Fluorescent and incandescent lighting.

Danase · 03-17-09, 07:03

Has anyone done this in their garage?.....I'm getting ready to start adding lights in the garage and I'm thinking of doing 50/50 fluorescent and incandescent lighting. There are a couple of reasons for me to want to do this.
1. I'd have them on separate switches and if I was detailing I's probably use the incandescents to show more.
2. When I'm just messing in the garage I'd use the fluorescents to save energy.
3. In the winter, until I get heat, I'd use the incandescents since the fluorescents usually take a while to warm up to full light output.

Any thoughts?

Setec Astronomy · 03-17-09, 07:12

Good question...coming from someone who has a love/hate relationship with Compact Fluorescent bulbs (love them for the long life/low energy in apps where you leave them on for a long time; hate them for closets/stairways that you turn on only briefly and you want full light output right now), that seems like a lot of work. I have just the usually located bare incandescent...if I upgraded to a bunch of flourescent fixtures, I'd probably leave them there, but that's not 50/50. If you get the low temp fluorescent, that will light in low temps, what do you think the warmup is, and would you really need full light output within a few minutes of starting?

I'm thinking you might have a lot of fixtures for a detailing garage, and the low initial output might still be pretty good. The point about incandescent being better for swirl spotting is a salient one, tho.

Danase · 03-17-09, 07:23

I should also mention I'm not thinking about the tube fluorescents. I'm thinking the screw in compact kind. The tube fixtures will for sure take forever to warm up and I always have troubles with the ballast and stuff. The screw in types I can do a ton for less money.

Setec Astronomy · 03-17-09, 07:41

Yikes...a forest of CF's? I think those will take as long to warm up as tube-type. I know there are special fixtures for low temp, but I'm having trouble finding what the specific difference is right now...I think it's the ballast. Same goes for the CF's, only some of them are rated for outdoor (temperature) use.

Danase · 03-17-09, 07:49

That's why I'd use the incandescents when it's cold.

I was reading on a garage forum that a lot of guys are using canister style lighting in the garage now. I probably won't go with a canister style fixture though.

Twista616 · 03-17-09, 07:57

I'm in the same boat as Danase, but i wont consider canister lights, looking for the tube type. I need to get moving on this, so I can keep cars overnight and work on them.

SuperBee364 · 03-17-09, 08:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danase

Has anyone done this in their garage?.....I'm getting ready to start adding lights in the garage and I'm thinking of doing 50/50 fluorescent and incandescent lighting. There are a couple of reasons for me to want to do this.
1. I'd have them on separate switches and if I was detailing I's probably use the incandescents to show more.
2. When I'm just messing in the garage I'd use the fluorescents to save energy.
3. In the winter, until I get heat, I'd use the incandescents since the fluorescents usually take a while to warm up to full light output.

Any thoughts?

That's exactly what I have. Two 200 watt incandescents, then a total of four fluorescent tubes. The fluorescents are great for determining gloss level, and the incandescents are great for finding swirls and marring.

Accumulator · 03-17-09, 08:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danase

I should also mention I'm not thinking about the tube fluorescents. I'm thinking the screw in compact kind. The tube fixtures will for sure take forever to warm up and I always have troubles with the ballast and stuff. The screw in types I can do a ton for less money.

I was *gonna* post all over this thread

but then I saw the highlighted part of the above

I have dozens of tubes (mostly 8-footers) and nine (three rows of three) high-wattage incandescents. Switched on numerous separate circuits so I can adjust them to my liking (6 switches for fluorescents, three for incandescents).

I will say that I have *zero* maintenance issues with the fluorescents, and they've been in use since 2000. Yeah, they make a bit of noise at first when it's chilly, but nothing that bugs me (and I'm told I have a low tolerance for irritating stuff

).

Danase · 03-17-09, 08:17

I just want to keep this on the cheap and don't want to spend a ton for GOOD fluorescent tube fixtures and bulbs. Also from my experiences you get more lumens and a higher CRI on the compact fluorescents than the tubes.

Setec Astronomy · 03-17-09, 08:19

So you're talking about putting in regular screw-in sockets, and using the pig tail CF's? Or the older U-tube ones?

Danase · 03-17-09, 08:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperBee364

That's exactly what I have. Two 200 watt incandescents, then a total of four fluorescent tubes. The fluorescents are great for determining gloss level, and the incandescents are great for finding swirls and marring.

Yeah, I hate detailing a car under the fluorescents and then throwing on some regular bulbs and see something I missed.

You ever detail with both light sources on?

SuperBee364 · 03-17-09, 09:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danase

Yeah, I hate detailing a car under the fluorescents and then throwing on some regular bulbs and see something I missed.

You ever detail with both light sources on?

Yes, in fact, that's the only way I do it.

The lights are placed such that I can just move a bit and get either a tube *or* a bulb to reflect on whatever I'm polishing. That allows me to check marring and gloss level at the same time.

I still use halogen stands for the vertical panels, though. I have one of those incandescents on the end of an extension cord. Your idea about using the fluorescents that go into standard bulb sockets has given me the idea of replacing my incandescent on the extension cord with a screw in type fluorescent for checking gloss on vertical panels.