Garage lighting, what do I need to know?

[imported_RedlineIRL]

I am new to fluroscent fixture lighting, and I am not really all that knowledgeable when it comes to electrical and what all the different numbers for fixtures and whatnot mean. I am looking to upgrade the the lighting in a 24 x 24 gagrage, and want to replace the fixtures and bulbs with something that will provide the best light for detailing and messing around with my cars.



I was thinking of going with 4 dual overhead fixtures, but do you all think that will be enough for a 24 x 24?



I'd like to provide plenty of light and don't mind spending some cash on a nice setup, but going all out for the best that money can isn't feasible at the moment. What do you all suggest using for fixtures, bulbs, etc that are reasonably priced?

 

[togwt]

Lighting: a combination of T8 florescent (general lighting) mount them overhead and angled on the side walls; use a separate light switch so you can turn these off when using surface inspection lights and halogens (spotting blemishes) on the walls spaced at approximately 36" centres, with 1000 watt twin halogens as for closer spot inspection.



Lighting levels of 100-foot candles at workbench height (42” from finished floor) recommend metal halide lights (175W -4250-5000 0 K, IT provides a ‘warm’ bright white light) over each detailing bay plus incandescent lighting on separate switch as metal halides have a delayed start, plus Daylight (Windows/skylights) if possible



Light output reduces from its source by an inverse square law; the table shows that fluorescent or incandescent lighting is more suitable for general lighting. Light output is measured in lumens, a typical 100W bulb produces 1700, a 175W metal halide bulb 14,000. The lighting available at the source is measured in foot-candles- Philips TBW632EB2-8 6-Light T8 Fluorescent High Bay 120-277V Lamps Included - ProLighting.com

 

[Accumulator]

RedlineIRL- I'd sure want to put some on the side walls too.



Other than that, for the ceiling I was gonna suggest 8' tubes like I have on mine, but since you're at 24' maybe the 4' ones will be better :think:

 

[imported_RedlineIRL]

I know that the T rating is an idication of the bulb diameter, but does the higher the T rating of the bulb mean it will provide more light output? What about bulbs, is there a certain kelvin rating that most prefer for detailing use, or is it just more of a personal preference?



Are the dual fixtures that Home Depot and Lowes sell any good at all? Or are there any places online that sell better quality for a similar price?

RedlineIRL- I'd sure want to put some on the side walls too.



Other than that, for the ceiling I was gonna suggest 8' tubes like I have on mine, but since you're at 24' maybe the 4' ones will be better :think:

I'd like to put some on the walls eventually, but for now I just want to get the overhead taken care of with overhead lighting. I have dual 1000w halogens that should hold me over until then.



Right now there are 4 four foot fixtures, 2 mounted together lenghtwise on opposite sides of the garage. Here's the ideas I am thinking of



Replacing all the fixtures with something more powerful and better bulbs and mountng them in the same location, connected together lengthwise on opposite ends.



or



Buing 2 8 ft fixtures and mounting from the celing lengthwise on opposite ends, and going with 2 8 ft fixtures to mount width wise above the front end and rear end of the parking area.



I don't know, I'd have to see some pictures of others setups to really get an idea on how to do this best without having $500+ tied up in all of this:think:

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

I know that the T rating is an idication of the bulb diameter, but does the higher the T rating of the bulb mean it will provide more light output? What about bulbs, is there a certain kelvin rating that most prefer for detailing use, or is it just more of a personal preference?

The T5/T8/T12 rating just has to do with the form factor of the fixture and lamp; the wattage and other factors determine how much light is produced by a given setup. Generally speaking though T8 is the current industry standard and will be the most widely available.



Generally the color temperatures I would try to stick to would be 5000K or 6500K... I use the 6500K myself. Be sure to look at the Color Rendering Index of the lamp(s) you buy as well -- the higher the CRI (closer to 100) the better to ensure that the color is as accurate as possible. All of mine were sourced from Home Depot:

Are the dual fixtures that Home Depot and Lowes sell any good at all? Or are there any places online that sell better quality for a similar price?

The Home Depot/Lowe's fixtures are generally alright; but do your homework online to make sure you can't find a better deal.

