Lighting for the pole barn

[paintman161]

So I will be getting a pole barn built soon (if it stops raining!). I will be looking at putting lighting in the pole barn, but for at least a year i will only be using a generator running the lights (5700 W generator). The size of the pole barn is 24'x24'10'6" and will have 3 windows but i need something for night time. Any suggestions for for lights and how many?

 

[pwright]

A very general rule of thumb for rooms in a house is 1 watt per square foot. So about 576 watts of lighting for your barn.

 

[Midniteoyl]

I have florescent (over benches), chicken coop lights hanging down (general light), and halogen (for winter heat)..

 

[paintman161]

So if i get (6) 200 w lights i should have enough, but what kind, mind you this will be un heated and it gets Cold in Western NY!

 

[jeff9366]

LED's are the most efficient lighting available.

Lowes and Home Depot both offer floodlight LED's online.

 

[paintman161]

LED's are the most efficient lighting available.

Lowes and Home Depot both offer floodlight LED's online.

do they even offer a 200 watt comparison.

 

[Midniteoyl]

It'll cost ya..

 

[paintman161]

Not looking to spend a lot. I am sure there would be a cheaper option than leds, maybe i can get something off craigslist. What works best in cold weather.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Incandescent, LED, and halogen work the best in the cold.. Again, cheap and effective are chicken coop lights (also clamp light) like this one, w/o the clamp, work great and are real cheap. Use incandecent, halogen, or fluorescent in them. You can upgrade later as you finish your pole barn shop. Mine just hang from the cord..

 

[jeff9366]

LED's are a LOT cheaper than they used to be.

You have energy savings for as long as the barn is there.

You do not have climb a ladder to change bulbs/tubes for forty years......consider the reduced probability of a fall.


http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/282349-led-lighting-pole-barn.html

 

[Midniteoyl]

While cheaper than they use to be, 50w-100w LEDs are not 'cheap'.

 

[murphy1244]

Its funny cause I just built a 24x30 pole barn with 2 garage doors 3 windows and a 10x30 Patio. I need lights and other Power sources too.

 

[George2615]

My pole barn addition is 18 x 32 (same sq. ft as your 24x24). I installed 8 - 4' T8 cold start fixtures. Each fixture has 2 T8 tubes. They provide plenty of light and don't use much power. I put 4 fixtures per light switch.

 

[SPIKER]

My pole barn addition is 18 x 32 (same sq. ft as your 24x24). I installed 8 - 4' T8 cold start fixtures. Each fixture has 2 T8 tubes. They provide plenty of light and don't use much power. I put 4 fixtures per light switch.

This is what I been putting in my barn as well, Menards has some on sale right now too, so price is good and power vs light is good. Mine light down to -20 rather OK but take a few min to come up to full light when that cold. but I dont move well then either

Mark

 

[dakotagun]

+1 on the T8s, I have the same setup. Plus 7 windows - I like the place nice n bright.

 

[Ken45101]

LED's are a LOT cheaper than they used to be.

You have energy savings for as long as the barn is there.

You do not have climb a ladder to change bulbs/tubes for forty years......think of the reduced chance of accidents.


http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/282349-led-lighting-pole-barn.html

They are still very expensive in comparison. As for the 40 year lifespan, all I can say is LOL. Most don't seem to last very long.

For occasional use, like an hour a day or less, energy savings are insignificant compared to cost. In our barns, the lights are probably used less than an hour per month. There is no way any higher initial cost will save money.

Fluorescent lights work well in warm temps, but are low output and slow to start (if at all) in cold weather. I have them in my shop but I'm not going to be out there if it's 20 degrees.

For limited use (hours per day), the good old incandescent bulb is cheap and effective, and works just fine in cold weather.

 

[Ken45101]

Oh, another problem with flourescent bulbs in rural areas is disposal of the old bulbs. I have several dozen here that I can't get rid of. No, Lowe's doesn't accept them. The only thing I have found is a one day a year haz waste disposal center, 30 miles away. That sure saves a lot of energy....NOT.

 

[pinetree10]

I put four two-tube, 8-foot T8 fluorescent fixtures in my 24 x 24 garage and it's sufficient for storage and basic maintenance. Having walls and a ceiling covered in drywall painted white would help I'm sure but even without it's pretty light in there. It all depends on the kind of work you'll be doing. If you're doing body work or something along those lines I would step it up to guarantee no dark areas. I've read that the light reflectors help but I do not have those on my fixtures so I couldn't comment on that. The nice thing about the T8s is that they don't use as much energy or run as hot as the old cold weather ballasts, which were also much noisier. I'd like to hear what the experts have to say about spacing them out. Is there some sort of formula when laying out the fixtures?

 

[Qapla]

I would be inclined to spring for something like this

Tasco 100 ft. 12/3 SJTW 10-Light Plastic Cage Light String - Yellow

They cost $150 at Home Depot but, they take standard 150 watt light bulbs and come ready to hang and just plug in. To me, the ease of use and safe operation would be worth the expense. Especially since anything you "put together" may cost just as much.

If you are working from a generator, I would go with the incandescent since they can take power variations and still work.

 

[EddieWalker]

My shop is 24x30 with 12 foot walls and I have four sets of 8ft long fluorescent lights in there that work great.

Eddie