting, relamping, changing from T12 to T8 or to T-LED, there is no code issue, so it's perfectly OK. I point this out because the question was posed and because alot of forum members do these types of changes. There is no reason for them to needlessly seek out different sockets (a hassle and an expense) and to do alot of extra re-wiring to accomodate the new tubes.
CD

 

[C2 Turbo]

I wish I had time to go thru this thread and to understand it but unfortunately I left it for too late and I need lights now.

It's a new build and the electrician is driving me nuts.

I can't find the thread where these lights were discussed but for a layman like me, are these good enough product to just hang on the ceilings (13-15 feet high in a 26' x 34' garage?

http://www.feit.com/led-lamps/led_utility_lights/73991

Platonic another PM sent.

Thanks

 

[Platonic Solid]

C2 Turbo,

The Feit fixture is a perfect example of a low quality disposable fixture. You get what you pay for = If it dies you toss it. None of their lumen output or efficiency claims are supported by photometric data. I emailed them twice some time ago asking for photometric data and got no responses.

My recommendation for LED garage fixtures at this time = Qty.2 of these Samsung bulbs put into this Cooper strip light (Print the add and you can order through Lowes and they will price match). Toss the ballast and rewire housing per Samsung instructions. Total cost $55 per fixture (not including shipping) and you have a quality product that you can change the lamps in as LED lamp technology improves.

 

[C2 Turbo]

C2 Turbo,

My recommendation for LED garage fixtures at this time = Qty.2 of these Samsung bulbs put into this Cooper strip light (Print the add and you can order through Lowes and they will price match). Toss the ballast and rewire housing per Samsung instructions. Total cost $55 per fixture (not including shipping) and you have a quality product that you can change the lamps in as LED lamp technology improves.

I finally spent an hour and read through your thread and this is exactly what I figured.

Spoke to my electrician over lunch time and his recommendation was to buy an 8' fixture for $55 and buy 4 LED bulbs for $25 and I will have great light.

My concern is the sizes of the garages (26x 32 and 26 x 42) where if i went with 4, I will need lots of them vs 8'

I will post info on the lights as soon as I get them from the electrician.

Thanks for being patient with me

 

[Platonic Solid]

I finally spent an hour and read through your thread and this is exactly what I figured.

Spoke to my electrician over lunch time and his recommendation was to buy an 8' fixture for $55 and buy 4 LED bulbs for $25 and I will have great light.

My concern is the sizes of the garages (26x 32 and 26 x 42) where if i went with 4, I will need lots of them vs 8'

I will post info on the lights as soon as I get them from the electrician.

Thanks for being patient with me

What you get when you order an 8' tandem fixture is 2 4ft fixtures that you mount end to end. An 8' Tandem fixture is the same as buying 2 4ft fixtures, except your paying $55 vs $34 ($16.85 x 2). No point in spending $21 more for the exact same thing, plus the 8' tandem fixture your electrician is suggesting probably has shunted lamp holders which won't work with the Samsung lamps. The fixture I linked to has the correct non-shunted lamp holders.

 

[rown4au]

Has anyone used the big *** shop lights? We are in the process of building a new house with a 3 car garage with a small workshop area that will have 14 foot ceilings. We are working with the architect to draw up the electrical plan for the pricing set to go to builders shortly. I want to get this right as if the lights aren't sufficient it will annoy me for years to come so I would rather err on the side off too much light if anything.

Looking at the sheet quickly, the big *** lights obviously put out a lot of lumens but its not clear to me if you are just paying a lot for the name and I should just go with a greater number of fluorescent fixtures instead.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Has anyone used the big *** shop lights? We are in the process of building a new house with a 3 car garage with a small workshop area that will have 14 foot ceilings. We are working with the architect to draw up the electrical plan for the pricing set to go to builders shortly. I want to get this right as if the lights aren't sufficient it will annoy me for years to come so I would rather err on the side off too much light if anything.

