Shop Wiring

"As to lighting, for a shop of this size with a 12’ ceiling how many lights would you recommend? I like lots of light."

Hello Jay,

I built my house/shop about 8 years ago. It is 26' x 36' with a 10'6" ceiling height. I ran a total of 7, 8' double fluorescent lights, for a total of 28, 4' bulbs. I ran two 8 footers, end to end, across the 26' span, then two more about 8' apart from strip to strip. I ended up with a single 8 footer at the end, where it was narrower because of a stairwell. I am very happy with the lighting, and am slowly converting the bulbs to LED. I just have to choose the bulb that I like the best.

Brian
 
Agreed on conduit - that's how I did mine. No sense in punching through walls to add/repair power in what is primarily a utility space. I ran steel flex along the floor from the wall to each machine, bolted some treated 1x6s to either side of the flex, clamped the flex to 1x6s with standard conduit two-screw clamps. Took care of the tripping hazard.

12'x24' with 9-foot ceilings. I used 8 Sunco Flat Shop Light LEDs, 4 per series, both series plugged into a single ceiling-mounted outlet. Plenty of light, easy to switch off ones you don't use. I mounted them with s-hooks into eye bolts, lets me remove lights singly if I need to extra head-room (hey, it happens).

I'd think 12 should do your space - maybe four runs of 3, and if that isn't enough you can add a fourth light to the end of each run.

They work out to about $25 a light on a'zon.
 
It seems your questions have received alot of good advice so i wont restate whats been said other then I too highly recommend LED lights in which ever design you like.

My comment concerns the "Color" of the light in particular. If you prefer a Bright light you will want the "Blue" Spectrum which is in the 4800k range. If you like a softer less harsh type light thats typical of a "SOFT White" incandescent bulb you would want a Red Spectrum in the 6500k range. Personally I like the 5,500k range for a nice daylight blend. Hope that helps.
 
I Like 5500K fopr general lighting, and 3600K for workbenches and closer in work. I find the yellower colour gives less eye fatigue when I'm focusing in close.
 
Thanks for all the input.

The more I think about I'm going to remove all the current romex and outlets and then run everything surface mount. I'm having the shop insulated and it was originally built without a weather barrier under the siding so my insulator is going to spray a 1" layer of foam in each stud bay and fill the remaining space with blown in before the drywall is installed. Having the walls clear of obstacles will make for a better job.

Even with over twice the space I have now I want to maintain enough floor space to be able to work on a car or truck or other large project. Something I have never had. I'm toying with the idea of putting in a 4' wide storage platform around the perimeter walls 8' off the floor. If I do that I can run conduit and j-boxes on the wall under the platform and then put in drops where I'll need them.
 
I'm toying with the idea of putting in a 4' wide storage platform around the perimeter walls 8' off the floor. If I do that I can run conduit and j-boxes on the wall under the platform and then put in drops where I'll need them.

That's a pretty good idea. I'd probably go with 2-3' deep unless it's mostly for boxes - not going to be able to see anything towards the back, that high up. I did a few 18" shelves about 7' up, and being able to hang things off hooks mounted underneath is great. Might add a few more.
 
When I set the garage up I tried to think about future events like a possible move and adding more machines. A hundred feet from the house and added another forty feet. My machines and heater are all done in heavy guage three phase teck cable even though there two phase exept for the lathe with three phase through a vfd. I may add a rotary phase down the rd. with more machines. My mill drill was done with welding plugs and enough cable for anywhere in the garage for a bigger welder down the rd. I spent more money than I needed to that I didn t have. I figure this way I have flexibility knowing there are more machines to come and that s when i ll see my return on doing it this way. We all have our ways of doing things And reasons why Flexibility!!!

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I would definitely put some research in the new LEDs. I saw some where they are not only dimmable, but you can change the color output. On the surface, at least they sound great. Put in more then you think you may need, and then just dimm them to your liking, and you can turn them up later if needed. But I know nothing about their longevity, or cost.
 
Recently found a sale on 8' v-shaped led lights. (10 8' lights for $225 with free shipping).
My shop is 28 x 28 with a sloping ceiling from 15' to 10'. I put 4 of the 8' lights in half of the shop (auto/tractor/truck bay). Almost like daylight in there. Trying to decide best way to install in the rest of the shop.
I personally like surface mount wiring.
 
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