Shop Lights

[Billy Golightly]

I've gotta do something about the lighting in my shop. I'm sick and tired of the cheap assed bulbs and ballasts in the florescents that last a year if you're lucky. I have 14ft high ceiling to the rafters, so getting up there and changing that trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro out isn't exactly an easy or fun thing to do.

Shop is 30x60, concrete block, high ceiling like I mentioned. Very little ambient light during the day and as soon as the sun sets, its a cave in there. Don't really want to run a 220v circuit but at this point if I have to, to get some bad ass lights where I can actually see wtf I'm doing and wont have to be climbing in the rafters to change stuff out on them with the frequency I am now, I'm open to it.


What do I buy? Metal Hallide? Halogen? Are there big LED fixtures now? At this point I'd rather err on the side of overkill.

[big specht]

We have a 40x80 with 16ft ceilings and white metal walls. We have 5 Metal Hallide lights with clear globes spaced evenly around the shop. I would think those new florescents lights would work good in your shop and probley be cheaper to run than the metal hallide lights

[El Camexican]

How tall is tall? I use something like this in my small shop http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Electric-200W-Equivalent-Daylight-6500K-Spiral-CFL-Light-Bulb-ESL40TN-D/203252142?N=5yc1vZbmat but my roof is 14' tall in the front section.

A friend of mine found some MASSIVE bulbs like this. Don't know the rating, but I would guess 400 to 1,000. He may have needed special sockets. His roof is at least 20' high, but I've never been there at night.

I think I read that they're intensity has a half life or something, you'd want to read up on that. I use them in my garage as well, but not as large as it is a low ceiling. They are 8 years old and still work fine, but you can tell they have lost some brightness and the ones in the kitchen that run 24/7 have recently died after 8 years. The ones in the shop are 4 years old with sporadic use and I can't tell any difference so far.

My one and only beefs are that the coils collect dust and they are said to be toxic if they break. If you are grinding every day, or painting you'll want to pull them down and was them every few years. If one ever breaks don't touch it!

Are your walls painted? Without a coat of gloss, or semi-gloss white paint no amount of lighting will make you feel like you're in a well lite area.
208845208848

[coolpool]

I had the same dilemma when I installed 7 standard screw in fixtures and ran 100w CFL bulbs. Ok for lighting but not quite there. An electrician friend ordered me six, 4' - 4 bulb T5 fluorescent fixtures designed for high ceilings. I was shocked when the bill came in at $1100.00! That was until I installed them; holy crap are they bright! I had to close the blind on the window facing the house, the wife complained about the glare; and the shop is 70' away. My shop is 28 x 34 with 10' ceilings and painted bright white, although it's not too bright after 4 years of working in there now. The downside of T5's is the bulbs and ballasts are supposed to be way higher than your standard T8. I don't know as mine are still working after 2 years. If you look at any of my posts with pics you can see the lights seem to do the trick. No flashes needed, ever.

[Billy Golightly]

How tall is tall? I use something like this in my small shop http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Electric-200W-Equivalent-Daylight-6500K-Spiral-CFL-Light-Bulb-ESL40TN-D/203252142?N=5yc1vZbmat but my roof is 14' tall in the front section.

A friend of mine found some MASSIVE bulbs like this. Don't know the rating, but I would guess 400 to 1,000. He may have needed special sockets. His roof is at least 20' high, but I've never been there at night.

I think I read that they're intensity has a half life or something, you'd want to read up on that. I use them in my garage as well, but not as large as it is a low ceiling. They are 8 years old and still work fine, but you can tell they have lost some brightness and the ones in the kitchen that run 24/7 have recently died after 8 years. The ones in the shop are 4 years old with sporadic use and I can't tell any difference so far.

My one and only beefs are that the coils collect dust and they are said to be toxic if they break. If you are grinding every day, or painting you'll want to pull them down and was them every few years. If one ever breaks don't touch it!

Are your walls painted? Without a coat of gloss, or semi-gloss white paint no amount of lighting will make you feel like you're in a well lite area.
208845208848


Yeah...not painting the inside of this. :lol:

208867

Wish it was still that clean inside, picture about 6 or 7 years old now...

[Billy Golightly]

Man you guys have good reviews for the florescents...maybe I will revisit them again. I would prefer to have something that doesn't make the electric meter spin when I turn them on so maybe that is still my best route.

[El Camexican]

Yeah...not painting the inside of this

$600 in paint, plastic and rollers, 48 beers and 4 large pizzas to convince 2 buddies to come over on the weekend and your old man on standby to say: "you missed a spot" and it would be done in one weekend and two coats (just the walls). It would make all the difference in the world.

Want to save a few more bucks? Wire in multiple switches. I put four switches in in mine and typically don't use more than 4 to 8 of the 11 bulbs at any given time.

