Lets talk garage lighting...
TECH Addict
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,417
Likes: 0
From: Waldwick, NJ
Thanks! It's been a lot of work (I'm still working on it, and have been steady since we moved in during April). I sorta left it roughed in when we built the house, the house took all the time (and $$) during the build.
I do have door openers, they are a "high lift" kit, as the ceiling is 12' 4" but the bay doors are only 8' tall. The tracks run up high, and are operated by Liftmaster jackshaft units. This keeps the openers from hanging down in the middle of the shop (wouldn't work where the lift is, at least when my van or an SUV is on it, plus you can't really do that with a high lift kit anyway, as the geometry doesn't work).
Cobra, just keep in mind as you wire these pull about 2 amps per fixture, so just be mindful of that as you run them (together) on existing wiring (12 ga or 14 ga, 15a or 20a switches, breakers, etc)
I do have door openers, they are a "high lift" kit, as the ceiling is 12' 4" but the bay doors are only 8' tall. The tracks run up high, and are operated by Liftmaster jackshaft units. This keeps the openers from hanging down in the middle of the shop (wouldn't work where the lift is, at least when my van or an SUV is on it, plus you can't really do that with a high lift kit anyway, as the geometry doesn't work).
Cobra, just keep in mind as you wire these pull about 2 amps per fixture, so just be mindful of that as you run them (together) on existing wiring (12 ga or 14 ga, 15a or 20a switches, breakers, etc)
Congrats on the new house, my Fiance and I are currently searching for a new place and would love new construction but that doesn't look likely with NJ real estate prices.
What kind of limits would one have? I just have reg old incandescent bulb sockets in the ceiling now.
If you have 14 ga wire on 15 amp switches/breakers, just don't put but maybe 7 max on that circuit, assuming nothing else is on that circuit.
alright thanks. I was thinking about 6 fixtures so I should be ok.
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 531
Likes: 1
From: Texas, Europe, Iraq & Afghanistan
You guys are my heros.
I work with one four-foot floresent two-bulb fixture and one light bulb on the side.
Special projects get a trouble light on a cord.
My next garage is going to have high ceilings and a lift.
How do you guys keep the bugs out with all those lights working like a magnet?
I work with one four-foot floresent two-bulb fixture and one light bulb on the side.
Special projects get a trouble light on a cord.
My next garage is going to have high ceilings and a lift.
How do you guys keep the bugs out with all those lights working like a magnet?
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Just adding to the threead. I replaced my 6, dual 4ft long flourecent lighting fixtures (cold weather ballast) and did something a little different that made a big impact. I bought 3 way splitters from Lowes so I can run 3 bulbs off of one standard outlet. I then used 3 42W (150W equivalent) "Daylighter" CFL bulbs per "outlet" for a total of 9 bulbs in my 950 ft2 garge with 10 ft ceilings (white walls and grey epoxy floor). The output is about 25,000 lumens in my set-up and is PLENTY. It is critical that you use the Daylight Kelvin range ~5000K. Those bulbs are brighter than anything I have used in the past and have lasted over 2 years so far. They take about 1 minute to warm up in the cold weather. A very worthwhile upgrade. Here are the bulbs I used:
http://www.greenelectricalsupply.com...day-light.aspx
http://www.greenelectricalsupply.com...day-light.aspx
I've got a standard 20x20, but I have a 3' bump up in the ceiling at a 30 degree angle on both sides spanning 12 feet. I have 3 8' t-8 fixures going parallel to the cars, with two of them on the 30 degree angle areas. I also have a 4' t-8 fixure over my work bench.
I find that's plenty of light while working in the garage.
I find that's plenty of light while working in the garage.
Glad I saw this thread. Listen guys I work in the Agricultural industry lighting is a huge deal especially in Dairy barns and stuff becuase the more foot candles to the ground the better the environment and so forth. T12 bulbs now adays are junk I don't care if they are HO or not they are very inefficient they may get enough light to the ground but at a lot more electricity. The government is not going to allow them to be produced much longer because of the inefficiency. T8's are not bad I sell them as well. However T5's are some what new and are definitely the way to go. I can email pics of them. I sell 5000 kelvin High output and each bulb is 54 watts. The ballast is a cold weather 0 degree and it is a sealed fixture. If you want the best light for your garage please hit me up on this. If you use your garage a lot you will not regret it because they are more energy efficient then a T8 about 10% better. I have 4' 2 bulb fixtures and 3 bulb as well as 8' 4 and 8 bulb fixtures if you give me your garage size I can even lay it out for you.
A 4' 2 bulb fixture is all you really need if you have a ceiling height less then 15' I sell them for $94. I could make a LS1tech price though hit me up and I would gladly cut you guys a deal.
