I am building a workshop and putting in the lighting and wiring currently.
I have two lighting circuits planned for my highbay area. I am waffling back and fourth on what the layout of the circuits should be. The high bay area is about 30 x 35 with the garage doors (2) on the eaves side. Please provide your opinions on what you would prefer.
The two choices I can envision are:
One circuit over each garage door bay
or
One circuit on the back half of the shop and one on the front (garage door) side of the shop.
The work benches will be along the back half for the most part.
If I have the garage doors open, the lighting over them will be obscured. So I can see a benefit from lighting the back half and then switching on the front half if the doors are down. Also the back half lit will illuminate all the work benches.
I can also see working in one bay OR the other and here is the argument for the other lighting configuration.
And then there is the third choice which I have not thought up myself. Looking forward to learning what that might be.
Thanks for your inputs.
Replies
How many fixures?
How about 4 circuits. Each corner lights independently.
There are 16 lights. I was planning on having both circuits switched with 3-way switches at the walk-through doors at each end. 4 circuits has some appeal but drives more wiring and locating switches...
>>>If I have the garage doors
>>>If I have the garage doors open, the lighting over them will be obscured. So I can see a benefit from lighting the back half and then switching on the front half if the doors are down. Also the back half lit will illuminate all the work benches.
That's prolly what I'd do.
Well.............
here's what I did with a 30x32 two bay.
I have 3-4 bulb florescents in each bay. 4 fixtures are not obscured when doors open (2 in each bay).
While with the doors open it is darker under them-usually the sun is out-making it not so bad.
With them down, just what I needed.
The 3 in each bay are staggered.- towards the middle, towards the side wall, towards the middle.
To do it again, I'd have added one directly in the middle of the two bays and lit it separate-as a "mood" light..............
My best lit shop is front and back, with all but 1 4 ft pair individually switched for when I need it dim - poor mans dimmer, about 34 4 ft tubes in 24 by 20 ft garage shop.
Front to back
I ahve a 30 x 42 shop with only 1 overhead door centered in the front, so lighting is on either side of the door. I still broke my two lighting switch legs into front and back halves. Most of my material storage is in the back half and tools, work bench, etc. in the front so that is the primary work area. There in lies your answer. Which area will you work in the most. Front, back or left, right side. Or where large stationary shop tools are located would be another criteria.
You could also attach a light to the top panel of each door with a pigtail spiral cord, so that when the door was open you would still have downlight. You can have a momentarty switch at the top of the track so the light only comes on when the doors are open AND the lights are on.