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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Shop lighting

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Ken in Mich

12-20-2005 09:25:30

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I'm in the planning stages for a pole barn/shop to play with the tractors. What do you do for lighting? How about the clear pannels in the roof? Mercury vapor, quartz, etc? I want to stay away from floresent, they dont seem to work good when it gets real cold. I'm thinking of not putting any windows in. I'm in the northern lower Michigan and lots of snow so dont think the clear pannels will be any help for the winter, but good for the summer.

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deadeye

12-21-2005 15:11:46

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

I see that there are a lot of good ideas here on lighting. When I built my shop and my son's, we put a light condesiant ridge on the roof also besides 6 regular light bulb sockets in the ceiling for 300 watt yard light bulbs all controlled off of one switch. Over the benches, we put double bulb floresents mounted at an angle of about 45 degrees so that they shine down and outward in the shop. Floresents are all on there own bench switch. 2 benches -- 2 switches. Each bench is about 15 feet long....deadeye

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JiminIA

12-21-2005 10:03:41

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

I put 3 MH low bays in my 30x50 2 yrs ago and love them. They are super bright. They are not meant to be turned on and off all day, once on leave them on. I still use some flourecents and indacasents in a few places and short times.. just my 2 cents....Jim

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Mattlt

12-21-2005 05:35:16

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

Whatever you do, I'd recommend a couple of incandescant bulb on a separate switch. That way, if you are just running in to grab something, you can just turn on a few lights with the one switch - no need to wait for the other lights to "warm up."

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JerryU

12-21-2005 03:58:36

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

I live by Detro metro airport and have a 30 X 40 unheated pole barn. Also, being cheap I was looking for something that worked, even in cold. Here is what I came up with--Lights of America offers them at Home Depot for about $40 a piece. They crank out a lot of light and will fire in any weather and take about 3 minutes to come up to full brightness. I have four in mine and they work quite well.

They are not exactly photometrically correct, but neither is my barn. They have a nice white light and don't use a lot of juice.

FWIW,

Lights of America

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Hobo,NC

12-20-2005 18:31:38

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

The fluorescent lights are the cheap'izz to operate and good lite also, ask a electician or find out the power usage. I think you will be sold on'em. I like the skylights cuzz in the summer when the sun izz high I do not have'ta run lights. I also painted everything white, I mean everything cept the floor. I have had wall panels and they were a wast of money, almost no light from'em.. On the lights 12ft from the floor izz a good height to install'em. I have 16ft end walls and iffin ya hang'em to the cell'in you will loose alot of yer light.

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Ken in Mich

12-20-2005 14:35:21

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

Lots of good imput here, thanks,I'm going to rethink the florescent, it sounds like that might be the way to go. In my garage I have what some have sugested, the incondescent fixtures with the pull strings, I have 6 of them wired to a switch. I can use all or none.
IH460: I live about 20 miles south of Kalkaska.

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vrickster

12-20-2005 14:04:14

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SAfety Alert- don't do roof panels in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

Many have been killed while walking on a snow covered roof by falling thru the skylight. Some states have banned their installation. Instead put the fiberglass panels on the top 3 feet of your walls. This lets light in and does not get covered with snow. I put the top 3 feet on both the sidewalls of my 40 X 56 bldg.

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Charles (in GA)

12-20-2005 14:27:41

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Re: SAfety Alert- don't do roof panels in reply to vrickster, 12-20-2005 14:04:14

I'm not in snow country, so for me, that would not be a consideration, but if you have snow, you dont want to be walking on a roof with skylights.

I was going to suggest againist skylight panels for a different reason, Here in the south, after a couple of years, they collect all kinds of black dirt, tree sap, crud, etc and are no longer effective, just look terrible and the fiberglass deterioates fast on the roof too.

I installed a couple of panels of skylight in the south side walls of my building, and one whole end is smoke fiberglass on the doors (aircraft hangar) and then I installed a 12w x 14h garage door in the west end with metal panels top and bottom and 5 glass panels in between, for good ambient lighting inside. I also used walk thru doors with glass in the top half of them. Security was not a concern for me, but might be for others.

Visit my web pages for info on my hangar construction and such.

Charles

Second of my hangar construction pages with links to other pages

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RickL

12-20-2005 13:40:36

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

I had the large 300watt bulbs several years, you will go through those also. Anyway now I have twenty some eight foot double flouresent cold start units. Have buddy who has the big halogen things,they okay just takes while to get going. Mine I just turn them on period and the shop today was below zero. Had to be gone for few days but the office part was still 50. On the 4th year so far since I converted and so far have no regrets.

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Steve-Maine

12-20-2005 13:29:57

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

I built a 35 x 50 shop last year and put in 8' cold start fluorescent lights. Was -10 the other day and came on at once. About $54 for fixtures and I think $4-5 for bulbs The area that I use the most is about 35 x 35, I put up 3 rows of 3 lamps each. Even at night I usually only use one or two rows depending where I'm working in shop.

