# Shop Lighting



## RLHERRON (May 15, 2008)

Installing the lights in the new shop this weekend. I could use some help or thoughts on the best way to go. Speaking to the people at HD :thumbdown: wasn't much help. The part of the shop I'm lighting this week is 16'x24' I plan on useing 3 rows of 8' foot lights spaced approx 4 to 5 ft apart. The ceiling will be painted white. Now the question is what kind of fixtures / bulbs for best lighting.
I live in SC so temp rarely gets below 25/30 degrees. Do I need a $55.00 fixture with electric ballast or would a $30.00 fixture do just as well? What can you tell me about the bulbs to use? 
Just need some education on this part of the design.
As always, I appreciate the help this forum brings to us.:thumbsup:


----------



## drcollins804 (Jan 11, 2008)

I have used the cheaper lights and it seems that I use twice as many bulbs in them as in the higher priced fixtures. As far as bulbs it depends on your preference of color. The cool white that most people use gives a yellow hue to everything under the light. Other bulbs give different shades. I would opt for the better fixtures and I like the daylight bulbs but that is your preference.
David


----------



## Nate1778 (Mar 10, 2008)

I on the other hand like the cheaper units. I bought 8 4' units and it lights my shop up. That said they would dim at freezing temp. My thought on this was fairly simple, if my turbo heater can't keep the shop warm enough to keep the lights bright, why in the heck am I out there and not inside by a fire............


----------



## lucas.j.dunton (Feb 27, 2008)

you def want electronic ballasts for the lights, they will start right up in the colder weather and you will get your money back in savings from not buying as many bulbs
the bulbs are more important.. They all have a color temperature rating the higher the better i wouldnt go with any less than a 6500 color temperature but the higher the better i recommend ones like this http://www.bulbs.com/eSpec.aspx?ID=9136&Ref=T-12+Linear&RefId=50&Ref2=Fluorescent+Bulbs


----------



## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

I would go with the electonic ballast also. I have the cheaper units now and they hum alot. I installed a surround sound stereo system that easily drowns them out. I am planning on replacing them. I also have halogen lights over my lathe and work areas that provide a little more direct light. They each have two 150 watt lamps in them with a pull chain that starts them out at half throttle, then full, then back off again. They work well for accent lights.
Mike Hawkins


----------



## smitty1967 (Feb 24, 2008)

RLHerron:

I'm in somewhat of the same predicament, although I should say I'm past that part of the process.

I went with the 4-foot, dual 40 watt fixtures from Menards. I seem to recall they were $22.00 each. In my building, the floorspace is 28x30. I two outboard rows of 4 lamps turned 45 degrees to the south (think: Chevron pattern) and in between those, two rows of four lamps east and west. One is rotated to make room for the attic scuttle. 

The fixtures I chose are simple stamped steel, required some minor assembly, and are a cold-start model. My ceiling is also painted white, and it's made a huge difference already. I can't wait till I get the walls finished and really brighten the place up! 

One thing I can suggest, I agree with collins on this, and I'm looking forward to trying this myself: different types of flourescent tubes in different fixtures. Mix up the lamps to even out the lighting....cool white, soft white, bright white, etc....there are several different grades of flourescent tubes available. I'll let you know if I stumble on to something big...

regards,
smitty


----------



## RLHERRON (May 15, 2008)

Thanks for the information. Sounds like I need to go ahead and get the better units. 

As always help is appreciated.

Randy


----------



## crecore (Sep 2, 2007)

the electronic ballasts also dont emit light with such an annoying frequency as the cheapies(headache city). bulbs: high color temperature, pay twice as much, the quality of the light, the truer colors, less eye strain, better life, etc are well worth it. You may have to have the bulbs looked up and special ordered. After I convinced the local yard to research it they understood but said, "but they cost twice as much." I said, "so"... and then they opted to stock the better bulbs as well.


----------



## BobbyfromHouston (Jul 4, 2008)

*my shop lighting*

I used the 8 foot lights from Home Depot that were 55 dollars a piece. I used the "daylight series" bulbs. I ran each light end to end and ran every other light on a different switch. I have a total of 11 ballasts in my 21 x 53 shop with 22 bulbs. It is truly wonderful.
Bobby


----------



## RLHERRON (May 15, 2008)

Thanks Bobby, I think I bought the same light from HD and I agree. The lighting is great. The light is soooooo good I think I'll only need half the fixtures that I had planned originally. Let me tell you my Houston story. People may not realize how big Texas is. I live one hour off the Atlantic coast in South Carolina, My sister lives in Houston. When I leave SC going to Texas it is the same distance as if I started in Texas and drove across the state. Thats huge.

