Light spacing in pole horse barn???

[WM75Guy]

Here is mine at night. The barn is 36'X48" with 4 fixtures on each side of the aisle. Each fixture has 4 4' bulbs. Each side is on a separate switch with switch panels at each end. The doors are 10' tall so the lights are at 12'.

 

[Attono]

how far are the trusses spaced? no problem, i can run it up tomorrow

Trusses are 4', but since it's a monument style, the center area above the aisle has a ceiling with the hayloft above it. The joists are every 2' with rough sawn pine decking and they run perpendicular to the concrete center aisle. They outside runs with the stalls go all the way up.

 

[Zebrafive]

I have a monument style barn built that is essentially 36x36 on the inside. I have 3 12x12 stalls along one side, a 12' wide center aisle that is 12' high, 1 12x12 stall, a wash area and 12x12 tack room on the other side. I've got the meter base panel installed and wired (meter not yet installed) and wiring run to the main panel. I need to run 3/4 conduit and think I'm going to just use 12/2 and 12/3 for everything. I'm trying to figure out how far apart I need to put the T8 2 bulb lights across the center aisle and above the stalls.

Based on a few barns I've looked in, I want to say 6' spacing, but don't want to wind up with it looking like the surface of the sun in there. Any advice would be appreciated.

I question the need for 3/4" conduit when 1/2" is half the price. Also if you are using conduit no need to use NM wire (re 12-2 or 12-3) . Use insulated stranded wire. Your load will determine wire size, 12 will give less voltage drop than 14. 12=20A, 14= 15A

What was your reason for considering 12-3? Two circuits with a common neutral? 12-3 is expensive compared to 12-2 (not the third more you would think one more wire would add)

 

[zzvyb6]

I'm not a fan of fluorescent lights in a horse barn for several reasons: They draw bugs, there is a lot of dirt, dust and hay chaff in a horse barn that gets into the housings, they can be a problem in cold weather, and changing them out can be a problem for certain people likely to be trying to replace the bulbs and they break them. My horse barn is layed out similarly, with separate wash, foaling, and regular stalls. I have a sealed ceiling light fixture in the center top of each stall that a tall rearing horse could never reach. I also have two flood type lights between pairs of stalls. The ceiling lights have their own switch as does each pair of floods. The aisleway also has sealed centered incandescents for use when I am working there or the farrier is there. There is a two-way switch on the aisle lights. One at each end of the barn

Having separate stall lights gives you light only where and when you need it. The flood fixtures can have heat lamps in them for concerns in the winter. There are duplex plugs between stalls for other reasons: bucket heaters, shavers, charging the golf cart, an extra light, a power tool or running juice to the hay loading elevators.

I respect the fact that my setup is suited to very cold climate conditions and yours may not need that. But everyone who comes here remarks on how practical the electric and lighting setup is.

BTW: Make SURE that the overhead hay mow you are planning has enough load capacity. There was a thread on here a year ago or so where the fellow was wondering how to best recover from a collapsed barn center mow overload.

 

[Attono]

I question the need for 3/4" conduit when 1/2" is half the price. Also if you are using conduit no need to use NM wire (re 12-2 or 12-3) . Use insulated stranded wire. Your load will determine wire size, 12 will give less voltage drop than 14. 12=20A, 14= 15A

What was your reason for considering 12-3? Two circuits with a common neutral? 12-3 is expensive compared to 12-2 (not the third more you would think one more wire would add)

3/4 was recommended by an electrician fried. As I was thinking about it, that would make it easier to run multiple sets of wire through and also leaves room for growth. I plan to run 20A for outlets and 15A for lighting. 12/3 would be only where I am running switches at the entrance door and both end doors, so I'd need 2 three way and one 4 way switch.

What would be the benefit of using stranded? I'm very comfortable working with solid conductor NM.

 

[Attono]

I'm not a fan of fluorescent lights in a horse barn for several reasons: They draw bugs, there is a lot of dirt, dust and hay chaff in a horse barn that gets into the housings, they can be a problem in cold weather, and changing them out can be a problem for certain people likely to be trying to replace the bulbs and they break them. My horse barn is layed out similarly, with separate wash, foaling, and regular stalls. I have a sealed ceiling light fixture in the center top of each stall that a tall rearing horse could never reach. I also have two flood type lights between pairs of stalls. The ceiling lights have their own switch as does each pair of floods. The aisleway also has sealed centered incandescents for use when I am working there or the farrier is there. There is a two-way switch on the aisle lights. One at each end of the barn

Having separate stall lights gives you light only where and when you need it. The flood fixtures can have heat lamps in them for concerns in the winter. There are duplex plugs between stalls for other reasons: bucket heaters, shavers, charging the golf cart, an extra light, a power tool or running juice to the hay loading elevators.

