What lights should I put in my shop?

[_AJ_]

I have a 1600 square foot shop ( 40ft X 40ft ) with a 16' ceiling and no interior walls. It is not insulated, painted or drywalled. Wired for 120 vac power.

I plan to mount the lighting as high as possible. What do you guys recommend.

I'd like instant on with little or no warn up time.

I've bought cheap 4' fluorescents from home depot but they failed in less that a year.

Tired of working on my sleds in the dark lol...

I'm thinking 8' t-12 HO's but then some say to go T-5's or T-8's.

Our local home depot doesn't know the difference.

Any suggestions??

 

[Blu Du]

4 high pressure sodiums.(i think thats what they are called). i have 40 x 60 with 16 walls and lights well. but they take a couple of minutes to turn on. these are big round lights. i paid 200 a piece at viking electric.

 

[Aug]

Big ones!

 

[ArcticBoy]

I got 8' high outputs end to end, but it's rocked and painted hi gloss white. With sodium I think you will need something else just until they kick on. You can come by anytime and see. I think you are not far from me.

 

[_AJ_]

Cool- HPS's would be great but I'd like to avoid the warm up time if possible.

Ebay has some T8 HO fixtures for about $100 each.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...5933&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab=Watching


They are claiming 6500 lumens per fixture.

Wonder how that compare to the std T-12 HO's.

I'm thinking 4 to 6 fixtures.

I appreciate the help here

AJ

 

[Blu Du]

they really don't take that long, they start out about half brightness. i put a couple 500 watt haolgens on the wall for that purpose but i never use them. i would put 4 in that shed and 2 per switch

 

[hilinerider]

my shop has the flourescents that have the bulb s are only 5/8 in diameter and are super bright and are on in less than 5 sec. 4 bulbs per fixture, not sure on make model, will research and let ya know

 

[Duddin]

Not high but I have seen gus put the hologen work style lights about 6 ft up on the wall and shining more sideways. works great to reduce shadows and light things up under a hood or car.

 

[Mafesto]

There are a plethora of answers to your question.
To determine which is the best fit for your needs some other factors need to be known.

You stated uninsulated.
How cold & hot does it get?
Metal halides HATE the heat, but are uneffected by cold.
They also create alot of heat.

Halogen seem to be uneffected by extreme temps, but are inefficient & create alot of heat.

How important is efficiency?
Will they be on for long periods?

Metal Halides & High pressure sodiums have a reletively short cold start up, but extremely slow warm start up. Bad for on & off & on.

Incandescents are very innefficient, but are great for a limited use situation, particularly with on & off & on cycles.

My favorite for homeowners is cfls.
They are efficient with wattage/lumen range to fit most any low height need.
Particularly if you are able to install your own wiring & fixtures.
Just make sure you have more fixtures than you think you need, you can always leave some unused.

Talk to a local expert. Many will come & look over your situation free if you purchase your fixtures from them.

 

[echox670]

T5-HO s are the way to go. They give off excellent light and start up is only seconds. Don't waste your time with t-8 or t-12. They cost more but are totally worth it.

 

[modsledr]

AJ,

I've got 11 T-8's in my 1200 sq ft shop and they are instant on and more than bright enough. Is there a reason you aren't drywalling the interior?? If you leave it open, then you will need more lights.

 

[BU1]

Does anybody have any experience with the higher wattage CFL's? I have seen them for sale with up to 105 watts,equal to 525 watt incandescent, for around $35-$40. How would they work in a shop??????

 

[Mafesto]

Does anybody have any experience with the higher wattage CFL's? I have seen them for sale with up to 105 watts,equal to 525 watt incandescent, for around $35-$40. How would they work in a shop??????

I've worked with them.
No problems with lumens, but they are about a foot long so they are vulnerable to breakage.
They need to be high enough so you do not look at them as you will see spots for a bit.
Slow restart when warm.

 

[formula600]

Does anybody have any experience with the higher wattage CFL's? I have seen them for sale with up to 105 watts,equal to 525 watt incandescent, for around $35-$40. How would they work in a shop??????

Can't answer you question but I like your avatar. Must be a Mason.

 

[MTm7]

T5-HO s are the way to go. They give off excellent light and start up is only seconds. Don't waste your time with t-8 or t-12. They cost more but are totally worth it.

^^^^exactly what he said. in fact we have been changing low/high bay metal-halides out alot for 6 lamp t5 ho fixtures.

 

[Extreme-One]

Company I work for just removed some older lights in the shop and put in T5's. They turn on in sec's and made the shop 10 times brighter. Our shop is 50x50 with 20' ceilings and we only have 5 of them and don't need any more.

 

[_AJ_]

AJ,

Is there a reason you aren't drywalling the interior?? If you leave it open, then you will need more lights.

You know how it is.....$$$$$

I have a 1000 sqft space upstairs that needs to be finished as well. Some of the plumbing, duct work, insulation and electrical will most likely go in the floor space that is also my shop ceiling. Drywalling it will hamper that at the moment.

Just not ready to cut that deep into the sled fund

Who's got the best deal on some T5 HO fixtures?

AJ

 

[hilinerider]

my shop has the t8 ho aprox. 300w, if you do any technical work in a shop you can't work in the dark

 

[Ex-Member]

Does anybody have any experience with the higher wattage CFL's? I have seen them for sale with up to 105 watts,equal to 525 watt incandescent, for around $35-$40. How would they work in a shop??????

I have one 150-watt equivalent in my garage... takes a min. or two to warm up, but once it's warm it lights the place up rather nice even without the door opener light.