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30x40 Shop Lights

Rugby

Red Skull Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
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1956
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89
What's the recommended Lights for shops these days? 30x40 with 14 walls red iron building. They are not done building it yet but I want to start looking for lights.
 
When I put my shop up, I called my local electrical supply shop and told them what I was doing and all the specs of the building. They did a light calculation and recommended 2 different styles of LED lights. I have been real happy with what they did.
 

I used 12 of these in my 30x40. I did end up putting some more focused lights down over benches and mill/lathe but in general they provide plenty f light for working on projects.
 
High bay LED off Amazon!! Got rid of the fluorescents for these and the garage is completely different.
 
I built 12 of these for my 30x40 shop with 14' ceilings.
2x4 false ceiling lights, I wired for solid state and bought the highest lumen led lights as I could find.
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I have 11 [ missing one over my mezzanine]of the 99 dollar 2x3 high bay LEDs from home depot in my 30x60x12. I am super happy with the amount of.light and operating costs. I have 4 in each 20x30 bay so 8 lights should be about the same in your 30x40
 

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I put up side-wall lighting first... because ceiling is 19' up.

The amazon UFO's are looking good so far as not needing to hang as many, and it doesn't depend on getting the ceiling finished first.
 
The PO put up about 40 of these old school warehouse lights with CFL's and I hate them. On top of losing airspace in the shop, the light they put out sucks. Planning on getting the single T5 integrated LED lights and mounting a row on every other truss to start.

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You can get these in 4' version for about $6 apiece. They make 8' ones but it seems like they're about 3x the price of the 4 footers....probably due to shipping. They come with plugs to link them end to end or you can get longer cords and space them a few inches to a few feet apart.

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That also brings up the question - what temperature lights do you find work best? The cheapest ones I'm eyeballing on Amazon come in 4000k and 6500k.....basically cool white and "super bright white"


I'm a little worried that the super white will mess with my eyes after while working under them.
 
I would go with the 4000K for sure. I had some that were the 6500K and they were bright but it bothered my eyes and glad they were only under racking above my lathe that I would use only periodically
 
bgaidan said:
That also brings up the question - what temperature lights do you find work best? The cheapest ones I'm eyeballing on Amazon come in 4000k and 6500k.....basically cool white and "super bright white"


I'm a little worried that the super white will mess with my eyes after while working under them.
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4000 is "natural", whatever the hell that means. For an area you will be working in 6500 is superior IMO. For inside your house you're gonna 4000 or softer.
 
i have 10 of the 8' versions in a 30x60, they do an ok job but were not overly bright like i had hoped. i have 8 mounted up high, two on the wall near where i work approx 5 ft up. a 10 pack was $189, i hope to add 10 more eventually.




bgaidan said:
The PO put up about 40 of these old school warehouse lights with CFL's and I hate them. On top of losing airspace in the shop, the light they put out sucks. Planning on getting the single T5 integrated LED lights and mounting a row on every other truss to start.

1621821596082.png


You can get these in 4' version for about $6 apiece. They make 8' ones but it seems like they're about 3x the price of the 4 footers....probably due to shipping. They come with plugs to link them end to end or you can get longer cords and space them a few inches to a few feet apart.

1621821699701.png
Click to expand...
 
Go to your local electricians supply house and look at their high bay led fixtures . I could get specifics on mine but I have 6 with 14 ceilings and it’s brighter than daylight 24/7 the best lighting I’ve seen . Well over 20,000 lumens per light .
 
Lights are hard to take pics of, this shows what the single row led’s look like compared to the double row fluorescent.
2E0E18BF-A632-4355-9895-2709206AAF9F.jpeg
 
bgaidan said:
The PO put up about 40 of these old school warehouse lights with CFL's and I hate them. On top of losing airspace in the shop, the light they put out sucks. Planning on getting the single T5 integrated LED lights and mounting a row on every other truss to start.

1621821596082.png


You can get these in 4' version for about $6 apiece. They make 8' ones but it seems like they're about 3x the price of the 4 footers....probably due to shipping. They come with plugs to link them end to end or you can get longer cords and space them a few inches to a few feet apart.

