Light Fixtures

rjstaaf · 05-01-04, 06:05

Hey all,

I am thinking about replacing the light fixtures in my garage with fluorescents this weekend. I was going to pick them up at Home Depot or Lowes. From their websites it looks like Home Depot has a better selection of lighting. I am thinking 2 4' double bulb units.

Any suggestions on what to look for? Are there any brands to look for, seems both Home Depot and Lowes mostly carry Lithonia which I have never heard of. Would it be ok to go with double bulb units or should I stick with single bulb? How about a lense, should I go with a diffuser or just leave the bulbs exposed? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Here is the current lighting or lack thereof

Thanks

Prometheus · 05-01-04, 06:21

Double are better as far as im concerned, but check the amperage and make sure it wont overload the circuits. AS for brands, it prolly doesnt matter. As long as you install them per the directions and dont beat the crap out of em, they should work just fine. Just to be safe though, i wouldnt buy the cheapest ones since they have a tendency to make an annoying buzzing noise.

gentletouch · 05-01-04, 07:06

The 4' lights at home depot are really inexpensive. I installed (hardwired) 2 in my garage and I also bought one for under my carport that I plug into an extension cord.

teacherray · 05-01-04, 09:04

I like the 8' lights better. I don't know how to explain it other than that I find the dull spot at the end of the tube to be annoying. With the 8' fixture you will need fewer of the fixtures to cover the same area and IMO the quality of light seems better. Also you get what you pay for with lights. If you purchase the inexpensive shop lights expect to replace them every few years as the ballast usually goes. For my time I'd rather spend it on my car not replacing the lights. I agree you should check amperage requirements.
The anoying buzzing noise is usually a result of the ballast ( the big black thing inside the enclosure) not being secured well. To correct this just tighten the tab(s) that hold it in place.

Avalanche · 05-03-04, 02:04

The home depot 4' doubles are a great buy. They have instant on ballasts and dont hum at all, best of all they are only $8 and come with a 5 foot cord already attached. I ran an outlet to my ceiling and plugged them in. For the money they cant be beat. If I were you I would replace each lamp with an outlet and get four 4' lights. They only draw like .8 amps each so overloading a circuit is not an issue.

MojoMoto · 05-03-04, 04:17

Quote:

Originally posted by teacherray
I like the 8' lights better. I don't know how to explain it other than that I find the dull spot at the end of the tube to be annoying. With the 8' fixture you will need fewer of the fixtures to cover the same area and IMO the quality of light seems better. Also you get what you pay for with lights. If you purchase the inexpensive shop lights expect to replace them every few years as the ballast usually goes. For my time I'd rather spend it on my car not replacing the lights. I agree you should check amperage requirements.
The anoying buzzing noise is usually a result of the ballast ( the big black thing inside the enclosure) not being secured well. To correct this just tighten the tab(s) that hold it in place.

I agree. I would go with the 8' T-8 Lithonia fixtures from Home Depot (afaik, Lowes does not carry them). These fixtures use four, 4 foot, 32w T-8 bulbs. They are "instant-on" and have little or no buzz/hum. The fixtures cost about $42 each and the bulbs can be had in bulk, 10 for $15. I put four of these fixtures in a 20'x20' garage, it is now quite brite.

GS400 · 05-10-04, 12:56

Quote:

Originally posted by MojoMoto
I agree. I would go with the 8' T-8 Lithonia fixtures from Home Depot (afaik, Lowes does not carry them). These fixtures use four, 4 foot, 32w T-8 bulbs. They are "instant-on" and have little or no buzz/hum. The fixtures cost about $42 each and the bulbs can be had in bulk, 10 for $15. I put four of these fixtures in a 20'x20' garage, it is now quite brite.

Where exactly did you install them in your garage ceiling?? I'm thinking of going this route, I'm just trying to decide exactly where to place the fixtures so that I still get GREAT light even when the garage door is open.

jfelbab · 05-10-04, 01:34

Along with the florescent lights I also picked up a tripod mounted halogen that I move around the car to see any swirls. Florescent light seems to hide swirls and the halogen brings them out like the sun does.

MojoMoto · 05-11-04, 12:45

Quote:

Originally posted by GS400
Where exactly did you install them in your garage ceiling?? I'm thinking of going this route, I'm just trying to decide exactly where to place the fixtures so that I still get GREAT light even when the garage door is open.

I placed them at 4' intervals running parallel with the cars.

GS400 · 05-11-04, 07:09

Quote:

Originally posted by MojoMoto
I placed them at 4' intervals running parallel with the cars.

So are any of them obstructed by the garage door when it is up??

jfelbab · 05-11-04, 07:12

FWIW

I just got my Craftsman Club flyer (5/11/04) and they have the #73931 - 250/500W Halogen worklight with tripod for *$11.99. This light regularly is priced at $19.99.

*Member price but membership is free and offers frequent discounts.

I use two of these in the garage for eliminating swirls and scratches. This type of light makes seeing the imperfections very easy as opposed to just florescent lighting.

MojoMoto · 05-11-04, 10:34

Quote:

Originally posted by GS400
So are any of them obstructed by the garage door when it is up??

When the garage door is open is sits about 2 or 3 feet under the first 12, maybe 18 inches of the fixtures. I actually could have moved them forward so that the door did not obstruct them at all (I have 6 feet to play with front and back) but I chose to keep them centered for more even light distribution when the door is closed.