Can you have too much garage lighting?

[Gritineye]

I've messed about with lighting in my garage for 40 years, never got it right, or if I did I changed the layout so it was then no good again. I recently found the answer for those gloomy days working in around and under cars, or searching bins and shelves for 'lost' stuff.

It turns on and off with a wave of my hand and I put it on when I enter the door at night or on gloomy days, put it on charge as I leave.

Cheap and vey good, but only around 4 hrs constant run time in reality.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CR5FG77S?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 

[reb78]

I've messed about with lighting in my garage for 40 years, never got it right, or if I did I changed the layout so it was then no good again. I recently found the answer for those gloomy days working in around and under cars, or searching bins and shelves for 'lost' stuff.

It turns on and off with a wave of my hand and I put it on when I enter the door at night or on gloomy days, put it on charge as I leave.

Cheap and vey good, but only around 4 hrs constant run time in reality.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CR5FG77S?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I too have gone this way. The light always shines where I am looking.

Joe - I mainly suggested that the lights wouldn't be great with a car on the lift and perhaps there qas a need for lower ones as you'd previously said you would store a car up there. That might block whatever you put up.

 

[Farside]

Having some additional low level lighting can be useful for working on the undersides of vehicles, when they're up on the ramp.

I gave a mate a couple of 8ft flouro battens (office clearance) for exactly that. They were positioned in the corner of the wall and floor.
It worked like a charm, until one day something fell on one.
"It was like a bloody bomb going off," he said.

 

[AVI_8]

No you can’t have too much lighting in your workshop, what you intend to do in it though might determine where the lights are, for detailing a car some lights on the wall about 3 ft high would help, for painting a car the more the better at the sides and on the roof, for mechanical work personally I find a good strong head torch is invaluable along with a strong plug in light from below.

 

[JOEPRO]

I've messed about with lighting in my garage for 40 years, never got it right, or if I did I changed the layout so it was then no good again. I recently found the answer for those gloomy days working in around and under cars, or searching bins and shelves for 'lost' stuff.

It turns on and off with a wave of my hand and I put it on when I enter the door at night or on gloomy days, put it on charge as I leave.

Cheap and vey good, but only around 4 hrs constant run time in reality.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CR5FG77S?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

That looks good will order one of those! Thanks. I have about 12 or 15 really good magnetic rechargeable worklights which I use for all jobs. I am just used to setting them up and getting very strong- direct light for whatever I am working on.

I too have gone this way. The light always shines where I am looking.

Joe - I mainly suggested that the lights wouldn't be great with a car on the lift and perhaps there qas a need for lower ones as you'd previously said you would store a car up there. That might block whatever you put up.

Yes I understand what members are saying and take it on board for future. For now it's just getting good general lighting in there as its terrible / unusable at the moment. I have to stick up magnetic work lights to be in there when it's dark. And I have alot of welding to do in here now on that red C124 Merc so I need to sort the general lighting now.

The sectional door has probably been in 8 years now and I still haven't sorted the lighting Tomorrow should see it made good.

 

[Morrisman]

so the meter must be crap if it cant monitor power usage theres at least 150 watts there

If they can’t monitor it, maybe they aren’t charging me for it?

 

[gaz1]

id rather use a led spotlight under a car

either use it on its own battery or use a plug in type there cheap enough that way

 

[Robotstar5]

Can't beat a light arch

 

[8ob]

Can't beat a light arch

Never thought of going that way around

Bob

 

[ahebron]

I have 2 section lift doors and 5ft LED battens in a double garage.
Over my workbench I have 2 x 5ft battens.
In the mainpart of the garage I have 2 battens perside across the garage and a length ways one in the middle og trhe garage
The main section lift door has a micro switch that shuts down the batten above the door when open and also has a 10 watt flood light operated by a micro switch and daylight sensor (actually a 360 motion sensor that I have shut off the motion part) that turns on when the door is opened that points toward the back of the garage to assist when backing a car in at night.
But what I have been thinking of lately is fitting another 5ft LED batten on the inside of the section lift door so if the door is open I can still maintain my lighting level. Whether I micro switch it or not is tbd.

