Looking for Lighting Layout Suggestion

[websherpa]

I am planning an odd sized workshop (claiming a new attached garage, see:  ) and can't seem to wrap my head around a nice way to lay out the recommended 10 x 8' (4 x 4ft T8) lighting strips to achieve a mostly even 100fc of light at the work surface.  (100fc may be a bit bright, but I can tell my aging 50year old eyes are needing more and more light, and I'll split the lighting up on to at least a couple switches).  This calculation was based on Jack Lindsey's calculations here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/content.php?146-Lighting-the-Small-Workshop-by-Jack-Lindsey

 

The internal space is long and narrow - 36.5' x 15.5' = 565.75 sqft, 11'9" ceiling.

 

With a two man door to the side at one end (next to which I will have an electronics bench), and garage door at other end. (Natural light from garage door widows, man door windows, and 4 large awning type windows about 6ft off the ground.

 

Walls and ceiling will be flat white painted drywall. I am anticipating that all of my electric supply will be surface mount conduit in order to have better sound / fire containment for the bedrooms above the workshop garage.

 

So 10 fixtures don't space nice and evenly unless I was to lay them all out as a ladder down the middle (3.5ft to each wall on side of 10 x 8 ' fixtures spaced about 40" on centre apart) - which mean running a lot of conduit between fixtures. 10 fixtures about taps out my lighting budget too.  

 

I could run two strips of 4 x 8' fixtures spaced evenly down the length, but that gives me 20% less light than I was hoping for.

 

I could run two strips of 4 x 8' fixtures down the length separated by 4 evenly spaced horizontal 4' (two bulb) fixtures in ladder formation,but I'm wondering about the lighting pattern.

 

Currently I am not running dust collection conduit (but in future I might want to - but could run along the walls), AND I have to fit a radiant tube gas heater up there somewhere (although it is most likely to run across the narrow width at the man-door end.

 

Any ideas on how I might think about tackling the lighting layout to achieve an even illumination in such a space?

 

Thank you in advance!

[estesbubba]

I used this tool for mine:

 

http://www.visual-3d.com/tools/interior/default.aspx

[websherpa]

Thank you estesbubba! Funny I stumbled upon that tool once a while ago, but couldn't find it again.

 

Punching my coordinates in gives me 9 (one less than the Jack Lindsey calculation) x TC 2 32 (which are 4 lamp 8 foot Lithonia strip lights) for 3 rows of 3 luminaries, and an anticipated luminance of about 105 fc at my bench height.  PERFECT!

 

[i likely have to add an additional light UNDER my garage door clearance anyway, as I will likely use the space above the garage door for storage (so it will block light to the floor underneath unless the garage door is open).]

 

Now I just have to find a good supplier in Ontario OTHER than Home Depot in order to get better ballasts at a fair price.  

[estesbubba]

I'm putting the Home Depot High Output T8 fixtures in and they are bright. 

[websherpa]

I'm a little further along in the garage workshop project (36 x 16) and just getting to the lighting part (we have been having some soundproofing issues).   As part of this project I am fairly certain I'm installing a Radiant Gas Tube Heater which will run 20' right down the middle of the garage (which eliminates a middle run for lights).  And the final ceiling didn't end up being completely flat, it has some protrusions for vac.  So in the end the lighting layout is going to be a little creative (likely the equivalent of 6 x 96' 4lt T8, 5000k AltoII Philips, which will regenerate about 85 foot--candles at 36" table height ).  That's if I use typical HDepot Lithonia TC 2 32's.  I am considering going up a notch (I can likely get better ballasts at the same price from an electrical supplier. I was hoping to purchase from HDepot for financing reasons... so the HO T8 fixtures also have some appeal.

 

However, here's my dilemma.  It's reasonable to assume that T8 replacement LED fixtures are coming down in price and going up in quality.  They're currently hovering around CDN$20 for the type that don't require an electronic ballast (they wire direct to 120v), and I am handy at electronics / electrical.

 

So I'm having a hard time deciding whether to invest in better quality T8 Fluorescent (NO or HO?) fixtures and bulbs now (and amortize them until they need replacing - and home the price of LED replacements goes down further), or cheap out on the fixtures (possibly even go the T12 salvage route) and either "live" with inferior fluorescent for a while, or make the leap direct to LED (assuming that the lower energy costs will help pay for the extra bulb cost).

 

Perhaps the key to going direct to fluorescent is finding salvage T8 / T12 strip fixtures, or another similarly priced solution.

 

Any thoughts, experience or recommendations?

 

Thank you!

[estesbubba]

I'm very happy with my HO T8 fixtures from Home Depot and calculated about 110 FC at working height. The white ceiling and walls also make a difference. I wasn't happy with the Alto II bulbs from HD and ending up getting better bulbs from an electric supply house at 1/2 of the Alto's.

 

 

 

[websherpa]

Excellent and timely advice estesbubba.  Being trigger happy (since I may take advantage of our reno electrician) I went a head and ordered the HO T8 fixtures, although for the way I am doing the ceiling space I was thinking of fitting only fit 5 ( 2 strips of 2 8 footers towards middle + 1 perpendicular at front) plus an additional hanging regular 4 bulb hanger over my electronics area.  I think it works out to around 95fc, but I guess that depends on the bulbs and how they are driven.

 

I ordered the HDepot Philips 5000k bulbs to go with... wondering now if I should re-think that?

[estesbubba]

Well the the bulbs I got in the linked thread were 1/2 the price and I liked better. Could be that the Philips don't liked being driven with a HO ballast as they were blowing like crazy.