Lighting in new garage - suggestions / experience

[ez at nova]

My 24 x 24 garage is getting finished up in the next few days. Despite me requesting big florescent fixtures from the contractor, all they installed were 4 (evenly spaced, 2 on each side) incandescent bulbs. I'm 99% sure these ain't gonna cut it for the very bright and adaquate lighting I want to have. I wasn't opposed to some incandescents for spot lighting, but figured florescents would be better for an overall cast of lighting. What types of light fixtures and configurations does anyone suggest? Any pictures? I'm no electrical genious...if I go with florescent, is it as easy as just unwiring the little incandescant fixtures and wiring up a florescent one, or should I unwire the incandescent to hook up electric 3 prong plug boxes that the florescent ficture would then plug into via a normal cord? I've also heard there are different "temperature working ranges" of florescent fixtures. I would think that 8' tube fixtures would give great light, but I bet they are a bear to handle, replace, etc. I'm guessing I also can't get supperior lighting by simply taking out the 4 incandescent bulbs and replacing them with those "curly" halogen/florescent screw in bulbs.

 

[efi-street]

I just moved into my new house and had the same scenario. I just replaced the regular fixtures with 3 prong outlets and plugged 4 5' flourescents in where the regular fixtures were. On one of them, I had to run new wiring where there was no fixture before, but I just ran it off of the same circuit as the others and it was all very easy to do. It was a drastic improvement, but I still want more light. Time to add more flourescents.

 

[ez at nova]

Is your garage finished with drywall? I'm thinking that will drastically help brightness when I get some drywall in there. Are your 5' fixtures (4 foot bulbs?) dual or single bulbs?

 

[efi-street]

Originally posted by ez at nova
Is your garage finished with drywall? I'm thinking that will drastically help brightness when I get some drywall in there. Are your 5' fixtures (4 foot bulbs?) dual or single bulbs?

My working garage is in the basement (what my wife calls the "parking garage" is upstairs). The walls aren't finished yet since I still have some framing to do. It will be finished in drywall with probably a white/lt gray scheme to help brighten things up.
Now that I look at them, they are all dual 4' bulb fixtures. Got them pretty cheap at home depot. I think they were like $8 each except for the one over the engine bay, it was $20 (brighter and nicer fixture).

 

[TR Custom Parts]

I just got done doing my garage, about the same size as yours. I only had two 100W bulbs in there when I moved in. Couldn't see anything in there with all the shadows. I hooked up 2 - 4ft shoplites where those were. I then ran a new circuit from the breaker panel and added another 13 fixtures! I am running all the other lights from 3 switches so I don't have to light up the whole garage like Las Vegas if I just need to run out there for something and not be doing work. Not a shadow in the garage now.

 

[CHARGED]

In my 40x40 garage I have 6, 8' florescent dual bulbs in the back of the garage and 4, 4' duals in the front in between the garage doors.

I like the 8' ones much better, I think I paid $25 for the 8' fixture at Lowes and $9 for the 4's

Do it right and pay once.

 

[ez at nova]

My God Mark, 13 MORE, How does your garage door not hit or block them when it is in the lifted position?
Now, as I've said, I know nothing about electricity... if I wanted to add more "boxes" or whatever, can I just splice in and branch off of others rather than running whole new wiring down to teh circuit breaker?
BTW, Mark, got any pictures of that?

 

[efi-street]

Originally posted by ez at nova
My God Mark, 13 MORE, How does your garage door not hit or block them when it is in the lifted position?
Now, as I've said, I know nothing about electricity... if I wanted to add more "boxes" or whatever, can I just splice in and branch off of others rather than running whole new wiring down to teh circuit breaker?
BTW, Mark, got any pictures of that?

If you're just replacing fixture for fixture, it's just a matter of taking out the old fixture (usually 3 wires including ground) and wiring the same wires on the new fixture. Just make sure you kill the power at the breaker box for that circuit first.

 

[ez at nova]

Good idea about killing the power

But as far as if I need to add mroe than teh 4 "terminals" that are there now, which sounds likely by the way people are talking here... can I just splice into the wires that are already there and mount the new boxes? That means they'd obviously be turned on and off by the existing switch that controls whatever one I spliced off of, but I don't mind that. I just don't know if that's an electrical no-no.

