OT: Garage Lighting
05-18-2009, 04:00 AM
#1
Three Wheelin'
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OT: Garage Lighting
It seems like the only time I have to do any detailing work on my car these days is at night, and the lighting in my garage is awful. I was hoping to get some suggestions for a decent, easy to install, lighting solution for my garage that would give me sufficient light for interior/exterior detailing tasks. Does anyone have any experience with these: http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...nt+fixture.do? Any other solutions worth considering?
05-18-2009, 09:20 AM
#2
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You are best simply purchasing a couple of twin halogen work light. Here is a link: http://cgi.ebay.com/1000W-TWIN-HALOG...3A1%7C294%3A50
05-18-2009, 10:34 AM
#3
Drifting
Home Depot has shop lights for $10. Then, as Mark said, grab some halogens as well. The only downside to halogens is the heat they produce. Here in Florida it becomes an issue, even at night 
05-18-2009, 03:56 PM
#4
Griots Garage is outrageously expensive.
Go to a Home Depot, Lowes, or other similar store. You can easily hang two double plug-in 4' flourescent lights yourself for an 80% discount off of what they're asking. You choose the color of the lights: warmer or cooler. I like the ones with the protective metal grille.
Halogens consume too much power and get too hot. Flourescents have come a seriously long way.
Matt
Go to a Home Depot, Lowes, or other similar store. You can easily hang two double plug-in 4' flourescent lights yourself for an 80% discount off of what they're asking. You choose the color of the lights: warmer or cooler. I like the ones with the protective metal grille.
Halogens consume too much power and get too hot. Flourescents have come a seriously long way.
Matt
05-18-2009, 04:43 PM
#6
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I bought four UltraLux® 4-Lamp T5 Fixtures from Full Spectrum Solutions (no affiliation) for my new garage (14' x 28' bay, w/10' ceilings)... They literally make night into day and will show you every imperfection in your paint! They cast a full-spectrum light which is as close to sunlight as they can come with a fluorescent tube... They're not exactly cheap, but they are very well made and I'm very pleased with the result...
05-18-2009, 04:51 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
T5 fixtures are the only way to go. Hard wired, you can ceiling or chain mount. Any good lighting supply house can run a program for you if you tell them your garage dimensions and work being done. You would want at least 50 foot-candles. We sell Day-Brite and they have a "Light-Calc" program. For a 2 bay garage you would want at least four # F54T5HO fixtures.
For flush ceiling mount you MUST stand them off from the ceiling by an inch for air circulation. Electronic ballast, so forget the use of a radio in the garage.
PM for any help. We are a lighting distributor and I can help you check your local pricing.
For flush ceiling mount you MUST stand them off from the ceiling by an inch for air circulation. Electronic ballast, so forget the use of a radio in the garage.
PM for any help. We are a lighting distributor and I can help you check your local pricing.
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05-18-2009, 06:24 PM
#9
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+2 on the HD lights.
I have (2) 4' fluorescent strips across the front, (1) down each side and (1) over the workbench. They came form HD and are mounted directly to the ceiling (10+ feet) and hard wired. Two were existing and the (3) I added match them exactly.
I have the halogen lights also but rarely use them; tons of heat and REALLY bright.
I have (2) 4' fluorescent strips across the front, (1) down each side and (1) over the workbench. They came form HD and are mounted directly to the ceiling (10+ feet) and hard wired. Two were existing and the (3) I added match them exactly.
I have the halogen lights also but rarely use them; tons of heat and REALLY bright.
05-18-2009, 10:32 PM
#11
Burning Brakes
T5 is the way to go !!!!
BUT you can get much cheaper than those on the magazine ...
ask on a electrical store for 4 lamp T5 fixtures.
We just redone our warehouse here in florida with this kind of units and the change was inmense !!!!
BUT you can get much cheaper than those on the magazine ...
ask on a electrical store for 4 lamp T5 fixtures.
We just redone our warehouse here in florida with this kind of units and the change was inmense !!!!
05-18-2009, 10:34 PM
#12
Burning Brakes
T5 fixtures are the only way to go. Hard wired, you can ceiling or chain mount. Any good lighting supply house can run a program for you if you tell them your garage dimensions and work being done. You would want at least 50 foot-candles. We sell Day-Brite and they have a "Light-Calc" program. For a 2 bay garage you would want at least four # F54T5HO fixtures.
For flush ceiling mount you MUST stand them off from the ceiling by an inch for air circulation. Electronic ballast, so forget the use of a radio in the garage.
PM for any help. We are a lighting distributor and I can help you check your local pricing.
For flush ceiling mount you MUST stand them off from the ceiling by an inch for air circulation. Electronic ballast, so forget the use of a radio in the garage.
PM for any help. We are a lighting distributor and I can help you check your local pricing.
This is 200% correct ..
forget Sodium, CFL, high V discharge lamps .. T5 is the ruler !!!!
(i dont sell them , we just installed a truck of them and are EXCELLENT !!!)
05-18-2009, 10:43 PM
#13
Does anyone know of a supplier for the portable type lights that the PDR guys use. I'd like to have one for getting close to the sides. This would really help for color sanding and polishing. These range from 200 to 500. Looking for something in the range of 100!
