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Thread: Lighting for new shop build

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    Lighting for new shop build

    I will be building a new shop between 2100 and 2700 sq ft. I want a lot of light. From calcs it looks like 100 lumens per sq foot. The side walls will be 9 ft with scissor trusses that will give me 12" of span in the center of the shop. I would like as low-profile lighting as I can get. One path is LED panel lights and I would fabricate my own way to mount them in rows across the ceiling. It looks like I could do this in a way that has them only extend 2" down from the ceiling. Another option is fixtures that look like Fluorescent fixtures but are made for LED tubes. The third option is LED strip lights.

    Panel Pros:
    - low glare light
    Panel Cons:
    - higher cost than LED tubes
    - lower lumens per watt and per dollar.

    Tube Pros:
    - cheapest
    Tube Cons:
    - More glare
    - fixtures hang down further and they looks pretty fragile
    - dust on the tubes ?

    Strip Pros:
    - slim surface mount
    - Quickest install
    Cons:
    - Cost more than tubes but less than panels

    Thoughts? Also I haven't found nice quality affordable fixtures that are designed for LED tubes. I would rather not buy fluorescent fixtures an then pull the transformers and rewire. Maybe the ideal solution is strip lights in aluminum housings with single larger power supplies for each bank?

    thanks..joe

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
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    Prairie Village, KS
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    I just did an electrical overhaul in my shop including new subpanel, outlets and lights. I went with 8' LED tube fixtures. They take 4 4' bulbs in each one.

    Here are the fixtures I bought: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/192389/PLT-20015.html

    Here are the bulbs I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Totaled about $60 per fixture.

    I am a little over 100 lumens per ft where I put the fixtures. I am very happy with them.

    Wiring was pretty easy and they hang down about 6" from the ceiling. You could mount them directly to the ceiling but I had some stuff in the way so I just went with suspended.

    Here's a pic:


  3. #3
    There is one other option called, at least by the Chinese, a batten light. It has the same kind of strip lights as in all fixtures built in to what looks like a skinny fluorescent. I bought 16 for my 640 square foot shop to get 100 foot candles / Lumens per sq. ft. They are only 1 1/2" wide X 1 1/2" high X 60" long, 6000K, and 4000 lumens each (40 watt). You can link up to 200 watts together from one outlet (I have 4 so 160 watts per row), or if wired individually they can be dimmed. They are UL certified. When I bought them in January it was through Alibaba and if memory serves they were $17US each plus shipping. I got some for the garage too so the 22 came to about $550US delivered. My ceiling is also a scissor truss like you plan on making. I will be pulling them down to wait the ceiling white..........someday.

    They have a light I would have liked to buy but were more money called a Tri-Proof. Impact, water, and dust proof. I saw a Youtube where the guys drove over and beat the thing with a sledge hammer.

    The company is called Lonyung LED Lighting Company and they sell panel lights too.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #4
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    Since it is a new installation, I certainly would not put in fluorescent fixtures with LED tubes. Those are a compromise & are going to be more trouble down the road. They have a ballast in them that adds cost, inefficiency & one more component to fail. Exposed tubes are a cleaning issue as well. There are lots of dedicated LED fixtures available at some great prices. If you are concerned with color accuracy, then go for something with a high CRI of above 90.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Christensen View Post
    There is one other option called, at least by the Chinese, a batten light. It has the same kind of strip lights as in all fixtures built in to what looks like a skinny fluorescent. I bought 16 for my 640 square foot shop to get 100 foot candles / Lumens per sq. ft. They are only 1 1/2" wide X 1 1/2" high X 60" long, 6000K, and 4000 lumens each (40 watt). You can link up to 200 watts together from one outlet (I have 4 so 160 watts per row), or if wired individually they can be dimmed. They are UL certified. When I bought them in January it was through Alibaba and if memory serves they were $17US each plus shipping. I got some for the garage too so the 22 came to about $550US delivered. My ceiling is also a scissor truss like you plan on making. I will be pulling them down to wait the ceiling white..........someday.

    They have a light I would have liked to buy but were more money called a Tri-Proof. Impact, water, and dust proof. I saw a Youtube where the guys drove over and beat the thing with a sledge hammer.

    The company is called Lonyung LED Lighting Company and they sell panel lights too.
    Those are exactly what I'm looking for. It will be a year so there may be new alternatives but those are the right style.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    Sterling, Virginia
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    644
    Take a look at primelights.com. I am happy with the lights I got from them.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    Thompsons Station, Tn.
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    98
    Gloss white paint is your friend.

  8. #8
    Check Matt Cremonas channel about LED strip lighting.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
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    Modesto, CA, USA
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    I saw online that Costco has the 4' twin tube LED florescent look alike fixtures for 19.99 until new years. IF these are the same ones they had last spring they are a pretty good deal. Also Costco has liberal return policy if you do not like them or if they fail in a few years.
    Bill D.

    PS: While running light circuits run some wire to a switched outlet, or two, down lower for your radio, fan, task light or whatever. That way you do not accidentally leave them on when you leave the shop.

    https://www.costco.com/Feit-Electric...100284402.html

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    I saw online that Costco has the 4' twin tube LED florescent look alike fixtures for 19.99 until new years. IF these are the same ones they had last spring they are a pretty good deal. Also Costco has liberal return policy if you do not like them or if they fail in a few years.

    https://www.costco.com/Feit-Electric...100284402.html
    Yes, they are nice fixtures...I already ordered a two-pack to take care of the last two fixtures in my shop that I didn't already replace with these/or-the-previous-version. I think that the sun is shining in my shop these days!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #11
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    Oct 2007
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    Cache Valley, Utah
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    I put 8 of the Feit fixtures in my shop; love them. Will be getting another 10 for the garage soon.

  12. #12
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    Sep 2016
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    Last time I looked at costco they had some funky 4' led fixtures. waterproof with motion sensor. problem is that it is a major operation to get to the motion sensor dip switches. And you have to HAVE the manual to adjust them. I have. a feeling the online manual may disappear at any time.
    Bill

  13. #13
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    Bill, I've never seen what you describe. The Feit fixtures I have from Costco are all "normal" plug-in fixtures. They do have a pull-chain for folks who want to use them that way, but I just plug them into my ceiling lighting outlets that are controlled by switches. The latest version of the fixtures that you linked to above can be "daisy chained" as they have receptacles for that built in. They are great lamps and the price is definitely attractive. They also have a 4K color temperature which is nice in a shop space.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
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    Southwestern CT
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Jensen View Post
    I will be building a new shop between 2100 and 2700 sq ft. I want a lot of light. From calcs it looks like 100 lumens per sq foot.
    thanks..joe
    100 Lumens per square foot is 1100 lumens per square meter (lux) and meets the standard for mechanical workshops (see attached chart which I thought came from the Jack Lindsey article but must have come from elsewhere). I tested the amount of light in my shop by using fixtures of a known lighting quantity at the expected height, and ended up increasing the amount of light to 2500 lux. I am happy I did. But then again as I age my eyesight isn't what it used to be. For comparison purposes, I went with ~1650 lumens/meter2 in the lower level of the shop (where I store wood and equipment) and the difference is pretty significant.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Bill Adamsen; 12-02-2017 at 1:21 PM.
    "the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” Confucius

  15. #15
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    Sep 2016
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    I think it was Hoe Depot that had led 4' hanging fixtures that have a built in blue tooth speaker system. I saw somewhere last week an Edison base led bulb that also had bluetooth built in.

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