I respect the fact that my setup is suited to very cold climate conditions and yours may not need that. But everyone who comes here remarks on how practical the electric and lighting setup is.

BTW: Make SURE that the overhead hay mow you are planning has enough load capacity. There was a thread on here a year ago or so where the fellow was wondering how to best recover from a collapsed barn center mow overload.

I think incandescents would be better too, but fluorescents seem to be the norm around here. Just out of curiosity, what sort of wattage and spacing?

 

[JBourquin]

An interesting fact I learned not too long ago, L.E.D. lights don't attract bugs.

 

[teampryor]

we have one 2 bulb 4' fluorescent light per stall and our 14' x 50' center aisle has 4- 2 bulb 8' fluorescent fixtures all fixtures are of damproof design. This provides us adequate light for most tasks.

 

[grsthegreat]

Sorry for the delay, been out working .

I went and looked at your pictures, and i can see that the large beam above each stall will block any general lighting you put in the walkway.

Since your barn is so split up with the partitions and beams, i really dont know how to run this scenerio in my software program. it cant adjust for shadowing.

I think you will have to install a separate fixture inside each stall as others have said. They do make florescent fixtures with full vapor proof wraps, and i have installed these in wash bays and in stalls where people are worried about dust. My lights are 16 years old....using original lamps. Have never been cleaned, and put out awesome light. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...keyword=florescent&storeId=10051#.URw8KlGxj7U

I have also installed these Jelly jar style incandescent in barns, and as long as you use a very powerful florescent spiral lamp i have never been able to get much light output from them. They do have new style of these that are LED based. However i have never installed these yet.

T8 and T5 lamps with electronic ballast are good to -20F. My barn has the older style T12 High Output which will light to -40F. However, these styles are phasing out of production as i write this.

I too would use individual stall switching. I always wire barns in EMT conduit but never use 12/2 or 12/3 romex. Its better, cheaper, and all around easier to push #12 THHN stranded or solid wires in the conduits. If you have ever tried to pull 12/2 romex thru conduit, youll only do it once. it sucks.

1/2" emt can allow easily 3 circuits (7 - #12 wires) and 3/4" can allow more wires; however to be legal you have to derate current if you use more than 3 circuits in a conduit. I would run the main runs in 3/4" and all the drops (outlets, switches, light fixtures) in 1/2" conduit.

For the central barn, i personally would use Three (3) 8 foot T8 tandem fixtures (each light uses 4 - 4' long lamps. Use at minimum a 4,100K lamp for cool white lighting as this seems to be the best look in a barn. I have also used 5,000K and 6,500K lamps for REAL bright (almost bluish white) lights for clients that want it superbright. Spaced 2 feet from wall to 1st light. then 4 feet between fixtures.

Florescent does attract some bugs, but heck...so do horses. I swapped my exterior area light to a high pressure sodium light and this really helped cut down the bugs from the old metal halide i had there previously.

 

[Zebrafive]

3/4 was recommended by an electrician fried. As I was thinking about it, that would make it easier to run multiple sets of wire through and also leaves room for growth. I plan to run 20A for outlets and 15A for lighting. 12/3 would be only where I am running switches at the entrance door and both end doors, so I'd need 2 three way and one 4 way switch.

What would be the benefit of using stranded? I'm very comfortable working with solid conductor NM.

If you plan to run any wires in the future thru this conduit, 3/4" will be easier. Might even want to pull an extra wire for a "future pull" wire. It's hard to get a snake thru with wires all ready in place. There are tables that tell the number of wires you can use in different sizes of conduit.

For 15 amp lighting you only need #14 wire, not #12. If it will be in conduit, you could run one black (hot) to your 3way switch. Two travelers to your 4way switch, two travelers to the final 3way switch, one black (hot) to the lights and from each light a white (neutral) light to light and finally back to the panel. Sometimes this takes less wire, but more conduit. Depends on the layout.

Only benefit of using stranded wire is its easier to pull compared to solid wire. But you may have to crimp on connectors depending on your wiring devices. Depending on the number of bends, you may need to have "pull boxes" I think the rule is 360* or four 90* bends.