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Registered
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Dahlonega , Georgia
Posts: 14,673
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track lighting for the garage question
I plan on installing track lighting in my 24 x 26 detached garage. The 24 foot is the width and the 26 the depth. Ceiling peak is a little over 14 ' . My plan is to mount two tracks aprox. 4 ' down from the peak to run the depth of the garage. Those two runs will be 24 ' each and I'm thinking of using 8 to 9 heads per run does that sound like it will give good light coverage ? Basically every other head will point opposite of the previous one. I plan to purchase heads that will allow LED floodlight bulbs to be used. I want LED for the long life, low heat output, low wattage useage and brightness. Yes I know LED are pricey but they are much cheaper now than just a year ago and I'm tired of my current flourescent lights I just don't like them. So any input on my plan ? The good thing is I can always ad heads if needed. After going to Home Depot yesterday I think I need to find an online vendor to purchase, H.D. was very pricey !! Any advice on a good online seller ?
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2002 Boxster S . Arctic silver + black top/int. Jake Raby 3.6 SS engine " the beast ". GT3 front bumper, GT3 side skirts and GT3 TEK rear diffuser. 1999 996 C4 coupe black/grey with FSI 3.8 engine . Rear diffuser , front spoiler lip with ducktail spoiler . |
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Did you get the memo?
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Wichita, KS
Posts: 32,552
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Make sure you do some research on the bulb of your choice to determine how much it will illuminate on the ground. That will be a function of the bulb output and the height off of the floor. Do a layout of your floor space with the illumination drawn out to insure you have nice even coverage. Also make sure that the track fixture of your choice will handle enough watts to allow as many bulbs as you need.
Personally I think you'd still be better off with 8' florescent fixtures, I suspect it will require a bunch of LED floods to provide the same output and coverage as a florescent. Considering how I'm getting ready to do lights in my new 3rd car garage, I'll be interested to see the other replies.
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Registered
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: outta here
Posts: 53,485
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Not enough info. Look at the photometric data for whatever bulbs you intend to use. That will give you some idea.
We have no idea what your surfaces will be, what wattage and beam angle the bulbs will have, or how you will point them. My only thought is that make sure your tracks and circuits can handle a lot more power than what you plan to use, so if you don't have enough light you can add more heads. JR |
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Gorilla
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
Posts: 573
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I worked for an LED light bulb start up back when the industry (and market) was in its infancy and bulbs cost $50 ea. Now, they are very reasonable and very good.
OWP's reply on illumination being a function of height and output (measured in lumens) is spot on. It is relatively easy to find LEDs that exceed the output of T8 flourescent tubes or CFLs but shop wisely. My recommendation is to read the lumen output on the "lighting facts label" (similar to nutrition labels found on food) because not all "60W equivalent" LED bulbs are created equal. Also, I would personally avoid the HD and Lowe's generic brands like Feit electric or Ecosmart. Hopefully this has changed but a few years ago there were instances of bulbs melting down due to an overheating condition and lack of internal fuse. I believe this was on bulbs designed by a company that were rebranded for HD. Stick with Philips, Sylvania, GE or Cree and I believe you will have a better designed bulb. You get what you pay for and YMMV. I have a Cree 3-way in my living room and have been very happy with it. Most of the rest of my house is also LED but are LEDnovation bulbs (the start-up that I worked for). I have 4' LED T8 flourescent replacements in my garage and they are fantastic but are not as common. THe nice thing about track lighting is that you can add/subtract, move or try different schemes to get it right. Height is going to be your challenge but with today's technology, I don't see that being a problem. The one thing we haven't talked about is color temperature. This is independent of lumen output but I know people that swear 5k- 6k "daylight" bulbs look brighter than warmer whites like 2700-3k. This is really a myth since the kelvin temp is a function of color and not output but if 5k gives the illusion of more light then maybe it is the way to go. Finally, there are many other sources besides HD and Lowe's for bulbs (although they aren't bad since they have a pretty good selection). I've purchased from 1000bulbs.com before with luck. Put pics up when you do it. Cheers! ![]() |
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Registered
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Dahlonega , Georgia
Posts: 14,673
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Good replies and I had hoped to not turn this into a science project
![]() I currently have 4 ' flourescent two bulb fixtures that work fine I just don't like them. Pain the in the butt to change bulbs being 12 ' in the air and constantly have to climb the ladder to " wiggle " the bulbs so they work ![]()
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2002 Boxster S . Arctic silver + black top/int. Jake Raby 3.6 SS engine " the beast ". GT3 front bumper, GT3 side skirts and GT3 TEK rear diffuser. 1999 996 C4 coupe black/grey with FSI 3.8 engine . Rear diffuser , front spoiler lip with ducktail spoiler . |
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Garage dweller
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: In the garage
Posts: 551
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My garage with track lighting and CFL floods - I like it a lot. toward the end of the video you get better shot of how many heads I have
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Don Sjolin IIIEURO AUTOWERKS 616.874.7932 Last edited by Ducman; 12-12-2015 at 05:24 AM.. |
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Recreational Mechanic
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I looked at various options and went with LEDs which are in a florescent type fixture. I have been very happy w/ them. I think the problem you will have w/ track lighting is it's really designed for spot lighting...good for over your workbench but not good for lighting up around your vehicle when working on it.
