Another shop light question

[Bayou]

I have a few questions in regards to switching over my shop lights to LED and being able to see lol. My shop is 40x70 with 12' to the trusses with pre existing lights 16 total. They are situated in two rows, every 4th truss. I'm assuming the height of the lights/fixture makes a difference on what style. Everything is already wired so it won't be hard at all and I'm trying to decide or figure out my lighting options. I'm not wanting to put up gold fixtures but I also don't want the cheapest either. I just don't have any idea when it comes to this besides the fact that I want plenty of light. I will also put in a couple extra around the main bench/work area. For those that have did went to LED, please share your experience with different light set ups and what you would do differently if you started over. Also I'm just starting to figure this out so any links or pictures would greatly help. Thanks

1. High loft vs rectangular vs strips---would rather go high loft or rectangular
2. Is a high loft what is called a UFO style
2. Best to hang or fix to the truss
3. When it comes to lumens or watts, what should I be looking at or for

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

 

[duffer]

Friend of mine has a shop about the size of yours, maybe 5' shorter in length. He has (12) LED rectangular fixtures (24-30" in length). Trusses are about same height as yours as well. Lights the interior WAY better than incandescents/flourescents. And no heat generated either.

He hung his from the trusses. They are high enough where you won't bump them, unless you're trying to...

Don't have the specs on lumens or equivalent wattage, but they were significant. He bought them on line.

 

[arcadelt]

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

Here in Australia in my 23 x 40 foot shed I put up four of these from Philips, and they do me well. I hang them from the trusses, but they can be mounted in different ways. I don't recall what beam width I chose, our four covers almost all of the floor. You'd obviously need more.

I've linked to the US website, where you can see they come in a range of lumens, colour temperatures and beam widths.

GreenPerform Highbay G3 High-bay - Philips

 

[kthompson]

If you have fluorescent lights, 4 or 8 feet long, you may find you can use those fixtures with led bulbs made for that but you must remove the ballast and do some simple rewiring.

 

[Bayou]

We just moved in a year and a half ago and the previous owner has plain light sockets with regular house bulbs. You can imagine what that was like. I changed the bulbs out to LED but it's not much better. It's almost laughable.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I just found some 4 foot GE LED T8 tubes at the RESTORE. Two Bucks CDN per. I bought all they had. I'm surprised (and impressed) that I cannot tell the difference from adjacent flourescent tubes. I am a little annoyed that I still have to address some defective Ballast issues in my shop. One, I only use low RFI ballasts which can be misrepresented and always cost more. Ballasts seem foolish for LED tubes if there are ones in the market that you throw the ballast away and put line voltage on the tomb stone connectors.

As far as lighting goes. I am not a fan of spending money on LED fixtures. I think too many fail. I like to keep my options open. So regular screw bases and replacement tubes and bulbs make sense to me, at this time.

Has anyone bought the replacement LED bulbs for those hellishly high temp quartz spot/flood lamps?

 

[Topzide]

Check outLight Bulbs from the Web's #1 Lighting Retailer | 1000Bulbs.com
They have lots of options. At least if prices aren't good then you'll have info to look elsewhere.

 

[TMGT]

I have a 40x40 section of my shop lit with the UFO style 150w 19,500k versions from Adiding. I used 8 lights in a grid pattern (didn't put a light above the garage door).

Even with a 16.5" ceiling it is fantastic and very bright, i could have probably gotten by with less but I wanted it like working outside.

I did have an early failure the other day, (little over 2 years old) and after a couple emails they sent out a replacement in a couple days, very good service.

 

[grsthegreat]

I simply converted my 8 existing 8 foot fixtures into non ballast tandem led fixtures with a retrofit kit. The kit contained the tombstones and center plate. Than i swapped out the High Output 110 watt lamps for 5,000k led lamps. Super bright in my 30x40 shop with 12 foot height.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Any issues with RFI on LED fixtures/retrofit lamps and any issues with tripping ARC Fault breakers?

 

[grsthegreat]

Not that i have heard of, and ive installed alot of them on gfci circuits. I dont believe ive done a retrofit on an ark fault that i remember. But i dont see how it would affect an ark fault.