A 4' 2 bulb fixture is all you really need if you have a ceiling height less then 15' I sell them for $94. I could make a LS1tech price though hit me up and I would gladly cut you guys a deal.
Hey Chad, do you have any pics? I see you're in Lebanon, PA, which isn't too far from me.
Just be careful about how much you advertize on here. The sponsor natzi's don't like it and will want you to pay the sponsor fees for helping out people on here. Just FYI.
Just be careful about how much you advertize on here. The sponsor natzi's don't like it and will want you to pay the sponsor fees for helping out people on here. Just FYI.
TECH Addict
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,417
Likes: 0
From: Waldwick, NJ
Thanks for the information Chad, very helpful
I agree with you. I don't think it should be an issue with someone helping out with garage lighting, but everytime I've seen someone offer anything for sale, mods jump in and shut it down and edit any contact info.
I'm just saying, keep things to PM's and you should be fine.
Glad I saw this thread. Listen guys I work in the Agricultural industry lighting is a huge deal especially in Dairy barns and stuff becuase the more foot candles to the ground the better the environment and so forth. T12 bulbs now adays are junk I don't care if they are HO or not they are very inefficient they may get enough light to the ground but at a lot more electricity. The government is not going to allow them to be produced much longer because of the inefficiency. T8's are not bad I sell them as well. However T5's are some what new and are definitely the way to go. I can email pics of them. I sell 5000 kelvin High output and each bulb is 54 watts. The ballast is a cold weather 0 degree and it is a sealed fixture. If you want the best light for your garage please hit me up on this. If you use your garage a lot you will not regret it because they are more energy efficient then a T8 about 10% better. I have 4' 2 bulb fixtures and 3 bulb as well as 8' 4 and 8 bulb fixtures if you give me your garage size I can even lay it out for you.
A 4' 2 bulb fixture is all you really need if you have a ceiling height less then 15' I sell them for $94. I could make a LS1tech price though hit me up and I would gladly cut you guys a deal.
A 4' 2 bulb fixture is all you really need if you have a ceiling height less then 15' I sell them for $94. I could make a LS1tech price though hit me up and I would gladly cut you guys a deal.
I agree 100%.. I was reading this post with people sayin t12's are better and smaller, and was like what. I am a commercial/industrial electrician. I do lighting in offices/factories all the time.
I Agree t5 is where its at, but t5's are better up higher. We are using t5 as the hi bay replacements, instead of the 400 w metal halides.
The t8's are going to be the best way to go for a garage, and definatly the best price.
Just so you know the numbers are in 1/8th of a inch. So a t12 bulb is 1.5 inches, a t8 is 1 inch, and a t5 is 5/8's.
Another huge part of these fixtures is the reflector...
good luck, and if you have any electrical/wiring questions let me know.
Chris
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 374
Likes: 1
Yea, I was reading the first half of this and wondering if someone was going to get this right... Chad and Sideways... have it. The T8's are 1" in diameter and more efficient then the T12's which are 1.5".
The thing is that they use the same sockets so they're physically interchangeable, but almost all the efficiency difference is not from the different lightbulb but from the electronic ballast design used with the T8 vs the magnetic ballast used by the T12. As long as there is room between the reflector and the fixture, you can stick T12's in a T8 fixture and get most of the advantages, but not vice versa.
The high output and the cold weather setups are the same thing, they're just a higher output bulb that works better below 32*.
that's exactly what I did. Originally I tried it with some of the early high wattage CF bulbs and was unhappy with them... good light but dust and welding fumes would ruin the vented ballast assemblies quickly. For a while I stuck some 150watt halogen bulbs in it but then when the newer, cheaper 42watt CF bulbs came out in the last couple of years and I tried them in the basement I decided to try them in the garage and I'm very happy with them. In my 24x23x14' high garage I've found that I only need them in 2 of the 3 sockets in the 2 fixtures in the garage, but I also have some "task" lighting, 2 fixtures mounted under my tire rack that light up under the hood of a car in the garage with 2 75watt equivalent CF's in it, and 2 similar bulbs over the top of my bench...
The thing is that they use the same sockets so they're physically interchangeable, but almost all the efficiency difference is not from the different lightbulb but from the electronic ballast design used with the T8 vs the magnetic ballast used by the T12. As long as there is room between the reflector and the fixture, you can stick T12's in a T8 fixture and get most of the advantages, but not vice versa.
The high output and the cold weather setups are the same thing, they're just a higher output bulb that works better below 32*.
I bought 3 way splitters from Lowes so I can run 3 bulbs off of one standard outlet. I then used 3 42W (150W equivalent) "Daylighter" CFL bulbs per "outlet" for a total of 9 bulbs in my 950 ft2 garge with 10 ft ceilings (white walls and grey epoxy floor). The output is about 25,000 lumens in my set-up and is PLENTY.