[oile]

Billy which florescent bulbs are you using T12, T8 or T5 also what bulb are you using? For an Phillips bulb the higher the number the better the bulb like they go 700 series bulbs to a 900 series bulbs. I would run an 865 or 850 bulb in an T8 an T5 is better set up but it so much more money and your not gaining that much for the price difference.

[Billy Golightly]

I am pretty sure they are the T8 is what I bought last. Right now I have about 4 ballasts out in the shop. I guess I need to start with just sucking up and replacing those, and maybe just adding a few more fixtures in addition to what I already have perhaps.

[stoshu]

Paint the walls gloss white. Just built a new 28x32 myself. My electrician convinced me to use t5 8' fixtures. Started out with only 4, it was a huge difference from the 4 bulb t8 fixtures I had during construction. Had a few too many beers one night and ordered 5 more. I've never needed all of them on at the same time. Expensive, but I don't think I'll ever need a trouble light when working under my truck.

[big specht]

Painting would be worth the time. One of the dealer ships I worked at had me paint the walls in the shop to a lighter gray than they were before and it really made a differance. The light reflected a lot more off the lighter colors. If you painted you shop it would make cleaning grease and oil off the walls a lot easyer

[tri again]

I did standard concrete floor grey and went directly to hi gloss white
walls and floors.
Shows the dirt? so does grey or green.
Gloss white floors? concrete is basically white and one lightbulb
does the work of 5 or 6.
I used latex, dry by the time you're done and still there after 10 yrs.

Even if you just spray the walls down to the toolbox height. or white stripe in middle of the floor.
so you don't hafta move anything.. Kinda like mowing, I always miss a few spots to p&^% off the ex.

IDK whatever I do I get in trouble for so may as well have fun and get what you want.
I have pin spots running off the creek and shooting into the shop.
Easier than running wires 150 feet and I aim them at stainless reflectors inside the windows.
Costs NOthing to run.

[coolpool]

$600 in paint, plastic and rollers, 48 beers and 4 large pizzas to convince 2 buddies to come over on the weekend and your old man on standby to say: "you missed a spot" and it would be done in one weekend and two coats (just the walls). It would make all the difference in the world.

Want to save a few more bucks? Wire in multiple switches. I put four switches in in mine and typically don't use more than 4 to 8 of the 11 bulbs at any given time.

Roger that el cam, I put 3 on one switch and 3 on another. I'm going to install a motion security light on the inside to activate when I just want to hit the beer fridge.

Honestly Billy I don't see an issue painting the inside of that shop. Yeah it's tedious but at least it doesn't look like much is fastened to the walls except for the conduit/fixtures. If you really wanted to go crazy, pre-paint 3/8" OSB and cover the ceiling using a drywall lift.

[atc007]

Ask your Dad Billy. The older you get, You will NEVER be sorry for having a bright,well lit shop. Or,maybe he's not the one to ask lol! Seriously though. It will pay for itself in spades. I too would stick w florescents and a couple switches with that.

[tri again]

I wonder if skylights would help?
I guess they usually leak and you are in a weather windy zone.

I saw some 3rd world roof lights that were water filled clear plastic soda bottles
stuck into the ceiling. Not sure how they were sealed but they lit up just like a lightbulb.

I also light the frequencies of full spectrum lights. Used to be expensive but thinking 4 ft tubes are
down to a couple bucks.

[RoscoW]

Give a google or E-bay search for High Bay LED. Most of the Gas stations around us as well as a lot of parking lots and street lights are switching to LED. Lots on E-Bay.

Ross..

[onformula1]

I use 4' florescent double bulb lights and have 21 in a oversized 2 car garage, the are on 4 circuits so you can go light, bright, brighter and second sun!

If you drop them down from the rafters to 8-9 feet off the ground it will be much, much better. If you need more clearance in so areas lift them up higher.

You MUST paint that place gloss white or off white, if you don't want to do it yourself or you are too busy, find a high school kid looking for some side work or fix his ATC in exchange for painting.

Do one section at a time, move everything away, paint move it back, then move on.

Paint makes all the difference in the world!

[Jerm1179]

BigAssLights? no clue how good they are but I stumbled across these a few days ago
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Big-Ass-Fans-2-ft-Anodized-Aluminum-LED-Shop-Light-BAL-SHL1-13050104060900/205745341?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cBase&gclid=CMqvifSEs8MCFYU7aQodb7gADg&gclsrc=aw.ds

[El Camexican]

if you don't want to do it yourself or you are too busy, find a high school kid looking for some side work or fix his ATC in exchange for painting.

I don't know about that. The last trike engine that went into that shop ended up with a snowmobile cylinder on it!:eek:

[onformula1]

I don't know about that. The last trike engine that went into that shop ended up with a snowmobile cylinder on it!:eek:

Now that's funny!!!

[Ryanq55]

Throw a couple little solar panels up on the roof, a couple of LED high bay lights... if your not working in their 24/7, depending on how many panels you put up (if you did) the panels would more than likely keep up and m,ay even make your meter spin backwards :idea: