Help with Garage Lighting

D

DETAILKING

New member
The lighting in my garage is poor. Below is a sketch (sorry it's so poor) of my garage. It's 34' long by 20' wide. Currently there are 3 fixtures in the garage, but I can only use 2 of them because the garage door opener is right below the third. The current lighting is shown in BLACK. I basically have one 75 watt bulb in each fixture. I do most of my work around where the car is close to the door, so I am pondering putting in two 4' florescent light fixtures (shown in blue). Each fixture will hold two T12 or T8 bulbs. The ceilings are low (6'10") so I won't get huge amount of flood effect from the lights. Do you think that will be enough to light up the front area of the garage?



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IMO, no. You will have lots of dark areas and shadows with that setup. Since the fixtures are so cheap why not plan on at least 4 of them.



Also bear in mind that the lights need to be positioned so as not to be obscured by the overhead door whenever the door is up.
 
Not enough by any means if you ask me. The Fluorescents are so cheap just by a bunch. I have a tiny garage...20'x16' and I have 6 fluorescent fixtures. It also helps to paint the walls white to reflect some of the light too.
 
I have a garage about this same size. I have 4-4ft. dual bulb flourescent fixtures and I still have some dark spots. It works well though. I'm thinking of putting some on the walls as well. Good luck.

Later

S W
 
Thanks man. It's not the expense, but the wiring and installation. The ceiling is finished and I don't want to start cutting holes. Some of the cheaper 4' shop light fixtures actually just plug in. I can convert the exisint hanging socket to an outlet with a screw adapter for an easy installation. I was thinking to get more light towards the rear of the garage I can get a bulb splitter (converts one socket into two, and install two of the new florescent (incandecent style) bulbs in each of the 2 sockets to double the light from them. Then I will have to play wih the 4' fixtures in the front of the garage where the door is. Maybe I will get 3 and off set the center one a bit behind the two on the sides.
 
Do you have electricity to a garage door opener you can tap into in the garage attic? My garage is 24x36 with another stall tandem for my workshop. I plan on installing 9 fixtures on 2 different switches. Just waiting until it gets cooler. Also I plan on running a circuit for a window air to cool it down during my summer details. I already have 2 floor drains and water. My wife asked me why I don't just put my bed out there...hmmm.....-¿-.....zzzzzz.....
 
I have a similar size 3 car garage and have 13 double ballasts. I think it's perfect, would not use any less.
 
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