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Ken 46

12-20-2005 13:06:15

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

I am phasing out my fluorescent lights. They have driven me batty!! I have some halogen but seem to have to change bulbs often. I am going back to regular lights.
I have already changed some and will change others as we go along.
I am in SW Kansas and the fluorescent don"t seem to work, and the low temp ones are too expensive

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Midwest redneck

12-20-2005 12:57:36

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

As far as cost goes this is the cheapest. Put outlets in the ceiling one every 100ft sq. and use a plug that has a light bulb socket on the other end, just plug in the thing and screw in a 100watt bulb. Done. Cheap too, the socket thing is about $2 and the bulbs are $2, easy to change. The ceiling outlets need to be on a switch. (this is the way I did my work shop)

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Charles (in GA)

12-20-2005 14:30:22

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Midwest redneck, 12-20-2005 12:57:36

Now that is "redneck"!!!!! !!!!! Could at least use porcelain sockets.

Charles

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Midwest redneck

12-21-2005 02:10:29

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Charles (in GA), 12-20-2005 14:30:22

Sure, porclean sockets, (the ones you buy at a hardware store)

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ih460d

12-20-2005 11:08:46

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

Just built a 30 X 50 pole barn in Beaverton, Mich. last year. No windows except for service doors. Use florescent lighting and have had no problems. Still have incandescent for close small projects. Where in Michigan are you building this?

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Mike M

12-20-2005 11:02:37

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

I was lucky and got a bunch of the flouresence lights free from a bank that was putting up all new ones. These are the ones that use 4, 4 foot bulbs. They work fine and as someone else said if it's too cold for them to start it's too cold for ME to start. I've been in shops with some of those big round lights and they have a funny color I don't like them.

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Charles(in GA)

12-20-2005 14:19:39

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Mike M, 12-20-2005 11:02:37

"I've been in shops with some of those big round lights and they have a funny color I don't like them."

The "big round lights" are one of three types, Sodium (orangish, used in outdoor and some industrial applications, mercury (bluish and very common indoors and out, nearly obselete however), and Metal Halide or MH, which are very nearly white. You see these in many stores now, Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart. They work great but you will need LOW BAY fixtures if used in a workshop. Low bay is designed for 20 ft and under height. Tall buildings inside use high bay fixtures. They spread the light differently.

I too am trying to decide what to do for shop lighting. Right now I have two cheap 500watt quartz floods mounted on a 12 ft high prulin on one end wall of a 60x60x16 building. They provide surpisingly good general lighting but I want good overall coverage and for sure want some uplight to elimate the "cave effect" that some fixtures give.

There are flourescent fixtures now using T8 and even the new (expensive) T5 lamps that are designed to replace 400 watt metal halides in shop and industrial applications.

here is one example

Link

Charles

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Ron in Nebr

12-20-2005 10:34:05

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

I'm putting 4 metal halide lowbay lights in the shop I'm fixing up. Bought 'em off of ebay pretty reasonable. I have one hanging in there now wired up temporarily and it's so bright it's like working in daylight or better! They'll run on 220v and are supposed to last lots longer than flourescents and be more efficient to boot.

Only real drawback to them is it takes a few minutes for them to come on when you throw the switch. But I'll also have a few flourescents around the shop for instant light when I need it and for task lighting over workbenches.

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Charles (in GA)

12-20-2005 14:36:21

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ron in Nebr, 12-20-2005 10:34:05

I have four 250W low bay MH fixtures, in nearly new condition. A local HVAC commercial contractor I know gets them during store and building referbs. The electrical people give them to him. I bought them from him for $10 each and they work fine. I really wanted 400W but may wind up with more of these. I haven't installed them yet, but did test them. Multivoltage taps on them, I will wire for 240V with double pole switches and also carry a netural in case I decide to install 120v fixtures.

Charles

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JohnDeereGreen

12-20-2005 10:24:06

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

Ken,
I have flourecent lights in my shop, and I'm in southern Ohio. Went out yesterday to work, 'bout 20 degrees, an' left the lights on for about 1- minutes and the fllickering quit. It normally takes about ten minutes every time it drops below 50, but I also have incandesent task lights in certan spots.
Really, though, give flourecent a chance. It can be aggrivating, but isn't really that bad. Use it mainly, and have incandesant around machines, workbenches, toolboxes, and other spots that you'll need quick light at any temperature.
Hope this helps, JohnDeereGreen

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the tractor vet

12-20-2005 10:02:17

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to Ken in Mich, 12-20-2005 09:25:30

The high output flor. with the cold start ballist works good they start good down to 0 and after that i would not think of going out to the shop .

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unioncreek

12-20-2005 11:40:46

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Re: Shop lighting in reply to the tractor vet, 12-20-2005 10:02:17

I put four low pressure sodium greenhouse lights in my 36 x 48 foot barn that I use for a shop. They take a little to come on but when they do it's like the sun is shining. Each light is 400 watts, but they didn't cost me anything.

Bobg

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