Right now there are 4 four foot fixtures, 2 mounted together lenghtwise on opposite sides of the garage. Here's the ideas I am thinking of



Replacing all the fixtures with something more powerful and better bulbs and mountng them in the same location, connected together lengthwise on opposite ends.



or



Buing 2 8 ft fixtures and mounting from the celing lengthwise on opposite ends, and going with 2 8 ft fixtures to mount width wise above the front end and rear end of the parking area.

If what you have now are T12 fixtures, you can easily retrofit them to T8 by just replacing the ballasts.... the sockets for the actual lamps won't have to change. It's cheaper than replacing an entire fixture. You will however probably want to add some additional fixtures beyond what you already have.

I don't know, I'd have to see some pictures of others setups to really get an idea on how to do this best without having $500+ tied up in all of this:think:

I've got around $450 tied up in my lighting setup, including the conduit, wiring, and outlets:

I'll grant that in many ways my shop is a bit on the "overkill" side, but I wouldn't want any less lighting either. Since there is a lot of "stuff" along the sidewalls, I have a single T5 fixture that remains loose so I can move it around to light the sides of any project I'm doing:

Everything aside from that one fixture are all standardized to 48" T8s. Cheap to buy, easy to find, and easy to transport/store.

 

[imported_RedlineIRL]

C. Charles Hahn, thanks for your reply, that really helps me out and give me a better understanding on what to look for in lighting. You have an awesome lighting setup, and it gives me a lot of ideas on what to do to my garage now.



I really like the white light that your 6500K bulbs. Will a 5000K bulbs with a similar cri to a 6500K bulb have more of a yellowish tint to the light it emits?

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

C. Charles Hahn, thanks for your reply, that really helps me out and give me a better understanding on what to look for in lighting. You have an awesome lighting setup, and it gives me a lot of ideas on what to do to my garage now.



I really like the white light that your 6500K bulbs. Will a 5000K bulbs with a similar cri to a 6500K bulb have more of a yellowish tint to the light it emits?

Glad to help. I would say that a 5000K lamp puts off a slightly less "crisp" or some would even say "harsh" white light than the 6500K, but I wouldn't call the output noticeably yellow either. Personally I prefer the more crisp 6500K lamps since to my eyes it looks brighter, but it's just a matter of preference.

 

[imported_RedlineIRL]

Well, looks like I will have to replace the garage lighting sooner rather than later. Turns out the garage lights are not turning on at all after having the home inspected. I can turn the switch on and off, and get a quick flicker out of some of the lights before they go off again. Inspector said he thinks that its probably just the fixtures themselves, or the ballasts gone out. They are conduit wired instead of the fixtures that are outlet powered, so it just seems odd to me that all four of them are not working.



I guess this is a good opportunity to get rid of the junk single fluroscent tube fixtures, and install dual bulbT8 fixtures with 6500K bulbs.



Looks like I'll be going to Lowes and Home Depot to buy new fixtures and bulbs. Are there any places that you all use online that have good deals on fixtures and bulbs? I am not looking to cheap out on my garage project at all, but just find the best deals on stuff where I can. Since this is my first actual home, I have already got a list of stuff planned for the garage prior to moving in and want to be able to do it all at once

 

[imported_RedlineIRL]

Now that I am moved in, I have realised that the garage lighting sucks and I have learned to hate it. I currently have 4 single bulb fixture T12s, ceiling mounted, which may not be bad for most garages for the average person out there who never does any work in a garage. Add to the fact that the single ceiling mounted T12s are not good for light at all, my ceiling in the garage is almost 11 1/2ft from ceiling to floor, much taller than the average.:yell:





Not even a week and I have already had enough of the garbage lighting. So this weekend I am buying 8 dual T8 fixtures with chain drops from the ceiling. I plan on mounting the 8 ft from the ground off of the ceiling





Since everything is wired from the electrical conduit to the T12 fixtures, do you all see any reason why I couldn't just take the wiring and install electrical outlet boxes in the ceiling for the new outlet powered T8s? With this way I can have the lights plugged and and they will turn on with light garage switch. What do you all think, good idea or overkill?

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

Since everything is wired from the electrical conduit to the T12 fixtures, do you all see any reason why I couldn't just take the wiring and install electrical outlet boxes in the ceiling for the new outlet powered T8s? With this way I can have the lights plugged and and they will turn on with light garage switch. What do you all think, good idea or overkill?

There is absolutely no reason that would not work -- in fact if you look closely at the pictures I posted you'll see that's exactly how I have my lighting set up. You can surface mount gang boxes at the ends of the conduit where the current fixtures are and install outlets without a problem.