Looking at the sheet quickly, the big *** lights obviously put out a lot of lumens but its not clear to me if you are just paying a lot for the name and I should just go with a greater number of fluorescent fixtures instead.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Go with greater number of fluorescents to eliminate shadows and glare. Big *** shop lights are very expensive and way to much light in a concentrated area. The goal is evenly distributed shadow free lighting (assuming you want to use your garage for more than just storage and parking). PM me a drawing and I'll do a layout suggestion for you.

 

[cybrdyke]

Has anyone used the big *** shop lights? We are in the process of building a new house with a 3 car garage with a small workshop area that will have 14 foot ceilings. We are working with the architect to draw up the electrical plan for the pricing set to go to builders shortly. I want to get this right as if the lights aren't sufficient it will annoy me for years to come so I would rather err on the side off too much light if anything.

Looking at the sheet quickly, the big *** lights obviously put out a lot of lumens but its not clear to me if you are just paying a lot for the name and I should just go with a greater number of fluorescent fixtures instead.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The Big *** lights are a novelty item.
If I was building a new house with a 3 car garage with 14' ceilings, I'd want it to be cool. I'd spend a little more money than I normally would to make it that way. I'd go with LED fixtures. If you were looking at the Big *** lights, then it sounds like you would, too.
There are tons of better LED fixtures out there. Stop by or call your local electrical supply house and ask them if they have a "lighting guy/girl". They will show you lots of fixtures and they will do a point by point layout for you.
One of the best things about LED is the ease of controllability. There's lots of options for sensors, wireless controls, timing, remote controls, etc....
Good luck
CD

 

[rown4au]

Go with greater number of fluorescents to eliminate shadows and glare. Big *** shop lights are very expensive and way to much light in a concentrated area. The goal is evenly distributed shadow free lighting (assuming you want to use your garage for more than just storage and parking). PM me a drawing and I'll do a layout suggestion for you.

Sent you a PM.

 

[rown4au]

The Big *** lights are a novelty item.
If I was building a new house with a 3 car garage with 14' ceilings, I'd want it to be cool. I'd spend a little more money than I normally would to make it that way. I'd go with LED fixtures. If you were looking at the Big *** lights, then it sounds like you would, too.
There are tons of better LED fixtures out there. Stop by or call your local electrical supply house and ask them if they have a "lighting guy/girl". They will show you lots of fixtures and they will do a point by point layout for you.
One of the best things about LED is the ease of controllability. There's lots of options for sensors, wireless controls, timing, remote controls, etc....
Good luck
CD

I definitely like the cool factor idea and the hassle free idea of no bulbs to burn out etc but I am not sure I want to get into wireless controls, timing, remotes, etc on the actual shop lighting as that is not something I think I would use in this space.

I do want to have some cool factor in the space but more than anything I want to make sure when I am working on a car or something else in the garage I have plenty of light and that if I drop a bolt there aren't shadows everywhere that make it hard to find it.

 

[rown4au]

I managed to cut the architects first pass at an electrical plan for the garage and the actual dimensions into a pdf that I have a attached. The size of the main garage space is 23' x 36' and the workshop is 6'6" x 18' if you the dimensions are a bit fuzzy.

Although it doesn't show it on these drawings I will have a row of cabinets and a workbench top in the workshop area next to the slop sink and fridge. There will also be a 4 post lift in the 3rd bay that shows the car.

I have already told the architects that I would prefer the jack shaft openers on the wall next to the door so they will not be located on the ceiling as the drawing shows. The tracks for all garage doors will go up to the full ceiling height to give max clearance so that would mean you have minimal overlap on the ceiling of the actual door to cause shadows.

That said my initial thoughts after reading some of the comments on this thread are to have 2 x fixtures located on either side of each vehicle like they show but I would add two more in between the workshop and the 3rd bay and 2 between the 1st bay and the house wall. I was also thinking that I should add one fixture per bay along the front wall centered in each bay. This would give plenty of light over the work bench area and around the front of the car and hopefully avoid shadows as discussed. However this would make a total of 13 fixtures for the space, so I am not sure if that is overkill.

