Official Luthiers Forum!
https://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/

8 ft LED light fixtures.
https://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=51313		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Ernie Kleinman [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:19 am ]
Post subject:  8 ft LED light fixtures.
I/ve spent 10 days in my new garage workshop, and larger 30 by 40 shop and the current lighting is minimal at best. Both shops need quite a bit of work to get them functioning properly. I have been looking at numerous ads for lighting and am not quite sure which ones to get . The garage workshop is 610 sq ft and the main shop is 1200 sq ft the garage has 8 ft ceilings and the back shop has 9 ft ceilings. What brand name of lighting would be suitable, and work the best for these 2 shops . The large shop will be used for lumber storage and all the large machine operations and the garage will have multiple work benches and mostly hand tool operations. Thank you for your responses
Author:  jshelton [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Costco is selling 4' two tube LED fixtures for $20. They're easy to daisy chain together and very bright. It's what we converted to in our 1260 sq ft shop.
Author:  Ernie Kleinman [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Too bad , there is no costco here in OKC , but I did go to Tulsa last sunday oh well . TNX for the tip john Did you wire the 2 sets of 4 footers together ? I have 2 110 v outlets in our garage ceiling
Author:  Fred Tellier [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
I converted my shop to LED about a year ago and love the results. I retrofitted the tubes into my old fixtures, removed the ballasts as the LED tubes are direct wired to 110 through the tube ends. The biggest advantage is the current draw is way less than equivalent florescence fixtures. The frosted tubes have less bright spots but the bare tubes throw more light.

Fred
Author:  jshelton [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 2:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Ernie Kleinman wrote:
Too bad , there is no costco here in OKC , but I did go to Tulsa last sunday oh well . TNX for the tip john Did you wire the 2 sets of 4 footers together ? I have 2 110 v outlets in our garage ceiling

They come with a cord on one end and an outlet on the other and can simply be plugged together in a chain. They recommend no more than three on a single outlet but I don't know why since they only draw 8 watts. There's also a pull chain so you can turn them on and off individually. They're such a bargain at $20 each I put one over every one of the stationary tools in the machine tool side of the shop. What a pleasure for my old eyes to have this much light.
Author:  LarryH [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 3:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
I use the same Costco LED's at 4 ft. each and they are amazing. I daisy chained mine (even after setting up enough outlets for individual lights). My set allowed for 4 on one outlet and I bought one of those simple remote control light switches, plugged the receiver in to a ceiling outlet, plugged the first light fixture in to that, daisy chained the rest and put the transmitter/switch on the wall in a convenient location. Works a treat. Actually did it twice in 2 locations it worked so good - and really bright. Highly rec.
Author:  jshelton [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
LarryH wrote:
My set allowed for 4 on one outlet

my aging brain probably made me remember 3 on one outlet instead of 4 but the fact is at 8 watts per light why couldn't you string an unlimited number of them on a 15 amp circuit? I agree with you that they are really bright, I am totally pleased with them.
Author:  joe white [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
LarryH wrote:
I use the same Costco LED's at 4 ft. each and they are amazing. I daisy chained mine (even after setting up enough outlets for individual lights). My set allowed for 4 on one outlet and I bought one of those simple remote control light switches, plugged the receiver in to a ceiling outlet, plugged the first light fixture in to that, daisy chained the rest and put the transmitter/switch on the wall in a convenient location. Works a treat. Actually did it twice in 2 locations it worked so good - and really bright. Highly rec.


Any of you guys have a link to those Costco LED? I looked around my local costco website and came up empty.
Author:  bcombs510 [ Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
joe white wrote:
LarryH wrote:
I use the same Costco LED's at 4 ft. each and they are amazing. I daisy chained mine (even after setting up enough outlets for individual lights). My set allowed for 4 on one outlet and I bought one of those simple remote control light switches, plugged the receiver in to a ceiling outlet, plugged the first light fixture in to that, daisy chained the rest and put the transmitter/switch on the wall in a convenient location. Works a treat. Actually did it twice in 2 locations it worked so good - and really bright. Highly rec.


