Lighting in a barn

[reb78]

We are going to convert one of our barns to stables. There will be six stables in here around the three walls and we will put up some form of Yorkshire boarding to enclose the open front a bit.

The barn currently has no lighting. The fusebox is in the barn next door, so easy to run the feed through. What would you put in there? I am imagining fluorescent light tube fittings about 10ft from the floor, roughly one over each stable and a couple over the central passage.

I'm be curious to hear what you would do, where you would buy the bits from and how you would set it up.

Pic of the barn (high roof, so i think the fittings would be too high mounted on the beams?) and a rough pic of the stable layout (not to scale!)

 

[fizzy]

Yes tubes the way to go. They are still very efficient and cheap. If it was a workshop then perhaps LEDs but they not cheap and the harsh glare not so nice for the horses.
TLC are pretty good and prices reasonable.
Obviously the lower the tubes the brighter it will be but how bright do you need it? Trail and error best way to proceed!

 

[Seadog]

Obviously the lower the tubes the brighter it will be

You need to consider what happens if a horse rears. Unless they're Shetlands, of course

 

[slim_boy_fat]

How about something like these? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAT-INC-P...637823&hash=item19f24061b0:g:kw8AAOSwnDZT8MMr

 

[brightspark]

led fluorescent fittings on chains over the bays and a couple of led 20 watt floodlamps of the ceiling. I've just wired a rather large stable out with a lot of stalls and its brill

 

[reb78]

led fluorescent fittings on chains over the bays and a couple of led 20 watt floodlamps of the ceiling. I've just wired a rather large stable out with a lot of stalls and its brill

Could you possibly add some links to the type of fittings you used? It'd be good to see wattages/type of fitting etc as i get a bit bogged down in the variety of bits available so struggle to see the wood through the trees!

 

[knighty]

remember with LEDs you can get different 'colours' of white, from bring white to a more gentle bit yellow

plus, you can get dimmable ones, so you can have them on low overnight and then on higher when you're in there / when you need it ?

(idk if you need some constant light, so you can see while you come and go, check on horses etc.?)

 

[awemawson]

I have just put up an 1800 sq foot tractor shed (40 x 45 foot) which is lit remarkably well by only three 100 watt LED floodlights - £85 each and guaranteed for 3 years from Phase Electrics

 

[brightspark]

the led flouros are ansell tornado I get them for 5 foot 26 plus vat and 6 foot 33 plus vat. the led floods from electrifix https://www.google.co.uk/search?sou...46k1j46i131k1j0i10k1j0i22i30k1.88.mJoHRGqLDTk and https://www.google.co.uk/search?source=hp&ei=Bln3Wc-eFIXSwQLtubLwDw&q=luceco++led+flood+&oq=luceco++led+flood+&gs_l=psy-ab.13..0.3470.10731.0.13425.20.19.0.0.0.0.361.1709.17j3-1.19.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..1.18.1704.0..0i131k1j0i131i46k1j46i131k1j0i22i30k1.50.KE1_epJYfV use a combination of both

 

[reb78]

Great stuff. I'm glad I asked.

Given there may be the odd breeze in there, is it worth running tracks or will they be ok hung in chains?

 

[reb78]

I have just put up an 1800 sq foot tractor shed (40 x 45 foot) which is lit remarkably well by only three 100 watt LED floodlights - £85 each and guaranteed for 3 years from Phase Electrics

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Wow! That's really bright!

 

[brightspark]

just hung on chains about a meter long hung of hookplates. u can wire them up using flat twin and earth clipped if u have wooden purlins and drops using 3 core flex. run up to the purlings and down to switches and mains using 20mm plastic conduit

 

[WorkshopChris]

Floodlights are great for open spaces, but once dividing walls go up you get lots of dark spots and shadows, led/fluorescents hung above each division will give a better light spread. Maybe a central flood light for background lighting out of hours.