I am also thinking about adding a ceiling fan on either side of the center bay for air circulation but that is a different discussion.

 

[CooperS]

Fixtures mounted within 8 ft of floor should have diffusers (aka: wrapped) for safety. Wraps can be used above 9 ft, usually for aesthetic reasons. Either way you'll want to figure in about 10% lumen loss.

I'm thinking of getting the Metalux SNF series but I don't see that they have wraps as an option. I can see where this would be a good idea to keep from hitting a bulb with something, but I'm not sure it can be done in the case of the SNF. Am I missing something or will I have to choose a different fixture for a wrap?

 

[Platonic Solid]

You have to go to WS series or WE series for the Metalux Wraps.

 

[CooperS]

You have to go to WS series or WE series for the Metalux Wraps.

What are your thoughts on this fixture? Seems nice and made in the USA.

HEWilliams ASM

 

[CS223]

Stumbled on this thread doing my research and realize that it isn't all as simple as I was thinking. I was using the Lithonia photometrics software to get an idea of what I wanted. I have a 32x28 shop area that I want to light with around 1200 lux. I arrived at this number by using a light meter and making comparisons in various lighted areas. I'll eventually be using the shop for machine work so being able to see & read mics, prints & look at fine detail is important.

The eve height is 12 feet which would put the lighting as close to that as possible on a flat plane. I need clearance for the height of some machines.

The ceiling and wall scrim is pure white and the floor will be battleship grey.

I planned on wiring the lights with 240V.

What I came up with on my own, skimming various threads was nine 48" 4 lamp T5 HO high bay fixtures and I was looking at USHIO 5000K 54W HO lamps.


Also, I was given 7 new LSI PBNR recessed florescent fixtures. 48" 32W T8. These have the 7 dividers and reflector. I had planned to incorporate them into my 8'x28' office area in an 8' ceiling. I don't know if it would be wise to use/convert them or just go with new fixtures. I'm guessing I want around 800 lux in my office area.

Feel free to roll eyes, slap your forehead and laugh if necessary, I have thick skin. I'd sincerely appreciate your expertise on my application.

 

[Platonic Solid]

What are your thoughts on this fixture? Seems nice and made in the USA.

HEWilliams ASM

Ironically the ASM fixture looks very similar to a fixture I just finished, except I don’t have that return lip for semi-recessed mounting. My lens covers more of the fixture and total depth is 4 in. Mine is made for a more abusive environment thus is 1/8” thick extruded aluminum housing, die-cast ends and polycarbonate lens. Do you have a price for it?

My reservations about the ASM are centered on what had to be sacrificed to achieve the low fixture height. Note that F32T8 versions are limited to “micro-can ballasts”. You should confirm that you will be able to find replacement ballasts in the future, or resolve to changing to ballast-bypass LED retrofits when the ballasts die (which is likely the best future plan anyway).

The thin 0.040 aluminum enclosure will damage easily. As long as you keep that in mind during installation (and don’t plan on throwing baseballs at it) you should be fine.

I’m not sure why only T5 is available in semi-recessed, but I suspect you’re not planning on doing that type of install (though it would look cool).

You could probably get away with using (2) F54T5HO lamps since you will likely lose 15 to 20% light output through the white acrylic. I’d have to see an IES file to confirm that.

Overall I like the fixture. There are quite a few similar style fixtures out there, so shop around for best price.

 

[Platonic Solid]

... 32x28 shop area that I want to light with around 1200 lux. I arrived at this number by using a light meter and making comparisons in various lighted areas. I'll eventually be using the shop for machine work so being able to see & read mics, prints & look at fine detail is important. The eve height is 12 feet ...
The ceiling and wall scrim is pure white and the floor will be battleship grey.
I planned on wiring the lights with 240V.
What I came up with on my own, skimming various threads was nine 48" 4 lamp T5 HO high bay fixtures and I was looking at USHIO 5000K 54W HO lamps. ...

