positioning flourescent lights

[abraxas365]

I'm building a small woodshop and I need to install my lighting now. The ceiling area I'm dealing with first is 7' by 23'. I figure I need either 3 - 8' or 6 - 4' fluorescent lights. I don't know how to position them so I don't have shadows. Does a fluorescent lighting cast less light (a shadow area) on its end as opposed to its sides? Ideas?

w

[ozwinner]

Hi
On the ceiling is a good place to start...
Sorry, cant help myself.

[Cliff Rogers]

G'day.

I just looked up at the fluro in my office & from looking at the light pattern on the cieling I can see that it's much brighter at the sides than it is at the end.

In my wood workshop, I have overhead MV flood lights & I also have MV spot lights mounted on the walls about 8ft (2.4M) up & they are directed at my lathe from each end from a point just forward of the centreline of the lathe IE; the other side of the lathe from where I stand.

In our electronic repair workshop, 10ft by 20ft (3m x 6M) we have a single row of 3 - 4ft fluros down the middle & 2 long arm swivel head reading lights with 18W low energy globes mounted on the shelf over our work bench.

I think a double row of 3 or 4 - 4ft tubes spaced evenly end to end along the your work area with the rows spaced about 4 ft apart should do the trick for you. The row spacing depends on how reflective your walls are & how high your ceiling is.

[abraxas365]

Hi

Thanks for the info, Cliff. I kind of thought I'd have to run a double row of 3 - 4ft fixtures. That way (if there is a shadow from the fixture's end) I would have even lighting on the long walls. It would be easier to position lighting if I knew where my tools and benches were going to be positioned, but I'm starting the shop from scratch.

By the way. The ceiling is 8ft high in this half of the shop. The other half of the shop is 9ft by 23ft with a 9ft ceiling. Total shop will be 16 by 23.

wally

[rodm]

Make sure you get the fluros with diffusers (covers). It is easy to lift a ladder or sheet of ply and break the tube. It happened twice to me and that's how I know a ladder and sheet of ply will do it. Thanks to some sound advice on this forum I now have modified covers over all my fittings. Much easier and cheaper to buy the fluros with the covers in the first instance.

[abraxas365]

thanks Rod.

I’m going shopping for fixtures today. I most definitely will be looking for something with protection. My old shop had enclosed fixtures but I thought bare tubes would look so ‘shoppie’ in my new shop.

Wally

[GCP310]

Also check the type of tubes you are using.

There are warm white, cool white for standard tubes, but theres a type called Triphosforus (not sure on the spelling).

I put these in my garage when we built a few years back and when you open the garage door at night its like a scene from "close encounters of the third kind" . They are a very bright, white.

Many shops use them opposed to standard tubes. They are not cheap though. Ring Ideal electrical or Cetnaj in your area.

G

[GCP310]

Sorry, just read your location. Try your local Electrical supplier.

[abraxas365]

I bought the fixtures for the first half of the shop. I did get the ones with the light covers (diffusers.) Mostly because they were the cheapest. Industrial fixtures are 2 to 3 times as much and I just can't see the extra expense. I've done fine with reqular fixtures in my old shop so they should be fine in the new one. Thanks for the advise guys. Now I just have to get them up there and get started wiring.

Wally in the 'wack

[Big Clint]

I would have to agree with Glenn about the type of tube you use. I had always used the $2-$3 tube until my dad put me onto the triphosphorus (I think thats what they are) around $12 a tube but they make a huge difference, much brighter for the same wattage than the cheaper ones.

As my dad likes to say you get what you pay for.

[soundman]

Oh yes indeedy neibour, triphosphour tubes are the way to go.

the improvement in my shed was dramatic.

the other big improvement is to get some form of reflector behind the fixture.

my fittings are suspended at about 9' from the floor the roof above is silvered. Thaught that would be a good reflective surface. NUP.

now my floros have a 90deg white melamine reflector behind.
Made from a pine stud with the sides 45d off & 200mm(8") strips of white melamine board fixed on. the fluros mount on the flat of the stud.

I have single 4' units end to end over all work areas.


cheers