LED lighting in pole barn?

[wmonroe]

I'm getting ready to start installing permanent lighting in my 40x60x16 pole barn and was originally thinking of going flourescent or maybe a high pressure sodium type light. I'm not very familiar with interior LED lighting and have not found the info i'm looking for in my searches. With my ceiling being so high would LED's still be a viable option? Also all i seem to find is replacement bulbs, do they make fixtures for more of a pole barn application?
Thanks

 

[newbury]

LED's are EXPENSIVE still.

I've got a workshop with a 12' plus ceiling and one with a 14' plus ceiling. Both are lit with 8' R12 flourescent fixtures.

Not enough light for me. As the ballasts age I'm going to replace them with R5's. Still more expensive than R12's or R8's but the ones I hooked up so far are MUCH brighter.

Search the threads here and somewhere I think I put a link to an EXCELLENT article on workshop lighting at Sawmill Creek.

 

[jeff9366]

I have 14 LED can lights in my three year old home in Florida.
Energy usage is 16 watts, light output equivalent to 65 watt incandescent can light.
Not only efficient but cool, so air conditioning does not have to fight heat from lights.
Light service is something like 30,000 hours. I'll be dead before the first one requires replacement. ( I prohibit myself from going higher than three steps on a ladder these days.)
Initially expensive, yes, but I figured payback within five years inside the house.
I am sure interior LED lighting has improved in the three years since mine were installed.

I feel more secure with LED can lights relative to fire than with HOT incandescent can lights.

 

[Member]

I'm getting ready to start installing permanent lighting in my 40x60x16 pole barn and was originally thinking of going flourescent or maybe a high pressure sodium type light. I'm not very familiar with interior LED lighting and have not found the info i'm looking for in my searches. With my ceiling being so high would LED's still be a viable option? Also all i seem to find is replacement bulbs, do they make fixtures for more of a pole barn application?
Thanks

I'm testing one of these:

Lithonia Lighting 2 ft. White LED High Bay Light-IBH 11L MV at The Home Depot

It's very bright at 11,200 lumens. My only complaint so far is the fixture has to be ventilated on top for the LEDs to cool and bugs get inside using those vents and die on the diffuser. I haven't looked to see if the diffuser is easily removable yet.

I'm covering an area about 20x20 feet with one right now, it looks like that will work well.

 

[CobyRupert]

Yes, they should last a lifetime, and are very energy efficient, but if/when they do go bad, don't you have to scrape the whole fixture and remount / rewire a whole new fixture? Factor that into the cost "savings"

 

[newbury]

I'm testing one of these:

Lithonia Lighting 2 ft. White LED High Bay Light-IBH 11L MV at The Home Depot

It's very bright at 11,200 lumens. My only complaint so far is the fixture has to be ventilated on top for the LEDs to cool and bugs get inside using those vents and die on the diffuser. I haven't looked to see if the diffuser is easily removable yet.

I'm covering an area about 20x20 feet with one right now, it looks like that will work well.

I hadn't found those last year when I did my search for high bay lighting. Might have to try one with some insect netting on top.

/edit
Found the article
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/content.php?146-Lighting-the-Small-Workshop-by-Jack-Lindsey
It also has a calculator for how many lights

 

[Member]

I hadn't found those last year when I did my search for high bay lighting. Might have to try one with some insect netting on top.

Insect netting is a great idea. Are you thinking something like metal window screen attached with aluminum foil tape? If not, how would you do it?

 

[edlegault]

LED light fixtures do NOT "last a lifetime". Just replaced a LED rear brake assembly out of a 2004 Prius because half of the LEDs were burned out. $400. 130,000 miles at 25mph average = 5200 hours. Should have gone 50,000 hours. Did not.

I have noticed that CFL bulbs in the house also only last a fraction of the advertised time.

 

[ThomasH]

Fluorescent tubes are somewhat more efficient than the current crop of LED lights, so there isn't much of a comparison in cost as LED fixtures cost many times what corresponding fluorescent fixtures do. And my experience is that while you do have to replace fluorescent tubes every 5 or so years (depending on usage), LEDs don't last all that much longer due to power fluctuations and the heat that the bulbs put out.

 

[wmonroe]

It looks so far at this point that fluorescents are father way to go over LEDs. It seems that with the initial price of an led I won't get enough of a return for how much use I will have to save anything. I just looked at an online calculator and it says I will need 43 8' t8 fixtures for my building. Ouch!!!