There’s nothing wrong with wanting high lumen output in your shop. 12’ ceiling is a nice height, but far from qualifying for high bay fixtures.

Rule of thumb:
High Bay = 20 ft minimum from floor to fixture face.
Low Bay = 25 ft maximum from floor to fixture face.
Standard fixtures = 16 ft maximum from floor to fixture face.

You will not achieve even shop-wide illumination with the 9 fixture/lamp setup you’re considering. You will have a blend of uneven lumen output throughout the shop. To balance it you need to spread the lumens out, thus more fixtures. In your case, I would recommend Qty.12, 4-lamp F32T8 8ft tandem strip lights (thus a total 48 F32T8 lamps). 4 rows of 3. Use High Ballast Factor Ballasts like the Sylvania 49455 and Sylvania 22026 Lamps.

Next time you go to any of the big box stores like Walmart or even many supermarkets, look up and note that the fixtures mounted at 15ft are F32T8s and lots of them. If they could get away with fewer higher lumen fixtures they would, but they don’t because it doesn’t work. I’m sure there are exceptions and also sure there are examples of poor lighting design practice.

 

[CS223]

There’s nothing wrong with wanting high lumen output in your shop. 12’ ceiling is a nice height, but far from qualifying for high bay fixtures.

Rule of thumb:
High Bay = 20 ft minimum from floor to fixture face.
Low Bay = 25 ft maximum from floor to fixture face.
Standard fixtures = 16 ft maximum from floor to fixture face.

You will not achieve even shop-wide illumination with the 9 fixture/lamp setup you’re considering. You will have a blend of uneven lumen output throughout the shop. To balance it you need to spread the lumens out, thus more fixtures. In your case, I would recommend Qty.12, 4-lamp F32T8 8ft tandem strip lights (thus a total 48 F32T8 lamps). 4 rows of 3. Use High Ballast Factor Ballasts like the Sylvania 49455 and Sylvania 22026 Lamps.

Next time you go to any of the big box stores like Walmart or even many supermarkets, look up and note that the fixtures mounted at 15ft are F32T8s and lots of them. If they could get away with fewer higher lumen fixtures they would, but they don’t because it doesn’t work. I’m sure there are exceptions and also sure there are examples of poor lighting design practice.

Thank you so much for your assistance. Just a little clarification. Are you recommending 4 lamp 8 foot fixtures? The lamps you referenced; 22026 are 48" which is throwing me off. I presume just linear fixtures without any reflectors? Run them parallel or perpendicular to the 32' span?


ETA: I think I figured it out, the fixtures are 8' using four 48" lamps. Perpendicular to the 32' span. I ran it thru the Lithonia visual interior tool.

 

[CooperS]

Ironically the ASM fixture looks very similar to a fixture I just finished, except I don’t have that return lip for semi-recessed mounting. My lens covers more of the fixture and total depth is 4 in. Mine is made for a more abusive environment thus is 1/8” thick extruded aluminum housing, die-cast ends and polycarbonate lens. Do you have a price for it?

I have had trouble finding ANY prices for HEW till today. This fixture on the only site I could find so far, for 8' fixture is $338ea!

My reservations about the ASM are centered on what had to be sacrificed to achieve the low fixture height. Note that F32T8 versions are limited to “micro-can ballasts”. You should confirm that you will be able to find replacement ballasts in the future, or resolve to changing to ballast-bypass LED retrofits when the ballasts die (which is likely the best future plan anyway).

The ballast was gonna be my next question.

The thin 0.040 aluminum enclosure will damage easily. As long as you keep that in mind during installation (and don’t plan on throwing baseballs at it) you should be fine.

