Wiring to high bay lights?

[Innovate1]

Have a 14' ceiling so am told I should be using high bay lights so am looking at those. Those hang slightly below the ceiling. They don't come with cords but I have seen that some people add cords and plug them into ceiling receptacles similar to how shop lights are done. Seems reasonable and allows moving the lights around if needed.

Other choice seems to be some sort of flex conduit. Am told it needs to be stranded wire. Seems more difficult than using a cord and plug.

What are my options?

 

[cybrdyke]

Do a proper layout and you'll never move them. Fixture whips is what the flex cord is called. It's metal clad flexible wire. But, you can just use romex if you want to. Much easier.
CD

 

[Norcal]

As said already lay it out right at the beginning and won’t have to move them, if receptacles are used then GFCI protection is required.

 

[Abeo]

I don't have a tall ceiling, but I did outlets so that I could change things up without rewiring in the future. I figured the T8 fixtures I have will give way to LED in the future, but there wasn't any advantage to being on the bleeding edge.
I had a ridiculous number of computer power cords on hand from years of IT stuff, so I used them as the cords to the lights instead of hard wiring. Way overrated for the power consumed by my lights, but still flexible and they look good.

 

[alfredeneuman]

As said already lay it out right at the beginning and won’t have to move them

And this.....in case you decide to move them

410.62 (C) Cord-Connected Lampholders and Luminaires.

(1) Cord-Connected Installation. A luminaire or a listed assembly in compliance with any of the conditions in (a) through (c) shall be permitted to be cord connected provided the luminaire is located directly below the outlet

 

[nadogail]

At an industrial plant I worked at the high bay fixtures were hard wired in and ballast replacement were very difficult.

I ordered fixture hooks and plugs and connector bodies and modified the fixtures to make future maintenance easier.

The manager who laid me off was discovered stealing from the company and given 30 minutes to clean out his desk and leave the property.

I quickly found a better job.

 

[Stuart in MN]

A 14 foot ceiling doesn't necessarily mean you need a high bay fixture - a rough rule of thumb is they're needed when you get above 15 feet. Do some research before buying anything, a good place to start is the Best Light Fixture Ever thread at the top of this section.

 

[Platonic Solid]

I did help Innovate1 with a layout already.

Was looking at the 3 bulb fixtures from prolighting.
TechBrite 48" 3 Lamp LED T8 Strip Fixture - 5000K - 8,019 Lumens - 120-277V
since they were recommended for someone with 12' ceilings.

Noticed the cord was extra. Minor detail. Can add my own for less than $9 though.

A bit overwhelmed by options. Like the idea of putting some lights near the walls for bench lighting. What are the recommendations for fixtures and placement?

Sams has Honeywell 5000 lumen fixtures for about $22 but see some negative comments for non-frosted lens and uneven light. Quite a bit cheaper than the prolight above when adjusted for lumen output but perhaps the prolight is that much better.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/5000l-lnk-shp-lt-10-led-shop-light/prod23951708?xid=pdp_carousel_rich-relevance.rr0_4

Don't need great light everywhere - I can put up additional lights where I need really good lighting.

Innovate1 - 8 of these (link) mounted close to ceiling would put you around 70fc @ 30" workplane. The Honeywell fixtures are ****, but to each his own.

I just grabbed a similar ~12,000 lumen output fixture to the one I posted previously for the layout. Not perfect, but you could do much worse.

Click image for larger view

​

Here's the Dialux PDF (link) with mounting location info. I put the fixtures at 13ft since the linked fixture doesn't have a surface mount option, thus they will have to hang.

Note to everyone else - Please don't flood me with layout requests as I don't have the time or desire to do free layouts for everyone.

 

[Innovate1]

And this.....in case you decide to move them

410.62 (C) Cord-Connected Lampholders and Luminaires.

(1) Cord-Connected Installation. A luminaire or a listed assembly in compliance with any of the conditions in (a) through (c) shall be permitted to be cord connected provided the luminaire is located directly below the outlet

I have a hard time believing this is enforced or don't understand the scope. I see shop lights all the time with cords and often the fixtures aren't directly below the outlet (which is a receptacle).

Since the word used is "outlet" that doesn't necessarily mean "receptacle" - could be a cord that is hard wired. Not sure what difference that makes.

 

[cybrdyke]

I have a hard time believing this is enforced or don't understand the scope. I see shop lights all the time with cords and often the fixtures aren't directly below the outlet (which is a receptacle).

Since the word used is "outlet" that doesn't necessarily mean "receptacle" - could be a cord that is hard wired. Not sure what difference that makes.

They mean receptacles.
My experience is that it's enforcement is recent. I know of retrofit projects that didn't pass final inspection because of this rule. And it's very very expensive to fix. You either have to move receptacle boxes or you have to do a new lighting layout.
These are commercial and industrial projects. I haven't seen enforcement in residential buildings.
CD

 

[Platonic Solid]

... you can just use romex if you want to. Much easier.

Mounting method is not clear from original post, but I think chain mounted fixtures require stranded wire due to potential movement. A solid post or bracket mount could use romex.

 

[Innovate1]

They mean receptacles.
My experience is that it's enforcement is recent. I know of retrofit projects that didn't pass final inspection because of this rule. And it's very very expensive to fix. You either have to move receptacle boxes or you have to do a new lighting layout.
These are commercial and industrial projects. I haven't seen enforcement in residential buildings.
CD

No. Outlet is used in the code to mean any point of use not just receptacles. When they mean receptacles they say receptacles.

https://www.electricallicenserenewal.com/Electrical-Continuing-Education-Courses/NEC-Content.php?sectionID=209.0

 

[Innovate1]

Mounting method is not clear from original post, but I think chain mounted fixtures require stranded wire due to potential movement. A solid post or bracket mount could use romex.

I was thinking of the fixtures recommended by Platonic Solid which are chain mount but understanding the options more broadly would be great.

 

[cybrdyke]

No. Outlet is used in the code to mean any point of use not just receptacles. When they mean receptacles they say receptacles.

https://www.electricallicenserenewal.com/Electrical-Continuing-Education-Courses/NEC-Content.php?sectionID=209.0

Yes. You are correct.
We see enforcement whether the fixtures are hardwired or cord & plug.
CD

 

[Innovate1]

Interesting. How close to vertical is considered "directly below"? I understand that if the fixture hangs from the box like a ceiling fan it will be directly below but for a chain hung fixture is the box within the outline of the fixture considered directly below? Seems like a lot of room for interpretation here and not trying to be difficult.

Can I direct wire these with SOJ cord?

What end clamps? NM clamps like these?

https://www.menards.com/main/electrical/conduit-conduit-fittings-raceways/conduit-fittings/sigma-proconnex-trade-3-8-nm-clamp-connector-4-pack/18051/p-1444430907051-c-9538.htm

And if hard wired with cord (and not plug) is the "outlet" the box built into the luminaire or the box on the ceiling? I seriously don't know but in looking for some more information on this I ran across that the junction box can be built into the fixture.