Shop Light Question

[Daniel Berg]

I'm thinking about putting new lighting in my shop. Currently I have 6 100W CFL bulbs providing the light for my 28' x 60' shop, a 1/4 of it is parking for our 2 cars so I am not as concerned about light over there. But the rest of it is mine to command! There isn't really a ceiling since its technically a pole barn but the bottom of the truss is 14 feet AFF. I tried to use the visual 3d software that Vic Hubbard talked about in another post but I don't know what any of it means.

 

So here is what I am thinking 4 to 6 - 4 bulb T5 fixtures but I'm not sure on which manufacturer is good. I've heard good things about Lithonia but I don't even know where to start in their catalog.

 

I'm very open to suggestions and any help would be greatly appreciated.

[wtnhighlander]

T5 is good. Pay attention to color temperature ratings, larger numbers give more 'sun-like' light. Lithonia now has LED nits in a similar formatted fixture, and they rock! May still be a little pricey, but the illumination is excellent, and life expectancy is greater than 10 years.

[TerryMcK]

I used T8 fixtures and got them from SCL Direct

http://www.scldirect...ent-batten.html at £20.23 + VAT

the lamps are also from the same company and cost £2.30 + VAT each http://www.scldirect...sphor-tube.html

 

There will be equivalent companies in the US selling the same products.

 

In operation they switch on immediately with non of the old fashioned flickering that you used to get switching on fluorescents.

They take around 5 minutes to come up to full brightness but they are awesome. I wanted full daylight lamps 5000K but the ones I ordered were the cool white version running at 4000K. Quite honestly unless you are filming like Marc does the cool whites are great. I can now see everything in the shop and I positioned one directly over the bench just slightly forward of where I stand and I am not causing a shadow any more.

[wdwerker]

I hung some used 4 bulb 4 ft commercial fixtures meant for a drop ceiling ( like in a office building) from my 16 ft high warehouse ceiling. I put 1 fixture over the tablesaw and one fixture over my assembly table. I hung them with small chain.

[Dave H]

I just wrote T-8 because that's what I have disregard if you use T-5's. Your trusses are on 12' centers as are your posts you want to nail or screw a 2x4 to the bottom cord of the trusses this gives you an attachment point for the fixtures if the 2x4's belly down screw another 2x4 on edge forming a California corner which will make the bellied 2x4 more rigid.

 

[rodger.]

I used two 8 foot fixtures and one 4 foot fixture in the my current shop. So a total of 10, four foot t8 bulbs. What a difference it made.

[Daniel Berg]

Thanks guys. It always amazes me what the collective knowledge of a good forum is.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wdwerker]

Another thing to consider is white paint ! My shop used to be a photo studio. They painted the walls and ceiling white and it does make a big difference.