How many LED batten lights? in double garage, newly built?

[sean oc]

Morning all

I have a garage 6m wide, 5m deep newly done in need of light, how many LEDS battens will I need to be able to see well and work on my classic car.

would 6 LED Battens be fine?

I looked at these?
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/KBBAT5.html

Slimline LED Batten Fitting
230V, 4000k ultra-bright LED batten.
Manufactured from steel with polycarbonate diffuser.
Double insulated, lightweight, versatile and Slimline.
Simple to install via easy wire terminal box on the rear. Alternative to T5/T8 batten.

Ideal for commercial / retail and domestic use, under cabinets, in hallways and kitchens. Integral driver, non-dimmable.

Width: 35mm - Projection: 45mm

• Length: 1520mm
• Width: 30mm
• Projection: 45mm
• Lumen: 2300
• Colour: Cool White - 4000k
• IP20
• Dimmable: NO
• Warranty: 3 years (replacement)

• Mains: 230v
• Wattage: 25w
• Construction: Steel / Polycarbonate
• Beam Angle: 120°
• S

 

[sean oc]

or would 4x these be better:
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/GLLB25.html

Thanks

 

[stillp]

I've got 4 of these: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TNPP158HF.html in a similar size garage, and their adequate for working on the car. I wasn't convinced that the extra cost of LEDs is justified. Paint the walls and floor in light colours, and if you have a ceiling paint that white - it's surprising how much difference a coat of paint makes.

 

[SFK]

Sean

Depends :>
As working on car, and I presume you have work benches on side, I would expect that you need more than you expect.
My garage is a similar size, and so I can get a distributed light, and light going into windows of car (not just onto roof of car), and onto benches, I have two rows, full length of garage, a meter or so in from each side wall.

So for 5m deep, yes 6 Battons (2 rows of 3) looks good.

However note that these LED battons are only emitting 2300lm of light, whereas a similar sized florescent tube is emitting 5200lm, so you might find them dimmer than you expect, and so you may need a third row up middle.
https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Lighting/d220/Fluorescent+Tubes/sd3284
Hence for garage use, I feel that this means that currently Florescent Battons are still better value than LED battons.


Also, I got my lights switched so that one switch controls every other batton. That means that when I only need half the light (and cost) I use one switch and the whole garage lights, but only with alternate battons. When I need to do detailed work I hit both switches and all the battons come on.

SFK

 

[sean oc]

I've got 4 of these: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TNPP158HF.html in a similar size garage, and their adequate for working on the car. I wasn't convinced that the extra cost of LEDs is justified. Paint the walls and floor in light colours, and if you have a ceiling paint that white - it's surprising how much difference a coat of paint makes.

Thanks,

Got the single block breeze block walls white already so should help, I'm planning on using hardboard and some insulation put a ceiling in so its easier to keep warm in winter when working in there.

Ill have a look at them now

 

[sean oc]

Sean

Depends :>
As working on car, and I presume you have work benches on side, I would expect that you need more than you expect.
My garage is a similar size, and so I can get a distributed light, and light going into windows of car (not just onto roof of car), and onto benches, I have two rows, full length of garage, a meter or so in from each side wall.

So for 5m deep, yes 6 Battons (2 rows of 3) looks good.

However note that these LED battons are only emitting 2300lm of light, whereas a similar sized florescent tube is emitting 5200lm, so you might find them dimmer than you expect, and so you may need a third row up middle.
https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Lighting/d220/Fluorescent+Tubes/sd3284

Also, I got my lights switched so that one switch controls every other batton. That means that when I only need half the light (and cost) I use one switch and the whole garage lights, but only with alternate battons. When I need to do detailed work I hit both switches and all the battons come on.

SFK

Okay cheers, yeah due squeezing a car to store in at all times and one to work on I have only side mainly set up with a work bench.

The other side is mainly just to store my car and I have some shelves so I may move the lights over closer to my benches and middle where I will be working the most.

Cheers for the info

 

[Doggit]

Hah, this is always a game of suck it and see I'm afraid. SFKs made some very interesing comments, as there's no one size fits all answer here. The flourecents will always be bette than LEDs for the amount of light they put out, and that's going to be your priority. And positioning will always be pertinant to you. If you've got your head under the bonnet, then you want light coming in from the sides, not from behind you, but if you're working under the car, then you may want the flixibility of a couple of low level tubes as well. You know where the cars going to sit, and the work bench positions, so you need to work out where you personally will need to have things well lit, and then as SFK suggest, make sure you can switch everything individualy to give the greatest felxibility.

 

[Taylortwocities]

If you go for fluorescent, make sure you get the HF variety (electronic ballast/no starter). The other (cheaper ones) with a switch starter have a flicker effect that you cannot see, but the stroboscopic effect can make moving machinery appear to be stationary!

 

[SFK]

Sean,
Just noticed you saying "[use] hardboard and some insulation [to] put a ceiling in".
If I am reading that right then, Uhmmmmm, and my 'limited-experience-DIYer' thoughts on this are:
1) A Hardboard ceiling is a fire hazard for a garage, it will burn nice and fast from a small ignition point.
2) A Hardboard ceiling will reflect sound like a drum and make garage noisyer to work in.
3) A Hardboard ceiling stains and sags when gets wet.
4) A Hardboard ceiling will look terrible and cheap (even though it is not that cheap).
5) A Hardboard ceiling will be hard to screw battons into.

Suggest you use cheap standard plasterboard: it will not burn, its high density absorbs sound, feels more solid, and looks better.
Standard type is fine, 12.5mm thick best, 9.5mm thick is okay.
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Products/Building-Materials/Plaster+Plasterboard/Plasterboard/c/1000220


EDIT.... Sorry if my list looks a bit like a list of Doom it was not meant to look so formal, just ended up that way as I typed :>
sfk

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I wonder why you didn't have the garage built with better insulation standards right from the start .

 

[sean oc]

Sean,
Just noticed you saying "[use] hardboard and some insulation [to] put a ceiling in".
If I am reading that right then, Uhmmmmm, and my 'limited-experience-DIYer' thoughts on this are:
1) A Hardboard ceiling is a fire hazard for a garage, it will burn nice and fast from a small ignition point.
2) A Hardboard ceiling will reflect sound like a drum and make garage noisyer to work in.
3) A Hardboard ceiling stains and sags when gets wet.
4) A Hardboard ceiling will look terrible and cheap (even though it is not that cheap).
5) A Hardboard ceiling will be hard to screw battons into.

Suggest you use cheap standard plasterboard: it will not burn, its high density absorbs sound, feels more solid, and looks better.
Standard type is fine, 12.5mm thick best, 9.5mm thick is okay.
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Products/Building-Materials/Plaster+Plasterboard/Plasterboard/c/1000220


EDIT.... Sorry if my list looks a bit like a list of Doom it was not meant to look so formal, just ended up that way as I typed :>
sfk

haha no worries, thanks for the heads up. the plaster board looks like its working out cheaper in most cases anyway.

Thanks for the info