Tell sis I said hello if you see her.

RL


----------



## WDChew (Aug 31, 2007)

RLHERRON said:


> Let me tell you my Houston story. People may not realize how big Texas is. I live one hour off the Atlantic coast in South Carolina, My sister lives in Houston. When I leave SC going to Texas it is the same distance as if I started in Texas and drove across the state. Thats huge.
> 
> RL


I've heard it is closer to Chicago from Texarcana than it is to El Paso.


----------



## BobbyfromHouston (Jul 4, 2008)

*met her once or twice*

I think I met your sister once or twice. Isn't she the well mannered southern lady I saw yesterday. Texas is huge. I left on vacation one time to El Paso. I left and drove all day and gave up and stayed in San Antonio instead.


----------



## fungku (Jul 3, 2008)

I work for an electrical contractor when I don't have a lot of my own jobs. We always replace old ballasts with electronic and always use T8 lamps


----------



## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Go with warm white, probably also called daylight tubes, because they give a light that is much closer to natural light than cool white tubes do. It makes a big difference in how your project looks when you are tinting and finishing it.
My shop has older fluorecent lights, and when they temperature goes down so do some of them. I am going to start replacing them with cold start T-8 lighting.

Gerry


----------



## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

I have 4 F40T12 48" two bulb fixtures currently installed, and 4 more coming. (Need electrical run for them). I am swapping out cool white bulbs for "Sunstick" daylight bulbs to get the whiter color... The fixtures are the cheapo Home Depot models, and I am completely unconcerned about sub freezing temp performance due to the climate I live in... If it gets that cold here, I have pipes to worry about in the shop, so I will fire up an oil filled radiator to keep it above freezing... Stupid building / plumbing codes here...

I am also thoroughly cleaning, and repainting my garage / shop in a basic bright white. (along with fixing torn up sheet rock...). This is being done to brighten the shop up. I am just using cheapo $8.00 gallon Glidden contractor white paint. The stuff every apartment in the country seems to be painted with... I am insulating the insides of the aluminum garage doors with foam board, and I will need to figure out a way to paint that as well...

The best thing I can tell you for visibility in the shop is bright white paint, and daylight bulbs give you the best color rendering IMHO... I am not sure why the previous owner of my house painted the garage beige, but they did. ICK!


----------



## AndyDuframe (Jul 27, 2008)

Most people think the obvious place to mount shop lights is on the ceiling. However, in my shop I also have a couple of 48" light sets mounted VERTICALLY...on shop-made stands I put together with 2x4s and casters. It's really amazing how much more light I get directed where I need it most...usually where my hands are.

I also dido the suggestion for using T8s. My Phillips 32w Natural Sunshine bulbs are absolutely stunning. I think they cost me about $7 each at Home Depot. This purchase was definitely a no-brainer.

Buying the fixtures was not as easy. I was totally confused by the vast differences in price I kept finding between what seemed to be similar products. After some careful digging around (at the bottom of the shelf) I found some compatible T8 fixtures for about $8 each. Still don't know why a very similar fixture can cost as much as $50. That's just crazy.


----------



## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Andy your handle did not escape me! :thumbsup: one of my wife's and mine fav movies. 

Hey on the lighting anyway you could [post a pic? I am a lisenced electrician - in the interest of honesty it's expired and I need to do a mere 2 hours of CE - but my point is all my epxerience around electrical and I have never heard of vertical lighting. really got my interest piqued.

On the T8s I agree and re: your question as to difference in fixture costs, it's a combination of whether the fixture is a "utitlity" grade (lighter gauge metal) and if it's a "shop" or "finish" design and the type of ballasts inside. There may be more reasons too but i don't know what they are.


----------



## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

WDChew said:


> I've heard it is closer to Chicago from Texarcana than it is to El Paso.


I drove home once from El paso Tx straight threw to Lake Charles, La. Left at 5am and got home at 2:30 am next day. Right at 1000 miles I was one tide puppy whan I got home.


----------



## coolpete234 (Aug 13, 2008)

Handyman said:


> I drove home once from El paso Tx straight threw to Lake Charles, La. Left at 5am and got home at 2:30 am next day. Right at 1000 miles I was one _*tide puppy*_ whan I got home.


Is that the opposite of a sea cat? :smile:


----------

