Lighting a garage with no electricity

[EnfantTerrible]

Hey,

I'm turning my garage into a home gym but it's in a small car park at the end of my road so there's no way I can run an electric cable to it so I need some way of lighting it without electricity.

I'm thinking maybe some solar powered lamps or maybe something rechargeable that I can just plug in to recharge when I'm done and keep reusing?

I found a few other threads regarding this but they're very old and technology may have advanced since then

Cheers

 

[foxhole]

You could have rechargable flurescent tube lights or a battery trickle charged with solar cell and 12volt lighting [led's] or a small petrol generator.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ML18-Rechar...7068&sr=8-1&keywords=rechargeable+fluorescent
http://www.bennetts.com/gunson-batt...lar-battery-charger-2194611-390968-812436.php
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-720w-petrol-generator-g720

 

[TheVictorian]

A combination of a solar panel, a leisure battery and some LED lighting would probably do the trick nicely.

 

[Jimbo]

Gym equipment is quite nickable, so you might want to think about security also if the garage has a window and/or side door. If it's just the front up-and-over then these are quite useful!http://www.screwfix.com/p/garage-defender/79478

But you probably already thought of that!

 

[EnfantTerrible]

Thanks for the replies, those rechargeable fluorescent lights look like they could do the trick nicely but I will look into the solar panel option. So the solar panel would charge the leisure battery and that can power the LED lighting? Would you buy the solar panel and battery together already connected up? I'll have a Google.

Re:security, there are no windows or side doors but I will look into extra protection for the up and over door. That link looks good.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I use one of these when I'm surveying cellars and the like: http://www.sitebox.ltd.uk/nightsearcher-workstar-led-floodlight-rechargeable-onghtsrchr_workstar

Well I don't use that exact model, there are a couple on the market but they're all pretty similar.

 

[EightyTwo]

If you don't want to bother with the solar panel/charger, you could always charge a battery in the house and take it down to the garage when you need light. One of those 7AHr 12v sealed lead acid batteries used in intruder and fire alarms, electric bikes, UPSs, etc. should be able to give you 20W of LED light for a couple of hours...

Or you could hook up a dynamo to your cycling/rowing machine!!

 

[ivixor]

You can buy a generator for about £100 now.

 

[EnfantTerrible]

I went for 2 160 LED inspection lights in the end. 4.5 hours life and rechargeable - they do the job well!

Now to find the best way to secure the garage... I've read a lot of reviews saying Garage Defenders can just be pried off the base with a crowbar.

Currently has the lock on the handle in the middle and then a lock on either side that you open with a different key a bit like this:

Short of a shotgun on a bit of string, I'm not sure if I can make it anymore secure.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There are probably different makes of garage-defender type locks, some more sturdy than others, and you could invest in longer fixings to make removal harder.

Maybe fit 2 to make the job twice as hard?

ATEOD, someone determined enough, and equipped with crowbars, cordless angle grinders etc, is going to be able to get in no matter what you do, but opportunists won't. I'm sure that gym equipment is nickable, but my gut feel is that people tooled up like that would be looking for cars and bikes, not treadmills etc, and would still prefer the easier pickings of the unsecured garages in the block.

Or if you don't mind some digging, making good, and spending more, you could put one of those anti ram-raid telescopic bollards in front of the door.

 

[EnfantTerrible]

You're probably right and to be honest I think fitting two garage defenders could invite people to try and break in as they'll probably think I'm keeping the crown jewels in there or something!

All I have in there is a huge, heavy squat rack that'd need to be taken apart to be moved so all they could steal are the Olympic plates and maybe the bench and I don't know why anyone would bother to be honest. I may mark all of my plates just in case they are stolen and then put on gumtree or something but in the meantime I'll probably just leave the garage door as it is.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ericmark]

The tilley lamps must still be one of the best ways to light where there is no power. Although not the easiest to light the light output is high and they also heat the place.

Wind and solar can of course be used but this required something expensive being fitted outside and one first has to consider would it still be there next time you visit?