Shop lighting?

[bevans6]

I have been working out my shop layout, and it is going to be 24' by 70', 12 foot ceilings.  It has some 8' two tube flourescents in it now - they don't work well and with the shop being often unheated in winter they are real hard to start, so I want to replace them.  What are the current trends in industrial/shop lighting that is efficient, can deal with cold temperatures, long lasting and gives good light colour?  How do you know how much light to install?

Sorry if this is off-topic, but I will be working on bus parts in the shop!

Thanks, Brian

[belfert]

Electronic ballasts can handle low temps better than magnetic ballasts.  You can retrofit electronic ballasts to old fixtures, but it is not often cost effective unless you get a deal on the ballasts.  You generally have to replace the sockets too as the wiring setup is a little different for electronic ballasts.  You also have to go to T8 bulbs most of the time.

I put 8 foot fixtures in the trailer pulled behind the bus, but my eight foot fixture actually have two sets of 4 foot T8 bulbs.  I think the fixture were like $40 each at Home Depot last July.  I found some 4 foot T8 bulbs on clearance at Lowes for 25 cents each.  They are daylight color, but for a trailer who cares?

[lostagain]

I don't think the lighting has to be very bright, just enough to see where you're going and find tools, etc.

I use task lights such as above the bench I'm working, or trouble light where I need it on the bus or whatever I'm working on. You'll always need those, so why spend a lot of money building and running overhead lights?

In my 40' by 60' shop, 16' high, I have 2 rows of 4 23 watt CFL hanging from the ceiling at the 12 foot level, in white reflectors about 2' diameter.

And IIRC, 6 of them at the 8 foot level on each long wall again in white fixtures, pointing down.

Each row is on its own switched circuit.

Lots of outlets along the walls.

JC

[scanzel]

You can go with the cold start high intensity 8' 110 watts bulbs, two in each fixture. They start up in cold wheather and as they get warmer they come up to their maxium intensity. My garage is 24x28 and I sheet rocked the walls and ceiling and painted everything a semi gloss white for more light reflection. When I turn all six of them on at 220 watts per fixture times 6 fixtures it is like day light in the garage. I purchase mine at Lowes. You can also go with the high intensity fixtures that you see in Home Depot or Lowes on their ceilings but these cost a lot and are usually 220 volt.

[Gary '79 5C]

Brian,

How low is your low temp's ?

I have standard 8' flourscents, and I would install the same, but with High Output ballast/lamp combo. All ballasts are electronic, and the HO's are made for cooler storage operations.

Good Luck,

[Fred Mc]

I live near  Vancouver and have a similar climate to yours. As Belfert says, the el cheapo fixtures from HD will work fine. We just replaced some in the horse barn (unheated) and the cold doesn't affect them at all.
As for how many, in my estimation the more the better. If its for working on the bus I would have a continous run of fixtures along each side of the bus and then additional fictures for work areas like a work bench etc. In my mid you can't have too many and they really are cheap.

[FloridaCliff]

Brian,

I know you are a pretty resourceful guy, so here is my suggestion;

See if if you can find some parking lot lamps.  Square or round fixture, but not street lights.

I have three fixtures removed from a parking lot that were strappable to 110vac.

I obtained them from an electrical contractor who was doing the relighting.

You should be able to get them for just over scrap, as that's what they do with 90% of them

When on its like daytime inside. 

Bets of luck,

Cliff

[bevans6]

That's for the tip's on the high output flourescents, I will look at those.  I am seeing industrial type LED lights - anyone know much about those?  I need to balance the cost of the lights with the operating costs, power is not cheap in Nova Scotia...

Thanks, Brian

[Busted Knuckle]

Brian funny that you should bring this up at this time.
I am looking for new lighting for our shop & the new pit bay at this time too.

This past summer when Don Fairchild was here he mentioned that I needed to get rid of "those power sucking fluorescent lights" & get some GOOD lights, and then a couple weeks later when Dick Olsen stopped in an we were discussing the new pit bay I mentioned what Don said.
Dick told me I have just what you need I have a bunch of lights in my warehouse I'll out some together and bring them to you next time I come up.

Well as you all know Dick recently passed away. But I have been in touch with his son who confirms Dick/they had a ton of lighting sitting around.

I am waiting on him to get back to me on what kind of lights they are and how much $.

I will let them know that there are other busnuts also needing shop lighting and maybe they will make us a "clearance deal in Dick's honor" so they can get rid of a bunch of them, and free up space.
  BK 

[zimtok]

I have a small shop. (16'X20') It is unheated and I knew that florescent fixtures have trouble in cold temps so I put in several strips of track lighting. I then installed LED flood/spot lights. I've got a few dark spots but as time goes by I'll add fixtures to the tracks and illuminate the dark areas of my shop...


.

[bevans6]

I'm really wary of the power requirement.  I have two 300 watt sodiums for outside lighting and they cost me $25 a month after all is said and done.  Mind you one has a broken light sensor so it mostly stays on all the time, but it's 25 feet in the air and I only have a 20 foot ladder so I can't fix it...   

Brian

[Uglydog56]

This is one area that I don't think you can overdo.  My garage is 20x24 and has 8 four foot flourescents, 2 100w bulbs in the back that were already there, and a 4 foot flourescent over the bench that should have been an 8 foot.  I also use a 500 watt spotlight on the work if I'm under the car.  You can't have too much light.  I think you should have two continuous strings of flourescents on the roof, plus extra above the work areas.  And I would paint the inner walls white to reflect it even more.  And I would plan for skylight panels in the roof also.  Divide the light strings into 4 zones if you are worried about power consumption and only turn on the ones where you are working.  I've not heard one person ever complain about too much light in their shop.  How many hours to you plan to spend in your garage that it would make that sizeable of a hit on your power bill?  I hate working in a dim shop.  I painted the entire underhood areas of all my cars appliance white so I could see when I'm working on them.  I'm still on the fence about whether to do this as part of the engine swap on my bus.

[NEO/Russ]

My shop is 30 x 70, with 16' clearspan ceiling.  Entirely lit with florescent lighting, but all fixtures are horizontal and mounted just above the top of the 8' sheetrock.  I am in TN so it only gets down to about 10 and on those days they take a bit to get bright, hum and vibrate, but they do come on.  I also have my ship heated and AC'd so when I have days where I can pre-heat it works well.  I used 8' fixtures down the side from Lowes with 4' (3) across one end and one each on both sides of the overhead door on the other.  It works much better to work on things with light from the side rather than hanging down, less shadows and closer to where you are cutting, grinding, painting, etc.  In 10 years I have had to replace about 4 bulbs, those 8' ones really last. 

[bevans6]

Russ, I like that idea!  Did you use single or double bulbs along the sides, and what wattage? 

Brian

[Chopper Scott]

I replaced all my 8' HO flourescent double fixture lighting with what I think they call T/5 fixtures. Unbelievable difference. I have a total of 14 in my 50 x 90 welding shop and basically spent around 4 grand. Not cheap but I sure have a nice tan!!!! LOL. I wouldn't waste my time with the old HO fixtures. They do have retro kits to put the better lighting in the old fixtures if you already have them  but it was easier for me to just start over. Just what I did. I probably could have gotten by with half the lights but as we get older it's nice to have the light! Not even close in comparison as far as lighting and they use a lot less juice.