More shop lighting

[chopnhack]

Hello everyone,

I am getting closer to understanding my needs on my shop lighting revamp. The basics: Two car garage about 20x20, mostly white surfaces, currently have 2 (2)light 4' fluorescent wraps and the only natural light is from the south facing garage door when its open. What I am looking at right now is perhaps getting nine of these http://www.contractorlighting.com/4ft-lamp-32wt-fluorescent-wrap-around-fixture-120v-p-170.html?osCsid=7155757246f145a075e559f1d7d3c5aa. For bulbs, I have found a reasonable deal on some 86 CRI lights from Ushio? Anyone ever hear of them? http://www.businesslights.com/ushio-32w-86-cri-t8-fluor-lamps-c-81_665_337_207.html.

The color is also giving me some pause, dont want to spend 100 on bulbs and not like the color of the light, lol. I am in my 30's should I go with 4k or 5k? They also have a 6k with a CRI of 95, but I was concerned about the bluish color. Any other suggestions on lamps and fixtures would be greatly appreciated.

I was thinking of arranging them in a 3x3 grid on either two or three separate switches. The two switch method would have the lights arranged like this:

===== xxxxx =====

xxxxx ===== xxxxx

===== xxxxx =====

The three light switch method would have the lights arranged in rows from the garage door to the opposite wall.

Thanks for reading.

[Jones]

How ya doing?

I'm actually an electrician, not a carpenter, however I do enjoy my little woodworking hobby.

Four 4' fluorescent in a two car garage will probably suffice for most people. Personally, I would prefer a little more (maybe two rows of three fixtures), or some lower hanging lights above a workbench for added brightness. Do not worry yourself too much with the actual lighting value of a bulb. Manufacturers have all these fancy ratings which really boil down to nothing. Wattage and lumens are all that really matters and in a two car garage it is redundant to pay extra for higher rated fixtures when you can buy multiple cheaper ones. You can worry about colour if you wish, but a simple "cool blue" or "warm white" is typical.

One final question for you... what climate is your shop in, and/or, do you have a heating system? I live in Alberta, which experiences rather cold winters. When temperatures drop, fluorescent lights take a little extra time to warm up and reach full brightness.

[Jones]

Oh, PS...

I'm not if that model is exactly the same as some I installed a few weeks back, but here is how to get the lens off without cracking it. One of my apprentices shattered a lens on his first attempt then cracked the second.

With the light mounted on the roof, or flipped on its back on the ground, gently push the lens into the light, then slide down the length of it. This will release the lens for easy installation or tube replacement.

[Vic]

See my response to your question on the other lighting thread. I would go with 5K. I prefer the perceived output much better than the 4100K. Any higher becomes a bit too much on the eyes, unless they are very high bay. I didn't look to see what the lumens per fixture or the efficacy was on the link you provided. Go check my response on the other thread and that should answer your question.

[chopnhack]

Thanks for the info guys, Jones, I am in Florida so heating is rarely an issue I am still figuring out my wiring needs for the rest of the shop. I am planning on installing a sub next to the main and branching from there to service the shop.

[wilburpan]

I am getting closer to understanding my needs on my shop lighting revamp. The basics: Two car garage about 20x20, mostly white surfaces, currently have 2 (2)light 4' fluorescent wraps and the only natural light is from the south facing garage door when its open. What I am looking at right now is perhaps getting nine of these http://www.contractorlighting.com/4ft-lamp-32wt-fluorescent-wrap-around-fixture-120v-p-170.html?osCsid=7155757246f145a075e559f1d7d3c5aa.

As far as your fixtures go, I'd get the ones that are 12" wide instead of the 6" wide ones that you linked to. The wider fixture will space out the bulbs, resulting in more even light.

I would also consider going to your local home center to pick up these fixtures. The prices on the website you linked to are not that much better than what's available at my local home center. If you have an issue with the fixture, it will be far easier to get that taken care of locally, and by picking out the fixtures yourself, you won't have to deal with UPS crushing the box and cracking or bending something.

Before laying out your grid, see if you are set as far as where your work areas and machines are going. You want to put the lights above where you're working as much as possible.

[chopnhack]

Thanks Wilbur that is a great point that I didn't even think of! I called a local supply house that I have done business with in the past and I can pick these up for $28/each My link

As far as your fixtures go, I'd get the ones that are 12" wide instead of the 6" wide ones that you linked to. The wider fixture will space out the bulbs, resulting in more even light.

I would also consider going to your local home center to pick up these fixtures. The prices on the website you linked to are not that much better than what's available at my local home center. If you have an issue with the fixture, it will be far easier to get that taken care of locally, and by picking out the fixtures yourself, you won't have to deal with UPS crushing the box and cracking or bending something.

Before laying out your grid, see if you are set as far as where your work areas and machines are going. You want to put the lights above where you're working as much as possible.