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P Cars: 2022 Macan GTS / One empty garage space ---- Other cars: 2019 Golf R 6MT / 2021 F-250 Diesel / 2024 Toyota GR86 6MT ---- Gone: 1997 Spec Boxster Race Car, 2020 GT4, 2004 GT3, 2003 Carrera, 1982 911SC, 2005 Lotus Elise and lots of other non-Porsches PCA National DE Instructor #202106053 / PCA Club Racing / WRL Endurance Racing |
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Cogito Ergo Sum
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I have T5 high bay fluorescent fixtures in my garage. I love them, leds would be better if you can find some in budget though. The T5 bulbs aren't cheap.
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Registered
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Dahlonega , Georgia
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Ducman great video thanks. I also have the Gladiator cabinets on three walls ! You are running far fewer light heads than I was planning and it looks like you have great light output. What kind of flourescent bulbs are you using ? Looks like you have the light heads every 3 - 4 feet ? Are the bulbs the curly style or conventional light bulb style ? Looks like they project very well out of the light heads. To be honest I had not thought of using compact flourescent bulbs in that style of light head so that is another lower cost option. What wattage equivalent bulbs are you using ?
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2002 Boxster S . Arctic silver + black top/int. Jake Raby 3.6 SS engine " the beast ". GT3 front bumper, GT3 side skirts and GT3 TEK rear diffuser. 1999 996 C4 coupe black/grey with FSI 3.8 engine . Rear diffuser , front spoiler lip with ducktail spoiler . |
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Garage dweller
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: In the garage
Posts: 551
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I'm pretty sure these are 65 watt equivalent floods - they are the standard BR30 type flood bulb package but I can see that they have one of the curly elements inside the reflector. They last a long time....back when I did this garage LEDs were still too expensive for me.
About every 3 ft....actually in the video the garage doors are up and blocking a significant amount of the light. It is plenty of light to perform most general tasks - if I really need to get into something or under something I supplement with worklights anyway. Too much light all the time and it's just not a pleasant place to hang out. BTW in person individual floods really make the cars look fantastic - just something about the way the light hits from different directions.
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Don Sjolin IIIEURO AUTOWERKS 616.874.7932 |
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least common denominator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: San Pedro,CA
Posts: 22,506
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Quote:
If you are concerned about work bench lighting you could add LED strips under the cabinets or go with one or more of those draftsman type light on an extendable arm, the ones with the built in magnifying lens build in are very handy.
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Gary Fisher 29er 2019 Kia Stinger 2.0t gone ![]() 1995 Miata Sold 1984 944 Sold ![]() I am not lost for I know where I am, however where I am is lost. - Winnie the poo. |
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Registered
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Seattle
Posts: 321
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I was in a garage recently with track lighting. It really looked good. Actually, dramatic for a garage. But for practical work, I found it had too many shadows. The fellow compensated by moving and adjusting the lights when he had a particular task he wanted to do.
I have suspended, standard 4' fluorescent fixtures (T8) with LED bulbs. (Some are older fixtures that I converted; some are new that came with LED's.) Where I need them, the fixtures use higher output LED's that cost a little more; others use more standard replacements. (Higher outputs are about $20/bulb through Amazon; more standard replacements can be had through Costco at $35 for the bulbs & fixtures.) My LED fluorescent replacements are absolutely not as attractive as the garage with track lighting, but it gives me better all round work lighting without moving/adjusting the lights for different chores. Shouldn't be hard to get LED spots of the color range you want and reasonable output. Good luck with your project.