1621821699701.png
Click to expand...
have a bunch of these... they are "ok"

I'll probably eventually go w/ a few UFO's....
 
rockota said:
have a bunch of these... they are "ok"

I'll probably eventually go w/ a few UFO's....
Click to expand...
How high and what spacing for the UFOs?

I think my trusses are around 14' high. I feel like the more of the single tube lights spread out would deliver more consistent light.


Edit: Looking at amazon, not all show spacing or cone angle but one random one I found shows spacing of 1.73H.....so 24' at 14' high. Theoretically a 3x3 grid would cover a 30x40 shop.

Others are showing 37' spacing at 13'.

Also seeing some that are dimmable via a low voltage dimmer circuit. That's interesting.


Fuck. I was all set on doing strips but now you have me thinking about these. I don't even know the dimensions of my shop to figure out how many I'll need....I know what I'm doing tonight.

I'd probably still end up needing a hand full of strips to cover the areas blocked by the doors and the lift.



Good thing is I can probably sell those green fixtures to people looking for the industrial look and more than cover the cost of the new lights.
 
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bgaidan said:
How high and what spacing for the UFOs?

I think my trusses are around 14' high. I feel like the more of the single tube lights spread out would deliver more consistent light.
Click to expand...
the shop is 12'6" ceilings, IIRC. I have ~10 4x2 LED strips on the ceiling (unfinished ceiling). I also have ~10 more of the 4' strips under the mezzanine. Those work pretty well. Eventually, after finished walls and paint, i'm sure they'll be even better.

I put two these: Amazon.com

On the gable lean to.... 12' height, estimate, overall... for the sawmill. Bright AF. Thinking of adding 4 insight the barn additive to the 4' lights. Again at ~12' height
 
4000k or 5000k are ideal for me. above 6000k it bothers my eyes if I'm working for extended periods.
 
I’ll also agree on the 6000 or 6500k for shop lighting. I picked up about a dozen of the double tube 4’ LED fixtures from Sams club for my current 2 car garage. They are the daylight 6k ones and I’ve been very happy with them. Plan to sling some more similar fixtures up in the garage at the new house and again in the new shop when I finally get around to getting it built there.
 
Rugby I will post a picture of my lights tonight ..... that should secure your decision and I can get a part number . They’re amazing . Nothing that’s been posted comes close imho . They’re worth every penny . I did my homework .
 

LED High Bay Recommendation

I've spent hours browsing the stickies in an attempt to decide on lighting for my newly constructed 40x60 insulated metal building. I've got 14' sidewalls with a 3/12 roof which puts the peak at 19'. I've also talked to several lighting companies, and they all seem to suggest 165w UFO fixtures...
www.garagejournal.com www.garagejournal.com
 
crazybluerider said:

I used 12 of these in my 30x40. I did end up putting some more focused lights down over benches and mill/lathe but in general they provide plenty f light for working on projects.
Click to expand...
I've got a shitload of these in my shop. They work great! I converted from like 3 naked incandescent bulbs in one side of the shop to 10 of those by putting plugs in place of the light sockets and just using little p-clamps to hold the cords to the ceiling. Did the same in my "high bay" 16' ceiling side and installed 12 in place of 4, 4' fluorescent fixtures. They work GREAT.
 
Leadfoot21 said:
Rugby I will post a picture of my lights tonight ..... that should secure your decision and I can get a part number . They’re amazing . Nothing that’s been posted comes close imho . They’re worth every penny . I did my homework .
Click to expand...





Hope you made it home.


Still waiting for those pics:laughing:
 
If it's a new build, consider painting all your structural beams white. We did this in our newest building and the difference in brightness is remarkable. Worth the added cost. If you already have sheets up though, forget it. We have T5 highbays in everything.
 
Dead Pool said:
If it's a new build, consider painting all your structural beams white. We did this in our newest building and the difference in brightness is remarkable. Worth the added cost. If you already have sheets up though, forget it. We have T5 highbays in everything.
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Most definitely... you wouldnt think some purlins and I beams would make a difference, but it does. Also, if you're stick built... get the ceiling white ASAP. In my shop going from bare OSB ceiling to white easily doubled the perceived light without ever changing a fixture.
 
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