OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
The LUMEGEN LG-4T8-22WBB-SM50K (link) looks identical to the Straits Lighting SL913TK 4' 2-Lamp I reviewed here (link) see posts 5-6-7 which also was not UL Listed.
The Best Light Fixture Ever!
- Thread starter Platonic Solid
- Start date
We just spiffed up (paint etc) the garage at the house. Two separate single bay stalls with a pass thru opening between. 92" ceilings. Each stall has had just two bare bulbs for years. I'm looking for a simple budget lighting improvement.
It seems to me that I would get a big improvement in lighting by replacing each of the 4 bare bulbs with something like the 2 bulb fixture in the first post. We are mostly just walking through or grabbing something off a shelf - so the lights would mostly be on for just a minute or less multiple times a day. But there are times when we would really appreciate better lighting (bicycle repairs etc). Are the bulbs/fixtures in the first post reliable for all the switching? Any other budget solutions?
(I do have a 30x30 shop with good lighting for bigger projects)
thanks,
Jim
It seems to me that I would get a big improvement in lighting by replacing each of the 4 bare bulbs with something like the 2 bulb fixture in the first post. We are mostly just walking through or grabbing something off a shelf - so the lights would mostly be on for just a minute or less multiple times a day. But there are times when we would really appreciate better lighting (bicycle repairs etc). Are the bulbs/fixtures in the first post reliable for all the switching? Any other budget solutions?
(I do have a 30x30 shop with good lighting for bigger projects)
thanks,
Jim
The One
Well-known member
I'm buying lights for my 32x28x11 garage/workshop.
T8 housings with LED bulbs on a dimmer sounds to me like the best suited for my uses. I found old threads on adding dimmers but they involved manually taking housings apart and putting them back together. Is there any newer plug and play housings for T8 bulbs that are dimmable out of the box?
How many bulbs would you guys suggest I use in the garage?
Edit: To make them dimmable, does that involve just a switch on the wall or new wiring to each housing?
T8 housings with LED bulbs on a dimmer sounds to me like the best suited for my uses. I found old threads on adding dimmers but they involved manually taking housings apart and putting them back together. Is there any newer plug and play housings for T8 bulbs that are dimmable out of the box?
How many bulbs would you guys suggest I use in the garage?
Edit: To make them dimmable, does that involve just a switch on the wall or new wiring to each housing?
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OP
Platonic Solid
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The One
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Thanks! For ease I think I will forgo the dimmer and just remove a few bulbs if it ends up being too bright.
How does 24 fixtures (48 T8 bulbs) in 4 squares sound for a 28x30 with 11ft ceilings? Similar to this one you posted but completing the "+" in the middle?
OVERKILL! . . . if you have a finished garage with painted walls and a light color, reflective, floor. But then again, you didn't describe your environment or the lumens of the bulbs. Probably could be half that amount, depending . . .
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
The One - Since you define the space as garage/workshop, I assume you're looking for 93fc @ 30" work plane. Is this primarily for automotive work? Is there a lift? Need size and location of garage doors. Wall, ceiling, floor finish. 24 2-lamp fixtures is definitely not overkill at 11ft.
http://www.visual-3d.com/tools/interior/default.aspx?id=14782
My shop is 26 x 36 x 11 ft ceiling. Finished all over. White walls, white ceiling, light grey floor. I used 80% reflective walls and ceiling, 55% floor. 12, 2-lamps, 3000 lumens gave me 91fc at 30". I have them on 3 circuits and most of the time I have 2 circuits turned off when I am working in a specific area.
My shop is 26 x 36 x 11 ft ceiling. Finished all over. White walls, white ceiling, light grey floor. I used 80% reflective walls and ceiling, 55% floor. 12, 2-lamps, 3000 lumens gave me 91fc at 30". I have them on 3 circuits and most of the time I have 2 circuits turned off when I am working in a specific area.
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
The One
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I don't have any fancy 3d model of my garage. I only have fairly rough numbers right now and am planning out everything I need to finish the garage.
28x32'. 2 garage doors. Both are 9' tall, one is 13' wide, the other is 9' wide. Planning on white metal walls and ceiling.
Primarily offroad automotive work (so everything is kinda high off the ground). I do not plan on having a lift in this space -- waiting on building a new workshop with more room for that. Floor is raw concrete and will probably leave it that way.
I want plenty of light to work at night and see under the Jeeps. A nice even lighting would be best I think. I do paint a little bit but I'm by no means painting show cars.
Here's a few pictures of the space:
I find that I tend to park what's being worked on directly in the middle with ample space around it. If I need to bring something else in for a quick oil change or something I bring it in the small door.
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
The One - So 28' x 38' is the overall exterior dim?
The One
Well-known member
28x32 is interior. For bulbs I'm currently looking at the LUMEGEN LG-4T8-22WBB-SM50K you suggest here.
Even when my work benches weren't covered in junk, I rarely use them. Most work is done on a welding table or directly on the vehicle.
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
I'll take a closer look this evening. Your wall and ceiling reflectance (or lack of) will increase the fixture qty.
