I'm tired of working in a dark garage. I'm looking for suggestions of how I should light the garage. The garage has 2 doors 24' x 24' foundation and 8'3" ceiling and is not heated. Should I go with floresent (ones that will work at 0 deg like today), Mercury Vapor, or quartz. Also how should I arrange them.

Thanks!
67ABODY

Flourescent, preferably 60 watt high output. In a 24 x 24 setup I'd put 4-two lamp fixtures. I'd mount them 8' apart (at centers) and 8' off of each wall. You'll have more than enough light and the flourescent fixtures will diffuse light nicely. You may also consider a quartz light on a stand for working under the hood. Mercury vapors are primarily used for outside lighting.

Fluorescents would be (is) my choice
Mercury Vapors take too long to come on and are expensive to operate.
Quartz put out too much heat (maybe ok in cold weather) and aren't cheap to operate either.
If you have any electricitions friends or remodelers you might be able to find some free or very cheap fixtures that came out of a commercial remodel job. (All of my 8' - two tube fixtures were salvaged from the dumpster on remodel jobs.)
They will take a few minutes to warm up to full brightness when they are cold though.
AS far as placement goes, if you install a pigtail on each fixture and hang it with a couple of short - very small chains, they will be easy to move later when you find out where you want more light.

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Dean Call
Team Gold member #3
A.C.E.S. # 00235
N.C.O.A. # 4350
Mid America Chevelle Club (http://macc.chevelles.net) #001
chevelles.net (http://chevelles.net)
you beat me by one minute Chad

[This message has been edited by Dean (edited 01-23-2000).]

Go with the flouresents. But don't buy the cheap ones. When it gets cold they racoon tail and it will drive you crazy. Go with the high intensity ones. they are more expensive (@$90) but IMO worth it. A good electric supplier will know what these are and be able to hook you up. I have 4 sets in my 24 X 36 Mich shop.

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2 piece 66 SS396
'72 C20 4x4 (427T)
Gold #75

Also add a long tube flourescent trouble light to your inventory, around $20.

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Rick
67ss bb
But dear, all it needs is a harmonic balancer.....
http://hometown.aol.com/rdpriebe

If you have a man door, rig a motion sensor lite over the door,one that is light sensitive it will come on as you enter.It will go out when you leave.Handy as a pocket in your shirt.That way you don't have to turn the main lites on every time.I have 2 one on each side...FRED

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Had problems with my fluorescents starting in cold weather so changed to two 3 bulb track lights, on different switches. Can turn either or both on and they start everytime. That and a seperate extension cordlight and ive got all the sun i need. Not only that, but have some adjustment with 6 bulbs to put the light where i want it. Even with over 400 watts burning with everything on, for the amount i'm out there in cold weather, dont really see big utility bill increase, and it is nice and bright.

Depending on how cold your area is you may need the High Output fixtures and bulbs,these are flourescents. They are expensive,it may be cheaper to put in a heat source and use standard flourescent fixtures,we sell them for $29 ea and the Daylight bulbs are $6ea,these are 8'.
Another option is using halogen flood lights 90 watts,the good ones are about $5 and fixtures are cheap. I suggest going to a supply house vs. a Lowes or Home Depot. The chain stores usually carry the cheaper fixtures,might last 6 months,and their bulbs are usually higher for the same thing.

Racoon Tail I like that one http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif I did what Dean suggested, using a chain-n-hook system untill you figure out where you'll get the best lighting, then attach them perminitely
Remember that when summer comes along and you have the door open that the light above it will be shielded. I'm not saying to mount one on tha door http://www.chevelles.com/forum/rolleyes.gif just a thought to keep in mind.