 

[mikester]

I have a few questions in regards to switching over my shop lights to LED and being able to see lol. My shop is 40x70 with 12' to the trusses with pre existing lights 16 total. They are situated in two rows, every 4th truss. I'm assuming the height of the lights/fixture makes a difference on what style. Everything is already wired so it won't be hard at all and I'm trying to decide or figure out my lighting options. I'm not wanting to put up gold fixtures but I also don't want the cheapest either. I just don't have any idea when it comes to this besides the fact that I want plenty of light. I will also put in a couple extra around the main bench/work area. For those that have did went to LED, please share your experience with different light set ups and what you would do differently if you started over. Also I'm just starting to figure this out so any links or pictures would greatly help. Thanks

1. High loft vs rectangular vs strips---would rather go high loft or rectangular
2. Is a high loft what is called a UFO style
2. Best to hang or fix to the truss
3. When it comes to lumens or watts, what should I be looking at or for

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

I have a similar sized shop but 18 feet to the eaves. I originally had 4 high bay sodium lights mounted about 15 feet from each wall. The electrical utility had a conservation program and they changed them for me to four T8 high bay fluorescent fixtures that use six T8 bulbs each fixture. Last year I changed the bulbs to T8 LED Luminous brand similar to these
https://www.costco.com/feit-electric-led-4'-replacement-glass-tubes,-4-pack.product.100482236.html

The LED bulbs are instant on, very bright, no buzzing, natural daylight coloured light, and use a quarter of the energy of the fluorescent bulbs. The fluorescent bulbs were a quarter the energy of the sodium lights, took about a minute to warm up, white light, and tended to flicker and buzz, especially during warm up. The sodium lights took several minutes to warm up to full brightness, were very buzzy, and had a very yellow light.

I have no regrets switching to the T8 LEDs, no RFI issues. I have a mezzanine with the same LED bulbs and a motion sensor switch. I had to change the motion sensor switch to one that used a mechanical relay switch. The original switch had a MOFSET and bleed off voltage/current causing the LED to never turn fully off and flicker in the OFF condition. I had to leave one bulb as T8 fluorescent to sink the bleed off until I found a better motion switch.

 

[TMGT]

I definitely like the LED conversations for florescent fixtures, however if you don't already have the fixtutes I prefer the LED high bays (UFO style).

 

[newbury]

<snip> Last year I changed the bulbs to T8 LED Luminous brand similar to these
https://www.costco.com/feit-electric-led-4'-replacement-glass-tubes,-4-pack.product.100482236.html

The LED bulbs are instant on, very bright, no buzzing, natural daylight coloured light, and use a quarter of the energy of the fluorescent bulbs.<snip>

I've still a lot of T8's and T12's sucking up electricity so your statement of

a quarter of the energy

made me look it up.
The link you provided has bulbs that

Features:
4100K Cool White
1750 Lumens
Actual Watts Used 14

That's about 125 lumens/watt at $11.25@/TUBE
For reference T8's like I've been using are like 2400 lumens for 32 watts (75 lumens/watt) at < $2@/TUBE

And the AmazonBasics twin "tube" fixtures I've been hanging are rated at 4000 lumens for 40watts (100 lumens/watt) at about $6.25@ FIXTURE.

I'd love to see inexpensive LED's that use "use a quarter of the energy of the fluorescent bulbs" but they just are not there yet.

 

[grsthegreat]

I've still a lot of T8's and T12's sucking up electricity so your statement of made me look it up.
The link you provided has bulbs that

That's about 125 lumens/watt at $11.25@/TUBE
For reference T8's like I've been using are like 2400 lumens for 32 watts (75 lumens/watt) at < $2@/TUBE

And the AmazonBasics twin "tube" fixtures I've been hanging are rated at 4000 lumens for 40watts (100 lumens/watt) at about $6.25@ FIXTURE.

I'd love to see inexpensive LED' that use "use a quarter of the energy of the fluorescent bulbs" but they just are not there yet.

they are definitely not There yet. I only changed mine because i got the lamps for free....left over from multiple commercial relamping jobs. I would never have swapped out existing lights for leds because the payback time is still too long. The only rime i install leds now on my own place is when i install new light fixtures.

 

[Industrial Toys]

To me, that would add insult to injury. Replacing good old lamps for LED, thinking to save money and then the LEDs fail.

BIG difference from large and commercial installations to the little guys house or shop. For one, if you are that cost conscious, you turn off lighting whenever practical. A switched off circuit costs nothing! I feel just terrible, if I find out I left lights "burning" unecessarily.

 

[cjoffutt]

I have (4) of these in my 36*48*14. They light it up PLENTY. Really don't need the under loft lights, or upper loft lights unless you really want it bright.

2 Foot LED High Bay Light 22 LM Kit - HB-2MF-165D

 

[Industrial Toys]

NICE.. I love your bright wall coverings. OH, to build a shop from new!

Staircase reminds me of that on the TITANIC.

 

[Big Barn]

I have (4) of these in my 36*48*14. They light it up PLENTY. Really don't need the under loft lights, or upper loft lights unless you really want it bright.

2 Foot LED High Bay Light 22 LM Kit - HB-2MF-165D

View attachment 666535

That is going to be one nice shop!