I think they should be fine...but barring finding a HUGE price discount, this fixture is out.

I’m not sure why only T5 is available in semi-recessed, but I suspect you’re not planning on doing that type of install (though it would look cool).

I thought the same thing...semi-recessed in drywall would look cool.

You could probably get away with using (2) F54T5HO lamps since you will likely lose 15 to 20% light output through the white acrylic. I’d have to see an IES file to confirm that.

I did find this at the bottom of the PDF:
QUANTITY ESTIMATOR
Item #:*@#$ASMS-4-154T5H
Room Size ± 35 fc. ± 50 fc. ± 70 fc.
15’ x 15’ (225 sq. ft.) 4 6 9
30’ x 30’ (900 sq. ft.) 12 16 20
50’ x 50’ (2,500 sq. ft.) 30 42 56
Calculations based on standard reflectance of 80/50/20 and a light
loss factor of .85 with a 9’-0” ceiling height.

I think this may be what you want as far as IES info, yes?

http://hewilliams.com/specification/47602.pdf

Overall I like the fixture. There are quite a few similar style fixtures out there, so shop around for best price.

Any tips on brands that have something like this?

Thanks for all the tips. I am slowly learning what to look for.

 

[DSPark13]

First of all, thank you Platonic Solid for starting this thread and all that have contributed to help educate.

I have been reading as much as possible to try an educate myself about the type of lights and how many to install in my new house/garage build. I like the look and brightness of the 4' 4bulb T5HO Wide Distribution lights and thought that is what I wanted mounted directly to the ceiling but was unaware of the possible glare that has been brought to my attention. I also am unsure if there are any other potential drawbacks of the T5HO. I am seeing the T8 being suggested for the height of my garage ceiling. I have also read some posts about LED lights like the ones from Costco. The initial design of the garage had 3 fixtures, one over each bay.

In my 3 car garage the ceiling is 12' and the interior width is 36' with a depth of 27.5' on the single bay side and 24' on the two bay side. I have run some 12-3 to be able to use two switches for the lights, each switch turning on two of the four bulbs for savings when full brightness is not needed. One of these switches also being activated remotely when either of the two Liftmaster 8500 jackshaft openers are used.

I am also wanting to make sure that the ballasts that are used don't interfere with the stereo or TV that will be installed in the garage. Would that be a class 15b ballast or have I read that incorrectly?

I see my situation may be very similar to CS223.

Any suggestions or input of what may give me the best lighting, type of lights, number of lights and the possible layout will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Derrick

 

[Platonic Solid]

I have had trouble finding ANY prices for HEW till today. This fixture on the only site I could find so far, for 8' fixture is $338ea!

You'd have to call a distributor to get real pricing.
Here are the preliminary specs for my fixture:

LED, 2ft long x 8" wide x 4" deep, 4000K CCT, 80CRI, IP67 option (= 30 minute submersible)
Preliminary price estimate = $200
Input: 60W, 120VAC 0.50A, 277VAC 0.22A.
Total Fixture Lumen Output: > 6000lm = > 100L/W
(This 2ft LED fixture replaces the average 2 lamp 4ft fluorescent fixture - and then some)
Available for purchase in June, but I suspect most here aren't willing to pay $200 for a single 2ft fixture even though the construction quality, efficiency and lumen output is impressive - if I do say so myself

I think this may be what you want as far as IES info, yes?

I wanted the actual IES file which I did locate here. It's remarkably inefficient. You'd have to use F54T5HO lamps to make up for that.

Any tips on brands that have something like this?

The classic budget wrap is always an option, though lacks the curved lens aesthetic:

Lithonia SB232 $32.97 on Amazon.

Lithonia's ST series has similar styling to the HE Williams ASM Series:

Available here for $117.65 for 4ft 2 Lamp.