Any of you guys have a link to those Costco LED? I looked around my local costco website and came up empty.


https://www.costco.com/Feit-4'-Linkable ... 10429.html

I have them too. :)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Author:  Lincoln Goertzen [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 12:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
jshelton wrote:
LarryH wrote:
My set allowed for 4 on one outlet

my aging brain probably made me remember 3 on one outlet instead of 4 but the fact is at 8 watts per light why couldn't you string an unlimited number of them on a 15 amp circuit? I agree with you that they are really bright, I am totally pleased with them.


In some cases, the LED strips won't handle the heat of the current of more then 16 feet in a single run. That's the rule of thumb for under cabinet tape lighting, too. The 15 amp circuit will handle all that and more. You just need to spread them out a bit. 15 amps times 80 percent loading (standard rating of equipment unless otherwise specified) equal 12 amps continuous load rating. 12 amps times 120 nominal volts equals 1440 watts for a circuit. That's how much you can put on a 15 amp circuit.
Author:  Woodie G [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
According to the Costco reviews, these shop lights do not have replaceable bulbs, which would incur a 'deinstall-install' task when one fails (which the reviews suggest is a real possibility). While the $20 cost per unit at Costco seems like a very reasonable price, spending a bit more to install direct-wired (no ballast) fixtures and replaceable T-8 bulbs seems like a case of paying a bit more now to have a trouble-free solution later.
Author:  LarryH [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Woodie G wrote:
According to the Costco reviews, these shop lights do not have replaceable bulbs, which would incur a 'deinstall-install' task when one fails (which the reviews suggest is a real possibility). While the $20 cost per unit at Costco seems like a very reasonable price, spending a bit more to install direct-wired (no ballast) fixtures and replaceable T-8 bulbs seems like a case of paying a bit more now to have a trouble-free solution later.


That's a good point but de-installing/installing one of these units (after 50,000 hours) could take an entire minute, and most of that time would be taken up with getting the bulbs out of the package.
Author:  Woodie G [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Again, I'll suggest a look at the Costco site's ratings for anyone considering the buy for primary shop lighting - enough customers seeing issues with failures or intermittent operation to give one pause. Costco WILL take them back for credit or exchange, but there is a cost to doing that as well in time and digging out the receipt.

Re: 50,000 hour fixture life: at 8 hours per day for 5 days a week and 50 weeks per year, lifetime service is about 2.5 years...hobby use is closer to about 6 years, assuming 3 hours per day and 6 days per week.

Re: bulb swap...because the bulbs are integrated with the unit (per the reviews), the entire fixture needs to be swapped, so the time required is a little different than just the time required to swap in a replacement bulb on a conventional T-8/T-12 fixture.

1. Source a replacement fixture (there are similar units available from Home Depot for $35-$50 each, assuming Costco does not have a replacement product)
2. Order/buy the replacement fixture
3. Receive the replacement fixture (unbox/verify operation before hanging)
4. Deinstall the failed fixture
5. Install the replacement fixture (bonus points if it uses the same blind screw or hanger spacing; otherwise, more time spent)
6. Dispose of the failed fixture

If this process takes 60 seconds, then not much to worry about. If more than that, then the cost trade of about $50 per direct-wired, switched fixture (fixture plus bulbs plus wiring) would be something to look at carefully...even for a hobbyist.
Author:  Pmaj7 [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
8×5×50×2.5=5,000

New username, same ole Pat Mac
Author:  Ruby50 [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
I have 10, 4 foot, 2 bulb fluorescent fixtures in the ceiling of my 500 ft2 shop. At the time, I bought a box of 30 thinking I would need spares, but 11 years later I have not lost one bulb yet. However, I have about 12 exterior 12 volt LED lights and I have lost 4 in the 5 years of the system.

I think it is a crap shoot as to how long they will last, but LEDs are worth almost regardless.

Ed
Author:  Clay S. [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
" They recommend no more than three on a single outlet but I don't know why since they only draw 8 watts."

