# Adding LED Overhead Lights to My Shop



## chip_slinger (Oct 2, 2014)

I finally upgraded the lighting in my shop, which was long overdue. I installed 10 LED troffers from CREE in a 2' x 4' size. The difference is huge! They have a nice bright light, instant start and I am very happy with them. Here is a video I put together on them and a little bit of the install.

[video=youtube_share;Xh2j2ArsKpQ]http://youtu.be/Xh2j2ArsKpQ[/video]


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## RandyM (Oct 3, 2014)

Thank you for the post Mike. You just can't beat good lighting in work areas. It changes the whole look of your shop. Nice job. Also, you'll appreciate it a lot more the older you get, trust me.


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## Hardly (Oct 3, 2014)

RandyM said:


> you'll appreciate it a lot more the older you get, trust me.



Great post. I made the mistake of letting my wife see it and now before I can do any in the shop I have to get something like that to light up her sewing machine. But on the plus side she'll be getting my new boat tarp done.

Hardly


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## RonGinger (Oct 3, 2014)

Sounds great. Where do you buy these? I found the Cree main site with google, but all they show are regular bulbs, no 2x4 panels.


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## ody (Oct 3, 2014)

Thanks for this, I'm in the process of building my new shop and haven't put any thought to lighting. Years ago I bought a 7000k fluorescent light which made my spare room workshop look like it was being beamed up to space at night time .. I loved that bulb but ended up breaking it by twisting it out by the tube and dosing myself with an amount of mercury(or whatever is inside them) dust so didn't want risk another dose and gave up on them.  LED's look like the way forward now and the prices have come down massively.


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## RandyM (Oct 3, 2014)

Hardly said:


> Great post. I made the mistake of letting my wife see it and now before I can do any in the shop I have to get something like that to light up her sewing machine. But on the plus side she'll be getting my new boat tarp done.
> 
> Hardly



Sounds like a win/win. Don't waist any time getting to it.


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## Tony Wells (Oct 3, 2014)

A recent hospital remodel I was in on made the switch to 2 x 4 drop in LED fixtures. They are instant on, and are dim-able. I do not know the exact cost, but I was told it was significantly more than the fluorescent fixtures they replaced. They sure are nice though,  I've still got the old style 8 footers in the shop, but someday I suppose they will be NLA. I'll have to change then.


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## Terrywerm (Oct 3, 2014)

Looks like I'll have to start saving my sheckels for some new lights in the shop. Luckily, I am not yet that far in my project, and as small as my shop is four fixtures should do the trick quite nicely. I was planning on suspended ceiling, and wanted to go with LED lighting of some sort, and it starting to look like my timing might be right. Give it a little time and the prices should come down a bit I would think.


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## chip_slinger (Oct 4, 2014)

RandyM said:


> Thank you for the post Mike. You just can't beat good lighting in work areas. It changes the whole look of your shop. Nice job. Also, you'll appreciate it a lot more the older you get, trust me.


Thanks Randy. My eyes do get tired at the end of the day, so I'm hoping these will help the eye strain.



RonGinger said:


> Sounds great. Where do you buy these? I found the Cree main site with google, but all they show are regular bulbs, no 2x4 panels.


Ron, here is the link to the ZR products from CREE. http://www.cree.com/Lighting/Products/Indoor/Troffers/ZR-Series. I would avoid 1000bulbs.com, which is where I got them from. Very poor customer service.


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## gheumann (Oct 4, 2014)

I just upgraded a few overhead fluorescent fixtures in my shop as well - I bought 3-lamp fixtures and installed phillips LED tubes. They fit a standard fluorescent tube fixture - I didn't know they were even available! Got the fixtures for $19; the bulbs are $24.95 each on sale at Home Depot. WOW! What a difference! Daylight at night in my shop. I'm very happy with them.


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## Round in circles (Oct 4, 2014)

The latest big yellow blob 10 watt LED sealed  lamp units costing about £ 20 in the UK are fantastic for home workshop lighting . 

One thing though is you need to mix the colours of warm light and white light otherwise it is a bit like working under mercury lighting and a bit of a strain on the eyes.   Another big advantage is that as they are rectified AC to a very high pure DC  of 40 volts working voltage , is that there are no 50 or 60 cycle ( difference in the UK & USA etc )  per second synchronisations dangers on the mains electricity , you can always see the lathe turning at these speeds .

Unlit light 





 Lathe lit with just the LED 10 watt flood 





Lathe lit with LED flood and two four foot 30 watt over head fluorescent light tubes


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## CraigS (Oct 4, 2014)

Mike,
Great job you will really enjoy the extra light.