Is it overkill? Maybe, but in your case the conduit is already run so I'd take full advantage of it. If nothing else it will make your install look a lot cleaner and more professional.

 

[imported_RedlineIRL]

There is absolutely no reason that would not work -- in fact if you look closely at the pictures I posted you'll see that's exactly how I have my lighting set up. You can surface mount gang boxes at the ends of the conduit where the current fixtures are and install outlets without a problem.



Is it overkill? Maybe, but in your case the conduit is already run so I'd take full advantage of it. If nothing else it will make your install look a lot cleaner and more professional.

I totally overlooked that before I guess, but I see now. I had a buddy that is good with electrical look at it, and he said it'd be simple to this. So this weekend we will probably install it all if I buy everything locally.



I was looking at some of the dual T8 fixtures on prolighting.com, but at $50+ each and me going with 8 fixtures, that will get kind of pricey on fixtures alone. I bought a dual T8 from Lowes the other day to use around for now, Utilitech brand, and it seems like an alright fixture. Have any of you all purchased fixtures from prolighting.com, and are they that much better and provide a lot more light output than the Lowes and Home depot fixtures that are $15 each?

 

[Redcar GUY]

I have 26X26 and have 16, 4 footers.. I like it but could use more.. more is better.. never hear anyone say.. that's to much light..

 

[imported_RedlineIRL]

I have 26X26 and have 16, 4 footers.. I like it but could use more.. more is better.. never hear anyone say.. that's to much light..

Nice setup you have. I could use some cabinets like those myself.



What kind of bulbs are you using, 6500K? Als, what kind of fixtures if you don't mind me asking?



I want to be and sure to get the best color temperature for detailing purposes, some that work best at showing any kind of defects. I am starting to wonder if 6500K will be too white of a light for thid

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

Nice setup you have. I could use some cabinets like those myself.



What kind of bulbs are you using, 6500K? Als, what kind of fixtures if you don't mind me asking?



I want to be and sure to get the best color temperature for detailing purposes, some that work best at showing any kind of defects. I am starting to wonder if 6500K will be too white of a light for thid

That is never going to happen with fluorescents, regardless what color temp or type of lamps/fixtures/ballasts you use. In order to see *any kind* of defects, you will find yourself in need of multiple different types of light sources -- fluorescent, halogen/xenon, LED....



I can tell you with absolute certainty that the 6500K are not "too white" -- they actually do a very good job as task lighting for the most part.

 

[Accumulator]

That [defect spotting, in the sense of "swirls"/etc.] is never going to happen with fluorescents, regardless what color temp or type of lamps/fixtures/ballasts you use..

Right :xyxthumbs You need "point-source" illumination for that.



Though fluorescents can be good for flaws that are so severe as to be like "texture defects" (think a broad scratch as opposed to a swirl mark).

 

[imported_RedlineIRL]

Well, I bought a couple GE 6500K bulbs to use in one T8 fixutre, and I can honestly say I don't like them at all. I don't think the output is that great at all with them. I put some of these in the T12s before since a few needed replacing, and I thought that the poor lighting was just from them being mouted so high up, but that was not totally the case. I am going to try some 5000Ks instead, maybe these will give off more of a natural daylight feel and seem easier on the eyes

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

What was the CRI on the GE bulbs? Lumen rating?

 

[Lotuseffect]

WHen speaking in terms of Kelvin degrees think of it this way. 4000 degree Kelvin light is very close to the look of a candle. Very yellow and orange. 10000 Kelvin is clear blue sky. 6500 is very white with hints of blue. 5000-5500 is basically sunlight mostly white with yellow hints.

 

[Lotuseffect]

This will sound crazy but go to a reputable aquarium store in your area. They know far more about flourescent lighting than any schlub in Home Depot. Not to mention t5 lamps made for aquariums have ridiculously high CRI and lumen output because their use is to provide light to corals and other photosynthetic organisms.



reefgeek is a great site or marine depot. Look for Coralife bulbs. They are a good bargain price have many different sizes 24-72" and come in 5k, 5500k, 10k, and 20k.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

This will sound crazy but go to a reputable aquarium store in your area.

Or, dare I say, a shop that specializes in supplies for growing medical marijuana at home. Sadly potheads are pretty smart about fluorescent lighting.