With electrical stuff I have found it's good to follow instructions because when we find out "why" there is usually a reason we didn't think of. As Lincoln pointed out the circuit might handle it fine but the units might not. Some of the low voltage under counter lights i've encountered used hair thin wires to carry the current. Another thing I thought about doing was running romex in conduit to somewhat rodent proof it. Another bad idea - researching it I found it was not recommended because the romex can't dissipate heat as well when in conduit.
One thing I still haven't figured out is when wireing in a new stove the wire going to it is thick #6 but the wireing in the stove was thin spaghetti strands. Even for the short runs I was surprised such thin wires could handle the load from the heating elements.
I've had a couple of college courses in AC and DC electronics, so I'm familiar with some of the "formulas", but when Practice varies from Theory there is usually a reason.
Author:  LarryH [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Yeah I guess this can be a lot more complicated than the ridiculously simple install in my shop and I guess replacing the fixture can take more than a minute, not in my case as I can get to them very easily and just unplug one and plug in the other so maybe 3 minutes?

Anyway there's a risk with everything and my budget allowed for these fixtures thinking they would be junk but they have worked out great. If my budget allowed I would probably install dedicated, switched fixtures with LED bulbs (and my shop is wired for exactly that) but I just can't find a down side (so far) to these fixtures.

As an option, which is kinda what I planned to do, install hard wired outlets on a switched, dedicated circuit that can accept dedicated fixtures and install these lights in the mean time until your budget can afford the more expensive lighting. I won't install that more expensive lighting but my shop is very small and these cheap LED's serve the purpose...
Author:  LarryH [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
50,000/(8x5x50) = 25 years. NOT saying that this is gospel nor that anyone should plan on that longevity, just sayin'.
Author:  jshelton [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Ruby50 wrote:
I have 10, 4 foot, 2 bulb fluorescent fixtures in the ceiling of my 500 ft2 shop. At the time, I bought a box of 30 thinking I would need spares, but 11 years later I have not lost one bulb yet.
Ed

I still have four 4 tube fluorescent fixtures in the shop but the LED's are so much brighter there's really no comparison. I've found that standard fluorescent tubes grow dim with age. You might try switching out a couple of tubes with new ones and see if you notice a difference.
Author:  Woodie G [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 1:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Oops...true...that's what happens when I'm distracted by physiological needs after a long drive! And $20 each is quite cheap for they are amazingly cheap, albeit worth buying a few extra as spares. We've been tearing out shop lights in favor of actual fixtures, and are down to just a few extension cords running overhead.

One other thing to consider is higher CRI in areas where finish work or color matching is going on - we're seeing high CRI (90+) bulbs hitting the market, although about 2-3 times more costly than standard 80-85 CRI units. Once price drops a bit, we'll swap out bulbs in certain fixtures and get rid of the OTTLite full spectrum lamps over those bench areas.
Author:  LarryH [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 2:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Woodie G wrote:
...and are down to just a few extension cords running overhead.


Funny, I came in to post about the one down side, and it's not a small one, is that the daisy chaining requires cords running across the ceiling which is pretty messy looking. I simply don't look up any more but could easily understand why someone would choose to hide all the wiring. I set the lights up to do that then wanted to move the switch location so I daisy chained and used a remote switch.
Author:  bcombs510 [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 2:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
I bought 10 of them and kept two as extras. At 200 bucks, I can use the money saved to upgrade my nightmare of a drill press. ;)

That’s what I’ll tell the wife anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Author:  LarryH [ Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Here's a great tutorial on retrofitting to LED. I've got a couple dead hard wired fluorescents in my garage that I'm going to convert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmR5iEEP9q8
Author:  Ernie Kleinman [ Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
After reading all the reasons pro and con.Will also get 10 lights from costco . I/m going to Kansas next week . so will get them . My hard wired flourescent lights
our mo bsmt home seem to work way better than the cheapies from HD and lowes FWIW.
Author:  Michaeldc [ Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 8 ft LED light fixtures.
Something that I think gets overlooked when lighting a shop are the surfaces. All of my benches have white laminate countertops and light wood or white carcasses. My basement shop ceiling has a flame resistant, reflective foil faced material to cover the fiberglass insulation. My fixtures are largely made with white laminate faced plywood. Partition walls are mostly covered in white melamine rather than drywall.

Reflected light=good!
Page 1 of 2 All times are UTC - 5 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/