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Cogito Ergo Sum
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Quote:
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Join Date: Dec 2002
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I went out Christmas shopping today and ended up at a Lowes. Their prices on track lighting was decent but not as cheap as online. But their lighting guy was quite knowledgeable so I picked his brain. In his opinion I should start with 6-7 heads per side and use Par 30 LED floodlight bulbs with an output of 800 - 850 lumens and 4100- 5000 K . As he stated if it's not enough light add a few more heads it would at least give me a good baseline. Also I plan to use at least two of my current florescent light fixtures directly over my work bench I really don't think light output is going to be a problem
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2002 Boxster S . Arctic silver + black top/int. Jake Raby 3.6 SS engine " the beast ". GT3 front bumper, GT3 side skirts and GT3 TEK rear diffuser. 1999 996 C4 coupe black/grey with FSI 3.8 engine . Rear diffuser , front spoiler lip with ducktail spoiler . |
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I just pulled the trigger on direct-lighting dot com......four 8 ' tracks, two 6 ' tracks, two floating power connectors, four splice connectors, sixteen heads and sixteen Par 30 1120 lumen 5k LED floodlight bulbs........all in black should look sweet on the white ceiling. It was painful to the wallet ( 560.00 ) but it's what I want and should look good, perform good and be energy conserving.
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2002 Boxster S . Arctic silver + black top/int. Jake Raby 3.6 SS engine " the beast ". GT3 front bumper, GT3 side skirts and GT3 TEK rear diffuser. 1999 996 C4 coupe black/grey with FSI 3.8 engine . Rear diffuser , front spoiler lip with ducktail spoiler . |
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Registered
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Dahlonega , Georgia
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To top it off I just ordered online a 60 " three blade ceiling fan with hand remote and LED light. This will complete my detached garage other than adding fiberglass blown in insulation in the ceiling. That is next. My man cave is almost done
![]() The ceiling fan downrod ( 4 ' ) will pass through a BBS race wheel I purchased at Road Atlanta that came off of a Panoz LMP race car. The race wheel will be mounted to the ceiling with a couple of screws into a 2 x 10 that I installed just for this purpose. I think it will look really cool.
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2002 Boxster S . Arctic silver + black top/int. Jake Raby 3.6 SS engine " the beast ". GT3 front bumper, GT3 side skirts and GT3 TEK rear diffuser. 1999 996 C4 coupe black/grey with FSI 3.8 engine . Rear diffuser , front spoiler lip with ducktail spoiler . |
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You do not have permissi
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: midwest
Posts: 39,930
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Quote:
What happens when the drywall needs replacing for whatever reason? (Yikes, what a mess.) A few inches of closed-cell spray foam to the underside of the roof will add structure and do the same thing.
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Meanwhile other things are still happening. |
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Registered
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Location: Dahlonega , Georgia
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Quote:
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2002 Boxster S . Arctic silver + black top/int. Jake Raby 3.6 SS engine " the beast ". GT3 front bumper, GT3 side skirts and GT3 TEK rear diffuser. 1999 996 C4 coupe black/grey with FSI 3.8 engine . Rear diffuser , front spoiler lip with ducktail spoiler . |
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You do not have permissi
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: midwest
Posts: 39,930
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Sorry I didn't mean to critique, only point out another option.
There is thermal envelope and conditioned space. Making the whole garage this might let you take out some of the ceiling in the future and expand the workable space. I previously spent many thousands in both open and closed cell foam on my properties. My fiberglass batt had shrunk and/or been consumed by squirrels. Long story. Pics would take some time getting to but I'd dig them up. I don't know the engineering. You may be right. Georgia is different from up here in snow country where condensation plays a bigger factor where fresh air exchange is necessary to prevent mold. I think you are dealing primarily with keeping heat out, where the right material/color roofing tile probably is a huge factor.
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Meanwhile other things are still happening. Last edited by john70t; 12-12-2015 at 05:35 PM.. |
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john70t I didn't mean to come across as combative........there are many correct ways to insulate depending on climate and conditions. Spray foam has many advantages unfortunately competitive pricing vs. conventional insulation is not one of them. I priced out spray foam vs. the foil/insulation that I chose and the spray foam was just too expensive. We generally only have 2 months of cool/cold weather here so I am primarily interested in keeping heat out. I feel that the foil/insulation path I have chosen is the most cost effective. With my 19 Seer mini split on average it only costs me 23.00 a month to heat/cool and that is before I add the additional blown in insulation !
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2002 Boxster S . Arctic silver + black top/int. Jake Raby 3.6 SS engine " the beast ". GT3 front bumper, GT3 side skirts and GT3 TEK rear diffuser. 1999 996 C4 coupe black/grey with FSI 3.8 engine . Rear diffuser , front spoiler lip with ducktail spoiler . |
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