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obrionusa

What shplight to buy for my pole barn

obrionusa
11 years ago

I currently have halagon light fixtures in my pole barn. The lighting sucks and its not too friendly on my light bill. Can you tell me of a good brand to buy? Menards was saying the T-8 would work good and they are doing away with the T-12. I called the electric supply house and they say to use a 4 lamp fixture and run T-5. But the cost is $125 a fixture. I need about 15 fixtures, So the $125 is a little high price for me. I would use half fixtures in 4' and run 8' on the other half. The pole barn is 60' X 120'

Comments (10)

  • obrionusa
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I currently have halagon light fixtures in my pole barn. The lighting sucks and its not too friendly on my light bill. Can you tell me of a good brand to buy? Menards was saying the T-8 would work good and they are doing away with the T-12. I called the electric supply house and they say to use a 4 lamp fixture and run T-5. But the cost is $125 a fixture. I need about 15 fixtures, So the $125 is a little high price for me. I would use half fixtures in 4' and run 8' on the other half. The pole barn is 60' X 120'

  • geoffrey_b
    11 years ago

    If you are in a northern climate be sure the lights will start at your normal winter temp.

    I have four fixtures (of 2 - 48" lamps) in a 27 x 27 garage - it's plenty of light. Are you sure you're going to need that many fixtures?

  • ionized_gw
    11 years ago

    Read up a little on ballasts. Judging on your complaint about the bill, you turn them on and leave them on for many hours. An instant-start ballast is best for that (slightly lower cost and power consumption). If you have a lot of on-off cycles, programmed start ballasts spare the bulbs.

    Choice of ballasts and bulbs takes a little care in cold-temp operation. Just about any modern name-brand T8 ballast will start a 'regular' bulb at pretty low temps, 0 F, but you want to stay away from some combinations with low power ballasts or low power lamps. With the wrong combo, you could have trouble at 60 F. Colder than 0 F? There are ballasts for that. I could be wrong, but I think that T5 are not good when cold.

    Do you need all the lights on at once? If not, install switches on sets or on the fixtures (pull-chain, ebay) themselves. Are the lights going to be mounted high, or low? The reflector design will be different.

    "Lighting sucks"? I assume that you need more light. Color rendering is good with halogens. It will not be as good with fluorescent. If you need good color rendering, you will need to choose lamps carefully and spend a bit more than the least expensive ones.

    If you need a bunch of luminaires, keeping an eye on ebay might be the way to go.

  • obrionusa
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Guys, I didnt tell you what I was doing with the barn, So here goes. I own a construction company and use half the barn for storage and the other half to work on stuff. I have a 15,000 pound lift and use it for brakes, oil changes and whatever else. The only lights I have is one 8' T-12 fixture and 8 halaogen lamps on the work side and six on the other side I use for storage. I'm not really complaining about the light bill, but the lighting sucks and I want to improve it. The half I use for storage rarely gets used so I'm not worried about it. I just dont want to waste my time putting up a lamp that will last a short time like the old shop lights for $10.
    Thanks for everything Guys!

  • elltwo
    11 years ago

    This company will have the right products for you and they are made in USA, although some components are imported. They are not inexpensive but their FL strips are very easy to work with and the installation will be quick and painless.

    Here is a link that might be useful: he williams lights

  • ionized_gw
    11 years ago

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/121078213189?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

    but if you get with reflectors, you will need fewer lights and use less power. Be sure to get reflectors for the correct lamp-floor distance.

  • woodbutcher_ca
    11 years ago

    Hi, I live in S Ca so this may not work for you.I have a flag pole and I lit it up wth Halagon Bulb that lasted about 2 months. I then installed a simple par fixture and put in a LED bulb about 70 Watt rating (the bulb uses less power). I used cool white. The bulb is super bright it lit up the house across the street. The Bulb cost about 45.00 but they are suppose to last a long time. If I were you I'd install one and give it a try'
    Good Luck Woodbutcher

  • mike_kaiser_gw
    11 years ago

    When you say, "the lighting sucks" what do you mean? The overall light level or the quality of the lighting?

    What kind of budget do you have for this project? Metal halide "bay" fixtures make a lot of sense for lighting large areas. Then augment that with task specific lighting.

  • rwiegand
    11 years ago

    Home Depot sells an 8' (4 -46" lamp) t5 HO fixture for about $55 (the bulbs are $10 a pop, but supposed to last a very long time). I'm currently putting T5 HO fixtures in my new shop and they deliver serious light. I would guess half as many fixtures will be need than I would need with T8's. T8 bulbs are cheaper upfront, but I hope the T5s will be cheaper in the long run. Of course if they burn out the way CFL's do all bets are off.

    At this point I think most all T5 ballasts are electronic, and the Borg fixtures have ballasts from reputable companies like Phillips. With T8's you need to be careful. The come right on in cold weather, but I haven't had them up in sub-zero conditions yet.

  • ionized_gw
    11 years ago

    T5 do not perform as well in the cold as T8. They will do better in a closed luminaire. Typical T8 will fire down to zero F. Below that, you need a special ballast.

    I would not use open T5 in an unheated environment even in my subtropical environment:

    http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/NLPIP/lightingAnswers/LAT5/pc10.asp

    T5 electronic ballasts, all electronic, come in different starting methods. It is not just a question of quality, but how you will use the lights and matching the ballast to that.

    Somewhat dated but useful:

    http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/NLPIP/lightingAnswers/LAT5/pc4.asp