There are too many more to list (Newstar, Kenall, Failsafe, Howard ...) and most do not have online pricing. They will all be in the same price arena as the Lithonia ST or higher.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Derrick, that continuous shelf appears to be at about 8ft.
How deep is it and what's it for?
Is there a shelf on the 3rd un-pictured wall?
Utility sink area appears to be 7' 8" wide.

 

[DSPark13]

Derrick, that continuous shelf appears to be at about 8ft.
How deep is it and what's it for?
Is there a shelf on the 3rd un-pictured wall?
Utility sink area appears to be 7' 8" wide.

Hi Platonic,
You are correct, the 18" wide shelf is 8' high and it is for storage. There are no other shelves in the garage other than the two walls shown. You are also correct about the space on the side of the utility sink, it is 7' 8" wide. But, the L-shaped staircase slopes up to the ceiling as shown in the attached picture here, therefore it is open underneath and is a full 24' deep on the two car side. I would image it sloped like this can create an issue with lighting the entire garage properly.

The garage is set up for a two post lift in the single bay and hopefully a four post lift in the middle for work and or car storage.

It is ironic, our builder asked today what I wanted to do about the light fixtures in the garage. I asked him to leave it and I would install my own lights but did ask him to ask the electricians if they can wire up the sub panel and switches but leave the sub panel switches in the off position. If that is unwise to do, I will inform differently.

Thanks for helping,
Derrick

 

[rlitman]

8 pages on "The Best Light Fixture Ever!", and no reference to this?!?
You people are slipping.

 

[Platonic Solid]

8 pages on "The Best Light Fixture Ever!", and no reference to this?!?
You people are slipping.

OMG Without question - the Best Bang for the Buck ever

 

[Platonic Solid]

Derrick, Please post intended use for garage and any major items you'll be adding: lift - workbench (and where?) ...

Unless you have access to a platform lift, you'll want someone else to install the fixtures. This is not something you want to do from a ladder.

 

[DSPark13]

Derrick, Please post intended use for garage and any major items you'll be adding: lift - workbench (and where?) ...

I apologize that I did not add that info when I replied initially. The garage will be used mostly for working on cars as well as parking. On the 27.5' single bay side I will install a 2 post lift at 13' from the two window wall. The outside edge of the post baseplate will be 3' from the solid wall, an air compressor in the corner near the sub panel and the single garage door, a welder stored in the corner of the solid wall and window wall, tool chest and work benches all along the solid wall leaving room around the lift post. I also plan to install a 4 post lift in the middle bay, hopefully sooner than later.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Though not entirely off topic, this thread is drifting off on a tangent towards lighting layouts rather than the intended topic of the light fixtures themselves. I’ll address currently posted requests, but would appreciate future lighting layout requests be posted in their own thread or send me a PM.

On that note - I’ve been bombarded with lighting layout requests and to date I’ve responded to all of them. I can’t keep doing this as the weather is getting nicer and I have my own projects to deal with. There are plenty of consulting companies out there that will do this for you (obviously not for free). Many lighting manufacturers offer this service for free or a small fee. Naturally they only specify their own fixtures.

 

[Platonic Solid]

I apologize that I did not add that info when I replied initially. The garage will be used mostly for working on cars as well as parking. On the 27.5' single bay side I will install a 2 post lift at 13' from the two window wall. The outside edge of the post baseplate will be 3' from the solid wall, an air compressor in the corner near the sub panel and the single garage door, a welder stored in the corner of the solid wall and window wall, tool chest and work benches all along the solid wall leaving room around the lift post. I also plan to install a 4 post lift in the middle bay, hopefully sooner than later.

Putting that shelf right next to your lift is reducing the amount of reflected light you would normally get under the car when raised. Now if you mounted light fixtures under the shelf it would help (and look rather odd). Just thinking out loud.

 

[C2 Turbo]

OMG Without question - the Best Bang for the Buck ever

I want to see the source of light under that canopy though

 

[Platonic Solid]

I also plan to install a 4 post lift in the middle bay, hopefully sooner than later.