 

[efi-street]

You should be fine. Depends on how many you're going to add. If you just add a couple, then they should be fine on the same circuit. If you're going to go crazy like Mark, then I'd run another circuit and switch.

 

[Boost]

Want brightness ?

Go to your local electrical wholesaler(s) and ask him for a 2-40 (4'-2F40 lamps) industrial fixture or for a 2-96 (8'-2F96 lamps) industrial fixture. You can combine 4 of one of the models or 2(4') and 2(8') of the other.

The fluorescent "industrial" fixture that you purchase at an electrical wholesaler (especially the 4 footers) are very different than the ones that you purchase at a hardware store /home center (Ace,Lowes,Home Depot). Why, the 4' "Shop lite" as is known in the in the consumer market, uses a "low-light-output" residential type ballast, why ? (Cheaper), the one that you purchase at an electrical supply house uses an energy saving ballast that is a "full-light-output" that works at say, 100% efficiency (more lumens) the residential grade ballast works at 75% efficiency, less lumens. In laymans terms, one will generate 34W (ESB) the other one 26W (residential).

Even better than the above, try to buy something that has an electronic ballast that uses electronic or "octron" lamps, ex. F32T8TL741. These fixtures will cost you more (because of the ballast and lamps), but electrical consumption savings will be approx 40% better than the magnetic (T12) fixtures.
Electronic is the latest technology in the fluorescent industry and it is much more efficient than the old magnetic technology.

The term "industrial" is given to a fluorescent "strip" or "channel" fixture, in which they put a white shade or reflector (as you would find in a shop-lite, usually with a better quality steel in the reflector/shade), which helps to direct the light downward.

What would I use in your situation ?
Go to your wholesaler and as him for price and availability on:

1) A fluorescent electronic strip for a 2 lamp 4' with a chrome reflector 120V (I presume you have 120V)( the chrome reflector will duplicate the "lumens" over the "industrial" or white reflector/shade) that includes lamps (octron/electronic 2-F32T8TL741).

2) A fluorescent electronic strip for a 2 lamp 8' with a chrome reflector 120V (I pressume you have 120V)( the chrome reflector will duplicate the "lumens" over the "industrial" or white reflector/shade) that includes lamps (octron/electronic 2-F96T8TL741).

Price both sizes, with and without the lamps, and see if you can purchase electronic T8 lamps cheaper some place else. Use ONLY american lamps, GE, Phillips, Sylvania. Do NOT use imported electronic lamps (they suck), I recommend Phillips "Alto"they have the green colored ends (enviromentally friendly) but GE or Sylvania will do, only recycling is recommended for those two versus disposing in you garbage for the (Phillips) Alto's".

I suspect the ones with the chome shades will have a bad availability, if so, and you need them faster go with the industrials.

Common part numbers for the above in the industry: CI232 (4'), CI296T8 (8'),
IND232 and IND296T8
EJ232, EJ296T8 (Lithonia)


Just my 3.8's...

 

[David65]

Hey Boost, good info. I was going to say something like that but you beat me to it. I used to work at the design center for a electronic ballast manufacturer. Something else to think about is the temperature where the fixture will be operated in. Rapid start lamps (F40T12) usually don't like to start when it gets cold. The fixture using the Octron lamps (F32T8) will work better in colder climates if the garage is unheated. We advertised min starting temps for a 2 lamp rapid start ballast using F40T12 lamps as 50°F. Min temp for a 2 lamp instant start ballast using F32T8 lamps was 0°F. May not be an issue though in Pennsy where he lives. I have 2 lamp instant start ballasts out in the garage up here. They usually start until the inside temp gets down to 0 or -5°F. Oh, and I agree on using good lamps. Some of the ones I used to test su(ked. I liked the Sylvania brand myself. Their Octron T8 lamps were usually high quality.

BTW; which fixture manufacturer you work for, if you can say? I used to work for the Power "M", if you know who I mean.

David

 

[Boost]

You're absolutely correct, David...

on the temperature info, especially the folks up North. Not too much of a problem down our neck of the woods. Except if the fixture is very close to the air condition vent.

Yes, I know the "M", it is now the "U" (again),
the best ballast Mnfctr. in USA, and a preffered vendor.

 

[ez at nova]

Holy smokes, that's a lot of good info. I sure apperciate you taking the time to type all that!