Garage lighting?

[Joe Reed]

I gonna be moving into a new house in a couple of months and, of course, am deciding how to set up my new garage. My present 2-car garage has 2 4-foot 2-tube flourscent fixtures on either side and one over my workbench (along with a couple of portable spotlights I use when under the hood, under the carm, etc.
I'm wondering if there's a better option - like maybe those halogen lights like they use in stores like Home Depot and Costco (with eyesight like Mr. Magoo, I need all the help I can get!). In those stores, they have a gazillion of 'em hung way up high. My garage ceiling is a little over 9 feet, so I don't know it those would be the best solution there.
Anybody got any creative (and inexpensive!) solutions??

 

[Ed Wynne]

Joe,
What kind of floor do you plan on having?
My garage was painted a fairly glossy white, and when its not covered with all the junk my kids and wife through out the door, the combination of the two ceiling fan lights (Oh I really recommend putting ceiling fans in you garage,if its not AC)
and the flourescent light over my work bench is really pretty bright.

If your floor is darker than mine, I would just recommend lots of the flourescent tubes...
They are cheap and don't get too hot...

Ed

 

[Joe Reed]

The floor is going to be plain concrete with a clear sealer. The walls are going to be a very light color, and the ceiling is white. I hadn't considered ceiling fans, but that might be a good idea!
Now.....if I could just find ceiling fans with those super-duper halogen lamps hanging from it!

Of couse, that might melt the paint off the cars.....

 

[Guest]

those lights are metal halide and are very expensive. the yellow ones are high pressure sodium and not good to work under but make great security lighting. I recommend the old faithful 4 ft flourescent light with 2 40watt tubes. don't buy the energy savers they put out less light. I have a 4 footer every 3 feet in my one car garage, and have them on 2 switches so that I can turn on every other one if neccessary. I also have them plugged into receptacles in the ceiling, so that I can just have all the lights on in one area if I am just working there, but my ceiling isn't 9 ft tall. also think about alot of receptacles around the walls so you are always close to a plug in, and put them on a ground fault breaker. Too bad I'm not gonna be in Memphis longer or I'd help you take care of this

 

[PC]

The lights at Home Depot and Costco aren’t halogens the HID (high intensity discharge) lamps. They give off tons of light and are very efficient but they’re pricey and there aren’t too many fixtures available for small spaces. (oops, looks like Chuck beat me to that)

I agree with Ed and Chuck, multiple fluorescent fixtures are cheap, will give you lots of light with low power draw and low heating. Spread the fixtures out to give even light distribution and save the halogens for task lights. I have a low ceiling too. I’m always wacking stuff on the lights, door opener and ceiling so I recommend fixtures with covers or grills over the tubes.

I also agree with gloss white on the walls. It helps with the lighting, collects less dirt and spider webs and cleans up much easier than flat paint or bare walls. I know a guy whose garage has black walls with a whole bunch of halogen track lights. Its very dramatic for showing off his cars (it’s an 8 car garage) but it would be horrible to work in (he doesn’t).

Get florescent drop-lights too. When you’re wedged up under the car they’re way less painful to brush up against and the diffused light is easier on your eyes. You’ll also be less likely to uncork a fuel line while your body is jammed under the frame rails and spew gas all over a hot light bulb. (Trust me, that’s not fun.)

Don’t forget the air lines and lots of extra power outlets.

PC.

[ 08-13-2003: Message edited by: PC ]</p>

 

[SilentUnicorn]

my 3 cents worth

8 foot high output with cold start ballast...is the way to go. slightly more expensive .but you wont need as many. cold tends to kill the normal florescents. cold start ballast will light up at like better than 20 below. may not be a factor if your climate is warm, or you heat your garage 24/7.

Mark

 

[tony barnhill]

good topic as I also am working on garage addition...my ceiling will be a dropped one & I want lights recessed in it

 

[Guest]

then get some 4' recessed fixtures and put 'em in instead of ceiling panels

 

[Joe Reed]

8' tubes with cold start ballasts sounds like the way to go. I've got regular ballasts now, and they really slow starting in the winter...

 

[Guest]

joe you can buy 4' tubes and fixtures more than 1/2 as cheap as 8'. I have an incandescent lite that burns while I heat up the garage and then I fire up the flourescents. It takes more energy to start a flourescent than it does to run it for an hour so I use other lites when I'm just gonna be in the garage for a minute

 

[tony barnhill]

chuck...that's what I'm gonna do...thinking about off white for wally & checkerboard tile floor...not that you can see much of the floor!

[ 08-12-2003: Message edited by: tony barnhill ]</p>

 

[PC]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by tony barnhill:
...thinking about off white for wally & checkerboard tile floor... <hr></blockquote>

Wally ought to be happy being off white.

Like I said before, I recommend gloss.

The checkerboard floor is very cool. Be sure to use flooring that has color all the way through the bulk of the material like composite tiles or porcelain tiles. Ceramic tiles get their colors from a glaze that will chip off the first time you drop a wrench or roll a floor jack over it.


PC.

 

[78Z]

those setups sound like luxury. I used a desk lamp for lighting for the longest time. Now I have one of those proper stick work lights. I could use some insulation though.

 

[Guest]

you have more room than I have

 

[78Z]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Chuck Cougill:
you have more room than I have

<hr></blockquote>

Not anymore. That picture was taken last year when we first moved in. Right now its full of yard stuff, kids toys, etc. The Jeep is even outside.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by 78Z:


Not anymore. That picture was taken last year when we first moved in. Right now its full of yard stuff, kids toys, etc. The Jeep is even outside.<hr></blockquote>

thats what yard barns are for

 

[Larry Kronemeyer]

I've got 22 8' units in my garage, do keep the garage warm in winter, only need something on walls for shadows when painting. Use the flourescent drop lights in and under the cars, safer and better light, still get hot, but not as hot as bulbs. My high out-put halogen from Home Depot gets too hot, only use it in the driveway.
Larry

 

[clint]

2.5 car garage, 2 8', 5 4' florescent, 2 florescent trouble lights, 1 on reel(long type), 1 free(short light) I use a rechargeable 7.2 makita flashlight for most undercar lighting, just easier for me to deal with. Halogens get too hot, are delicate for moving work lights, and too bright sometimes. Incandescent bulb trouble lights are still the #1 cause of shop fires. My lights near the wall are angled to put more light to the center of garage. Try to keep a light above your workbench, near vice, and grinder. No windows in my garage, and plenty of light. If it is a free standing garage and you plan on getting a compressor, put it in a tool shed on the side, with a power switch in the garage. Just a side note there, I have an 80 gallon compressor, and it is loud.

 

[piman]

Hello Joe,
a point as you refer to the ceiling being 9 feet high. Hang the lights as low as practicable, as light intensity works on a square rule, double the height, and you quarter the light intensity.
Obviously you need them out the way, but keep them as low as possible.

Alec

 

[Steve]

Some good advise........ I need to look into my lighting options, so there is a lot to work with here.