The One
Well-known member
Thanks a bunch!
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
The One - Here's the pickle (♫ I don't wanna pickle - just wanna ride on my motorc.. ♫ oh sorry) to hit or nearly hit 93fc @ 30" work plane you'd need Qty.30 2-lamp 4ft strip lights ($850) or Qty.12 10,400 lumen linear highbays ($756) (link). Prices assume 10% lightup coupon codes on post 1 still work. The 12 highbays yield less even lighting than the 30 strips.
A similar 80W 11,121 lumen linear highbay is available here (link) for $67.20 ea. ($806 total), no discount code known and no free shipping.
A similar 80W 11,121 lumen linear highbay is available here (link) for $67.20 ea. ($806 total), no discount code known and no free shipping.
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The One
Well-known member
Oh wow. That is a ton of light fixtures. I'm not even sure I have the ceiling space for that many lol. Everybody's been telling me that I'm crazy for even having more than 12 fixtures. I think they're used to those ultra bright "burn your retina" LED lights that hurt to look at. I've been struggling with 12 florescent bulbs.
Looking at the high bays, the "bulbs" don't look to be replacable so I assume I'd be replacing fixtures in the future instead? I may be biased as I bought into LED bulbs in the house early and while they did pay for themselves I've replaced a few. If I had to replace an entire fixture I'd have been a little more annoyed.
I'll play with some mounting ideas to fit 30 fixtures (60 bulbs) in. I really like the idea of the even lighting they'd provide.
I assume my only option for going with less lights is with an epoxy floor?
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
No. #1 best thing you can do is paint your walls white eggshell sheen. This reduces fixture Qty. from 30 to 25. Next best thing is to drop the fixtures down. What we really need here is a cost effective 8000 lumen fixture.
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The One
Well-known member
Thanks for walking me through this.
What about this white paneling for the walls and ceiling?
https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...eel-panel/white1557523-01/p-1444448676857.htm
The back of the garage doors are also white but more of a flat white.
I want to keep the lights high.
The one- It's been awhile since I played with the calculator, but for my 30x40, I ended up going with 3 rows of 8 for a total of 24 fixtures. I got the first row installed over the labor day weekend, and working on the second one now.. i think I'm going to end up just right. Using a cheesy lumin meter app on my phone, I'm anxious to see where I end up with all the lights on. My thinking was I would have the ability to turn whatever row over my work area. One thing that calculator showed me, but it didn't really sink in: that 11ft height is a killer! But I work on off road vehicles as well, and lowering the lighting wasn't an option. Good luck!
Something is wrong. My link www.visual-3d.com/tools/interior/default.aspx?id=14782 shows qty 12 lights and room 26 x 36. No idea why your data is different. In this post I modified the link by deleting the http in the front of the url. Maybe try it and see if different results. Maybe I'm embedding the URL incorrectly. As I said everything is finished and white. Floor is painted very light grey. I can't tell you how wonderful it is when you are underneath a car and the drop light is reflecting everything.
I agree if the walls and ceiling is unpainted OSB with bare concrete, the quantity of lamps goes way up. The environment was unknown in his original post.
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
The One - Yes, anything more reflective than OSB will help, but let's be realistic. That's a lot of time and money for the sake of 5 light fixtures. Max benefit is achieved at the top of the walls. Though it would look odd, a reflective perimeter covering the first 4 to 6 feet below the ceiling yields the most benefit.
saltfever - The visual tool must be storing some defaults on our respective PCs. Whatever I put in the left column is what appears the next time it is opened. When I plug in 26 x 36 with 70|50|20 reflectance it returns 20 fixtures 93fc. At the end of the day it all comes down to each individual persons visual acuity. If you can clearly see everything you need to, then your layout is good for you. Unfortunately as we age we'll all need more.
saltfever - The visual tool must be storing some defaults on our respective PCs. Whatever I put in the left column is what appears the next time it is opened. When I plug in 26 x 36 with 70|50|20 reflectance it returns 20 fixtures 93fc. At the end of the day it all comes down to each individual persons visual acuity. If you can clearly see everything you need to, then your layout is good for you. Unfortunately as we age we'll all need more.
Since my walls and ceiling are gloss, eggshell white, and light grey floor, I used 80/80/55 and populated accordingly. It came out very bright. I only wish I had 5000k instead of the 4000k but I think it is more mental than visual!
Thanks for the explanation of the calculator, that must be what is happening. How true about age.
There seems to be some new options I'm seeing on Amazon as opposed to the standard 4' LED lights on here. Anybody planning on using LED troffers or LED UFOs? They are rated around 10000 to 20000+ lumens! for 1 unit.
Here's a UFO unit rated 28k lumens, but who knows for sure. https://amzn.to/2NSRNLR
Here's a LED troffer style unit rated at 21k plus. https://amzn.to/2M54gdK
Here's a UFO unit rated 28k lumens, but who knows for sure. https://amzn.to/2NSRNLR
Here's a LED troffer style unit rated at 21k plus. https://amzn.to/2M54gdK
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
The UFO lights have been around a while. Having all the heat from high output LEDs concentrated directly under the driver negatively impacts driver life. Not to overlook the 28,000 lumen output which would be terrible to install at any height less than 16 ft.