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Lowered '67 Elcamino
ZZ430HP / 4L60
"Canyon Carver"

I have a 24x24 with 6 lights with 3 switches, each bank has it's own switch. Works good.

at the advice of my electrician neighbor i ripped out all of my florecent lights (4 fixtures x 2x40 watts= 320 total) and installed 6 regular cheapie plastic screw in bulb holden fixtures (rated up to 200w per) i'm using 100 watt bulbs in each or 600 total and can double the light for the cost of bulbs. i've close to doubled my lighting for peanuts. best advice i've had in a while. thought i'd pass it along. john

Just get half a dozen sweethearts in there holding good flashlights. You can position them where you want e'm, infinatly varable intensity and there's no electric bill! Just a few new batteries now and then. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif

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Harley
69 461 El Camino Nitrous Model, 69 Chevelle coupe
70 El Camino,71 SS Camaro
79 Corvette
Kerrville,Tx.
A Camel is a Horse designed by a commitee

I have 8 200watt incandecent bulbs lighting my 22x38 garage. I tried switching to flourescent, but they still seemed to dim. To save on electricity, I only turn on the ones in the area I'm working in.

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JeffK ACES #01510
Team Chevelle Gold #72
496 EFI/Richmond 6-Speed
JeffK@chevelles.com
Jeff's Chevelle Page (http://www.athenet.net/~chevelle)

I agree with the others....if it is cold near you, then regular fluorescents are not the way to go. They do not work well in the cold. The HO units are probably much better. Also, like a previous poster mentioned, keep in mind that in the summer your door is usually in the up position which will block your fixtures. Position them accordinly.

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Bruce M.
Buffalo, NY
Team Chevelle #197
69 SS Chevelle
80 Malibu
96 Impala SS
members.aol.com/amhpd17/index.html (http://members.aol.com/amhpd17/index.html)

I have a 26 by 40 garage, it has three rows of florecent lights on three switches. Each row has 5 double 80 inch, quick start fixtures. The walls are finished and painted semi gloss white. When I snap on these bad boys the sun puts on his shades. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/cool.gif

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Wally
Gold #67
67 Malibu "Small Block"
90 SS454
71 Malibu "Small Block"
93 torch red vette

I have a 24' by 26' garage and i went with 6 250 watt bulbs, i live in wisconsin and with the cold weather they work the best, and they light the garage up great.

I've tried the best fluorescent light fixtures out there. On mornings like this one, -13F outside, 0 in the attached garage, they just don't light up. What I did is left the fluorescents up on a seperate switch for nicer days. For winter I use three 100 watt clear light bulbs.

I mounted my 8' fluorescent lights 4" below the garage door track so that way I have light when the door is up or down. I took some straps and attached it to the angle iron section that holds the curve section of the track. If you get the fixtures that just hold the bulbs with no cover, get the plastic covers that go over the bulb so that way if you hit the bulb the glass wont come raining down on top of your baby's paint job. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/eek.gif

Thanks for all the help, I decided to put some 8' high output 110W flourescents to start with. I looked at the ones in Home Depot and they looked cheap and were made in China. Since I prefer my garage to be -Rice Free- I went to my local electrical supply house and the set me up with USA made fixtures and bulbs good to -20F. To my surprise this setup was less expensive than the Home Despot crap! I installed them this weekend and they work GREAT!
Thanks again for all your great ideas!

When I had a 24x24 I used 9 150 watt screw in garage light bulbs by GE. They worked great. Three down each side and three in the middle row. My garage is now 24x54 and I light it the same way with 150's. Lots of them.

I really want to visit Harley's garage, first he says he uses the babes to heat the garage, now he uses girls to hold the lights! What next??

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Steve

72 Chevelle SS402/4sp

In my 24 X 24 I have 4 - 150 watt incandescents on the ceiling and regular 150 watt floods mounted on the wall pointing into the hood areas. This along with my drop cord light gives me all I need for most situatiuons. The floods into the hoods really help. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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Gotta have a Chevy !In Durham N.C.
Make it look the way you like it, forget what the other guys say! :D

Good info, as I'm almost ready to close on buying a house. I had a good laugh when I first walked through the house - I went into the garage and flipped the light switch and found 1(count 'em, ONE)of those little round flourescent lights on the back wall. That was the ONLY light in the whole 20-26 garage!!!!! (I guess the previous owner wasn't a car-guy!)