Adrian

 

[Kram]

Too much light is greatly tiring on the eyes. Theres no point having a flood of light in the wrong place thats blinding you, as it will make your eyes less receptive to other lights that you position for the work.

My garage has a 12v battery powered lighting as no mains. I have several LED COB things wired and hung where I need them. I did this ages ago before rechargable COB lights were common. Adjustable power supply so I can dim them as needed and keep it low for general use, to save battery.


This style are good as a head torch, have 4 of them. Plenty of diffuse light, right where you need it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/LINXINS-Rechargeable-Headband-Lighting-Headtorch/dp/B0CSJF4JZL/

Have several rechargeable work lights, find them a pain to position so they are not blinding.
I have a couple of amazon ring selfy lights, find they give good diffuse light right where I want it, but they are a bit large and sometimes get in the way.

 

[tom2207]

power is nothing without control.

 

[8ob]

Lighting placed high up diffuses quite drastically, despite all of the lighting I installed I have had to add lights above worktops in places.

Bob

 

[Nomad]

Where do you need the light?

I have battens on the ceiling above the car but they're no use working on the engine as the bonnet blocks the light ( great if the car is half out of the garage where they can light the engine bay)

The there are also a couple of lose battens that get where I'm working (by the brakes, under the car.. And few rechargeable led torches for tight spaces)

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

You have enough when you want to wear dark glasses inside due to glare.

I designed my workshop to have an even, Shadowless 2000lux when all the lights were on, and 1000lux with minimal shadows when the side lights are on.

Side lights are two sets of 4 × 60W 6ft LED battens, mounted at about 7' off the ground and 750mm from the edge of the workshop.

Central lights are four 1200×600 72w LED panels mounted level with the battens

I picked 4200k lights over 6500K "daylight" creates unpleasant levels of glare for me, so with 4200 I could tolerate a much higher luminous intensity.

There's also 6 Anglepoise Task Lights (Big Mill, Lathe, Also Lathe, Engraver/Other Mill, Grinder, Workbench), for when I am casting shadows unavoidably.

Outside I use halogen floods on tripods, with festoon lighting and headlights.

 

[MetalMonkey]

I would say that there is such a thing as too much - especially with the harshness of modern LED, it can be fatiguing if you are concentrating on details, or swapping between the darkness of outside and coming into a very brightly lit work area.

However, generally more light the better - I repurposed a lot of double 6 foot battens that were being skipped, and with a white painted workshop it is certainly bright.
But having them switched in separate banks makes it easy to control the amount of light for any given task - most of the time I can get away with just a couple of tubes if all I'm doing is walking through and rummaging in a toolbox.

So I would say, go for lots of light, but arrange it so you can switch them for different levels/activities.

 

[Farside]

I picked 4200k lights over 6500K "daylight" creates unpleasant levels of glare for me, so with 4200 I could tolerate a much higher luminous intensity.

Similar here. Before LED battens were within reach, I installed 5 ex-office 4-tube x 4ft fittings, with fluoros being alternately cool white and warm white, to achieve an overall balance of pleasing light colour and intensity.
I don't want to replace them all with harsh white LEDs.

 

[brightspark]

Similar here. Before LED battens were within reach, I installed 5 ex-office 4-tube x 4ft fittings, with fluoros being alternately cool white and warm white, to achieve an overall balance of pleasing light colour and intensity.
I don't want to replace them all with harsh white LEDs.

theres no need to some of the new led battens are selectable for warm white cool white and daylight also selectable wattage

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

theres no need to some of the new led battens are selectable for warm white cool white and daylight also selectable wattage

Even the cheapest naffest ones come in a range of colour temperatures now.

Ask me how I know.

 

[brightspark]

Even the cheapest naffest ones come in a range of colour temperatures now.

Ask me how I know.

with selector switches on them