If you want the lighting to be setup properly for another lift, I'll need size and location dimensions.

 

[nitro3421]

I'm starting to plan a new 25' x 25' garage/shop build with a vaulted ceiling and would love to go with fully recessed fixtures throughout. My first thought was to go with a ton of LED cans but see there's some great much more cost effective options out there.

Any thoughts on the best recessed strip light option on the market?

 

[Platonic Solid]

I'm starting to plan a new 25' x 25' garage/shop build with a vaulted ceiling and would love to go with fully recessed fixtures throughout. My first thought was to go with a ton of LED cans but see there's some great much more cost effective options out there.

Any thoughts on the best recessed strip light option on the market?

Recessed 4ft fixtures of any flavor would have to be mounted parallel to your vaulted ceiling trusses. Is that what you want?

 

[nitro3421]

Recessed 4ft fixtures of any flavor would have to be mounted parallel to your vaulted ceiling trusses. Is that what you want?

Yes, that's the plan. I'll be stick framing the whole thing so I can design around a predetermined lighting layout.

Additionally, I'll have a soffit at the 8' high level where I can also mount some strip lights (possibly perpendicular to the framing in boxed out bays)

 

[DSPark13]

If you want the lighting to be setup properly for another lift, I'll need size and location dimensions.

The 4 post lift will be 9' 3" in width and 18' 8" total length with ramps, located in middle bay with the front of the lift 5' off the staircase wall. The 2 left side posts of the 4 post lift will be placed into the 2 foot space between the single and double garage doors.

Thanks,
Derrick

 

[Captain America]

Does the Lithonia Lighting wrapped fixture from Amazon collect gnats, spiders, or any bug attracted to light? I have two outdoor ceiling fans on my porch with enclosed light fixtures and they collect any bug attracted to light and I have to periodically empty the carcasses out.

 

[Platonic Solid]

The 4 post lift will be 9' 3" in width and 18' 8" total length with ramps, located in middle bay with the front of the lift 5' off the staircase wall. The 2 left side posts of the 4 post lift will be placed into the 2 foot space between the single and double garage doors.

Thanks,
Derrick

Done. See this thread here: Light Fixture Layout Collections

 

[Platonic Solid]

Does the Lithonia Lighting wrapped fixture from Amazon collect gnats, spiders, or any bug attracted to light? I have two outdoor ceiling fans on my porch with enclosed light fixtures and they collect any bug attracted to light and I have to periodically empty the carcasses out.

These are budget fixtures, thus are likely to permit small insect access. The expensive route is to seek fixtures with a minimum IP rating of 40. Higher IP is better. The budget method is to get a little creative with white Silicone Caulk and Polyurethane Adhesive Gasket.

 

[7echo]

Platonic Solid wrote..."On that note - I’ve been bombarded with lighting layout requests and to date I’ve responded to all of them. I can’t keep doing this as the weather is getting nicer and I have my own projects to deal with. There are plenty of consulting companies out there that will do this for you (obviously not for free). Many lighting manufacturers offer this service for free or a small fee. Naturally they only specify their own fixtures. "

Another option is a local supply house. At least one in our area will do a lighting take off with layout options and lumen estimates at no charge for customers.

 

[CS223]

In your case, I would recommend Qty.12, 4-lamp F32T8 8ft tandem strip lights (thus a total 48 F32T8 lamps). 4 rows of 3. Use High Ballast Factor Ballasts like the Sylvania 49455 and Sylvania 22026 Lamps.

Is there any vendor where you can order/configure a fixture with a specific ballast? A bare fixture with no ballast is as much as an off-the-shelf box store fixture ~$40. The 49455 HBF ballast is ~$45. There are other companies that make tandem fixtures with HBF ballasts, all imports, I'm finding it difficult to get specs on some of them. I'm looking at 20 fixtures total, I hate to gut and toss 20 ballasts or try to sell them piecemeal on eBay.