Workshop lighting

[Am333rcr]

Hi all

Sorry in advance if this has been covered.

I have a work shop in progress and was looking for ideas/help for the best type of lighting.

It's a brick and slate old building. 16ft x 10ft.

 

[500e]

Type led lighting into Site search box

 

[Mr Fro]

LED all the way - I'm very disappointed in the florescent tubes I had put in the new workshop. Poor output, mess with my auto-dimming lid and I've already smashed one by accident.

 

[Maker]

LED all the way - I'm very disappointed in the florescent tubes I had put in the new workshop. Poor output, mess with my auto-dimming lid and I've already smashed one by accident.

I've smashed the LED bulb on my lathe but it still works, just have to not touch it while its on

 

[Welderpaul]

Be careful with LED lighting, might just be us, but we're now on our third set which are waiting to be changed yet again. After a couple of months they started flashing then died. No one knew why.... Now they say 'have you got any three phase motors in the building?'. Yup, every machine has one. Apparently they send a back current which kills them. It's like a disco in our workshop.

 

[Johnseat]

Heard nothing but issues with cheap led battan light from some electricians I know.
Shows now are already starting to specify fluorescent tubing replacements for dead led battens.

 

[Kent]

I have led and fluorescent, led all the way! The flashing is a sort of bulb failure, I think just starting in the house now with bulbs that have been in five years or so.
My fluorescent in the shop are in waterproof housings knocked them down a few times moving stuff but never a breakage. That said the covers get dirty and I think the uv from welding might just be turning it a bit cloudy?

 

[knighty]

have watched a few youtube vids of LEDs being stripepd down.... the insides all look pretty much the same to me but the reviewers point out differences in quality/type of components used... there's apparently a massive difference between good ones and cheap ones, most of the difference is in the LED driver / transformer

that being said... I've got a load of cheap ones still going strong... but they're 12v ones powered by a 12v PSU so I guess maybe that means there's less in them to go wrong ?

bought a couple of THESE to test (240v).. a 60watt one and a 30watt ones

ok.. they're obviously not 60w or 30w.... but they put out more light than a tube the same size (the 60w ones puts out a LOT of light)

I left both powered on for... about month now and they're both fine, no changes at all, so might buy a bunch more

I don't mind paying more... but when 'good' ones or four or five times the cost I don;t mind taking a chance on cheaper ones

 

[rambo]

Been thinking of a led tube for my garage, but how would I connect it to existing wiring?

 

[500e]

We have led tubes (led hut), 2tube led fittings (screw fix), had in about 3 years, single led tube fittings (liddles) (6months) roughly 20+ units No failures.
We have 3 phase on a genny with break press, folder, ironworker (Geka30 ton) radial arm drill & welders so I am surprised that 3ph is effecting them.
also have Led hut led Hi bay lights 14 x 100watt no problems we have 6 x 80 watt floods of which 2 failed the replacements have been ok Led hut changed the out with no problem at all.
No connection to led hut other than a satisfied customer.
Mat posted regarding their tubes drawing excess current in some fittings we have checked all of ours with no high current problem has any one else checked ? currant draw our single fitting with all old gear in draws 104 Mah roughly
Rambo
if you are replacing a old fitting you have live neutral & earth the same,the Liddle ones have no earth connection due to them being sealed in a plastic fitting
If you are just fitting tubes they have an adapter you plug in instead of the starter.

 

[dannyp]

i found with led's that if you have a load of them in the same cuircuit the powersupplys in them play havoc with each other, they arn't 240v they are more like 12 or 24v and they chop out part of the AC they want from the full wave form.

 

[james butler]

I think part of the problem with lighting is placement so you might want to consider where your lights are going to go before you decide on the type.
I use 2 fluorescent tubes and give off quite a lot of light and spent the money and got diffusers so they're not easily hit and broken.
On the machines I have a few small LED and halogen spot lamps which can be directed to wherever needed and turned off when not in use.
Best to plan ahead as it could get quite costly if you get it wrong

 

[garethp]

Don't buy cheap unbranded LED's off ebay - my experience (mainly) with GU10's is that about 25% fail within a few weeks and the rest fail within 18 months. Since I started getting Lap or Philips ones none have failed and the oldest will be a couple of years old now.

We've had some stuff from https://www.ledison-led-lights.co.uk/ at work and they seem ok, Led hut also seems to crop as a good supplier.

 

[rambo]

@500e,

Thanks for that.
My garage just has a single bulb hanging from the ceiling, so I can just cut the bulb holder and connect live and neutral to the new led fitting?

 

[Robotstar5]

@500e,

Thanks for that.
My garage just has a single bulb hanging from the ceiling, so I can just cut the bulb holder and connect live and neutral to the new led fitting?

If the new fitting is metal it will probably require an earth wire as well

 

[500e]

I mentioned the Liddle ones are a Plastic unit all others require an earth there is sometimes\ should be an earth in the ceiling rose

 

[Am333rcr]

HI all

Thank you for the reply. I just want to do my workshop right or the best i can afford mainly because it's mine .

Cheers

 

[rambo]

cheers chaps