need help with lights for this garage

swirlnuts · 11-05-07, 04:16

this is where i work. We are going to be getting new radiant heat put in shortly and all the flourescents have to come down. They do a decent but not great job of lighting things up. What would you guys recommend for something this size. Thanks in advance for any help.

swirlnuts · 11-06-07, 06:58

sorry for the shameless bump but does anyone have any ideas at all? the floor and walls are getting painted in the spring which will help some but those lights are about worthless.

LADNAR · 11-07-07, 05:33

I would just stay with flouresants, but maybe enclose the area and repaint walls, lower ceiling to below trusses. that it self will help the most. Around here they have used white painted steel building steel sheets. Sure would reflect light and keep the heat down. RANDAL

MRJB · 11-07-07, 08:56

I would also keep the flourescents for a very good shadowless light but I would augment it with some 500 watt quartz hallogen lights for doing detail work. I agree that freshening up the wall paint and painting the floor would also brighten up the work area a bunch.

LouisanaJeeper · 11-10-07, 05:09

you will need some Low Bay Metal Halide fixtures, in 250W-400W. I would say 4, but I am not a lighting expert

cebarro · 11-10-07, 05:19

Well, I would white epoxy the floor. My hangar in the Air Force had this stuff that "increased reflectivity by 400%" or so they said. I do know we didn't have to pay as much for lighting in the end.

Accumulator · 11-11-07, 10:35

Fluorescents are great for economical general-purpose lighting, but they're just *AWFUL* for swirl-spotting, you'll only see the worst of the worst. Even "art gallery" fluorescents don't expose marring IME, they're just not the "point source illumination" that works best for that.

Check out the lights they use at gas stations (are they metal halide? sodium?

I dunno for sure *what* they are.). I'd try to actually inspect a car under that lighting before spending a lot of money (on something that might not work too well). Otherwise, supplement the fluorescents with ceiling mounted incandescents (high wattage, ~300w)and free-standing halogens.

Whatever you go with, get more than you think you need, and more than lighting contractors tell you is sufficient. Remember that normal people have no idea what detailing is all about and usually can't see marring under *any* conditions.

FWIW, I have dozens of 8' fluorescent tubes in my shop, and incandescents mounted between the rows of fluorescents. I turn off the tubes and rely on the incandescents to inspect for marring.