I was faced with the same thing  earlier in the year, I saw a Seven Eleven Store that had just updated to LED's and the light was great.  I wanted to do the same for my shop but just couldn't justify the extra cost of the LEDs, the 2x2 troffers were north of $200 each.  As you say the pay back is a long time but the costs will continue to fall as more folks get into the game.  I even experimented with making my own troffer from some high power Cree emitters.  The prototype worked great and would have done fine but the cost was still too high for my budget.   

I really wanted the LED's but it just couldn't make it pencil out and I ended up doing a T8 retrofit to my existing six T12 8' fixtures.  New electronic high output ballasts coupled with good 4100K 900 series phosphor tubes did the trick for about $300. (not home center stuff).   The retrofit doubled the light output and the 4100K tubes provide a nice bright white light. 

Down side: they are not LED's

Craig


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## chip_slinger (Oct 4, 2014)

CraigS said:


> Mike,
> Great job you will really enjoy the extra light.
> 
> I was faced with the same thing  earlier in the year, I saw a Seven Eleven Store that had just updated to LED's and the light was great.  I wanted to do the same for my shop but just couldn't justify the extra cost of the LEDs, the 2x2 troffers were north of $200 each.  As you say the pay back is a long time but the costs will continue to fall as more folks get into the game.  I even experimented with making my own troffer from some high power Cree emitters.  The prototype worked great and would have done fine but the cost was still too high for my budget.
> ...


Thanks Craig. These LEDs aren't for everybody, but they worked for me. It looks like you got the light you needed with your solution as well.


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## silence dogood (Oct 4, 2014)

My shop originally had T-12 fluorescent 4' bulbs with  a standard ballast.  I then got a T-8s with electronic ballast.  End up replacing all the fixtures.  No flicker, quick start-up, better overall light.  I rebuilt and adapted an old table saw bench for the mill.  Added two goose-neck LED lights.  Set up a master switch. So when I flip that switch on, lights turn on and there is power to the mill.  The plug for the mill is at a convenient place for upplugging if need be, yet the lights are still on.  It is so nice to be able to easily read the dials and see what the machine is doing.   The lathe will be next.
Mark


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## Dale_z28 (Dec 1, 2014)

Where can I go to get educated about the higher output 4' tubes? I have two varieties of 4' fixtures in my shop (thanks to the keen eye of my wife and craigslist), one type has 2-bulbs and a mirrored reflector; the other a 4-bulb recessed type with white reflectors. They definitely beat the original 4 single-bulb "shop light" setup that existed when we bought the place but even now, with 16 light fixtures I am wanting a brighter environment. 
More tools, more toys, more need for good visibility!
I have wondered if my current ballasts (no pun intended) would support a high-output tube, but I don't know where to find the answer. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!


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## thomas s (Dec 1, 2014)

Thanks for posting the video. Those lights look great


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## chip_slinger (Dec 2, 2014)

Dale, I'm not sure if your ballasts will support HO bulbs or not. You could google your ballast part numbers and look for the spec sheet, or google your fixture part numbers and see if anything shows up. On a different forum I frequent (garagejournal.com), there are always lots of lively discussion on shop lighting. How much of it is productive, I'm not sure...



Dale_z28 said:


> Where can I go to get educated about the higher output 4' tubes? I have two varieties of 4' fixtures in my shop (thanks to the keen eye of my wife and craigslist), one type has 2-bulbs and a mirrored reflector; the other a 4-bulb recessed type with white reflectors. They definitely beat the original 4 single-bulb "shop light" setup that existed when we bought the place but even now, with 16 light fixtures I am wanting a brighter environment.
> More tools, more toys, more need for good visibility!
> I have wondered if my current ballasts (no pun intended) would support a high-output tube, but I don't know where to find the answer. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!


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## chip_slinger (Dec 2, 2014)

Thanks Thomas.



thomas s said:


> Thanks for posting the video. Those lights look great


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## icore3user (Dec 2, 2014)

Dale_z28 said:


> Where can I go to get educated about the higher output 4' tubes? I have two varieties of 4' fixtures in my shop (thanks to the keen eye of my wife and craigslist), one type has 2-bulbs and a mirrored reflector; the other a 4-bulb recessed type with white reflectors. They definitely beat the original 4 single-bulb "shop light" setup that existed when we bought the place but even now, with 16 light fixtures I am wanting a brighter environment.
> More tools, more toys, more need for good visibility!
> I have wondered if my current ballasts (no pun intended) would support a high-output tube, but I don't know where to find the answer. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!



Dale -

no they will not,. not only that the sockets for 48" 44  watt T8 HO use a  R17D ( recessed double contact ) base and not the standard G13 bi pin base found on 32 watt T8 lamps , Phillips does list an 84 watt 48" T8 VHO in G13 bi pin in their catalog, but are designed for highbay applications and run with a special ballast wired for 277 or 480 volts.

- Al


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