The linear highbays have also been around a while and there are lots of GJ members using them. See Greenlight Depot (link) and LightUp (link). I've probably done 100 layouts in the past year using linear highbays. Most of those you don't want to install at anything under 12ft ceiling height.
Each lumen output and fixture style has it's place. The 4ft 2-Lamp strip lights work well under 12ft. The goal is to have comfortable even illumination with the least amount of shadows. Ideal shadow reduction is achieved with a higher quantity of properly placed fixtures that aren't so intense that they cause glare discomfort.
The One
Well-known member
Thanks for the help PS. I ordered enough for 24 fixtures. Since I am insulating and putting up white walls anyway I think it's going to work out great!
Thanks for the info.
In your opinion what light style would be best for a 15' ceiling in an RV garage (no RV yet) with the shop at the rear half. I want bang for my buck and minimal cost. TIA.maplepuck
Active member
Great info; wished i would have found this thread before wasting a days-worth "research"; but then how else would i have gained the knowledge of CRI and Lumens. Now i can lighten up any conversation.
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
Need more details. Wall/Ceiling finish. Is space for wrenching or parking? If wrenching, the GrennTek 110W (link) is a popular hanging fixture at your mounting height. For surface mounting, the 110W Alphalite (link).Thanks for the info.
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
Not that it matters now, but I did forget one option. This 3-lamp strip light would reduce your 24 fixture quantity to 16. Higher per fixture cost, but lower installation cost - might be a wash.
Qty.24, 4x6 pattern 2-lamp = 84fc (Cost $680)
Qty.16, 4x4 pattern 3-lamp = 85fc (Cost $896)
Qty.20, 4x5 pattern 3-lamp = 106fc (Cost $1,120)
benchracer1
Well-known member
just got done installing my green tek lights you recomended. So nice. I appreciate your recomendation. Im sure Ill have a few adjustments to make and may even add one or two........Steve
OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
Please post pics.
The One
Well-known member
I'm still happy with my choice and the lighting will be even. I ended up deciding to rewire my entire garage since whoever wired it didn't have any idea of what they were doing. Fresh start and it was only getting to be more costly to keep it every time I had a change.
The One
Well-known member
You bet! Work on the ceiling starts in 3 weeks and the lights shortly after!
I have no concept of how big the boxes with the lights will be but I have a strong feeling that UPS is going to hate me. My record to date is filling roughly 1/3 of a truck.
Hi. I could use some advice. I'm building a new house with attached 24x25 garage and a connected 26x32 shop. I will attach a pic of the plan if I can. Both will have around 11 to 12 ft ceilings once the concrete is poured. Electrical is already done. Note the drawing is not to scale as the garage was expanded and the shop is 26ft wide (not 24). The garage and shop both have 18x9 garage doors on the front and the shop has a 10x9 door on the back.
The red rectangle on my drawing is a 4ft shelf at 8ft high. the blue rectangles are planned shop lights mounted to the 8ft high shelf above workbenches below. The yellow circles are the approximate locations for 4 lights in each garage. Could I make this any more confusing
I would like recommendations for the 8 garage lights and the 2 workbench lights.
Thanks!
The red rectangle on my drawing is a 4ft shelf at 8ft high. the blue rectangles are planned shop lights mounted to the 8ft high shelf above workbenches below. The yellow circles are the approximate locations for 4 lights in each garage. Could I make this any more confusing
I would like recommendations for the 8 garage lights and the 2 workbench lights.
Thanks!
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I switched out the existing fluorescent T8 bulbs with the plug-and-play GreenTek LED’s recommended at the start of this thread.
I left the ballasts in and hooked up to the circuit and everything looks great.
My question is this: Should I expect longer life or better illumination if I rewired the fixture to bypass the ballasts? Or is using these in plug-and-play mode just fine?
Interested to hear what others have done or recommend.
Thanks!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I left the ballasts in and hooked up to the circuit and everything looks great.
My question is this: Should I expect longer life or better illumination if I rewired the fixture to bypass the ballasts? Or is using these in plug-and-play mode just fine?
Interested to hear what others have done or recommend.
Thanks!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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OP
Platonic Solid
Well-known member
62special - depending on the fluorescent ballast factor you'll likely get a little more light output if you bypass the ballast. I wouldn't expect any bulb life difference either way, though I've seen more flicker type issues with ballasts left in than when bypassed.
benchracer1
Well-known member
I hung them at 16 ft. They are roughly 10 ft apart on parallel and maybe 15 ft longitudinal. The first two pics are during the daytime right after installation. The lat pic is at night. I tracked down some great hangers for the light and wires. They clip on the purlins and beams and make installation much easier. I'll try and post pics of them when I get back home....steve
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benchracer1
Well-known member
You may notice 1 side and corner dont have lighting. This is because I'm going to put a mezzanine there and it will block light. I'll be lighting those separately