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I just added on to my pole-barn garage, it now has 1500 square feet. There is a single flourecent (and door opener) lighting it currently. I would like to add some serious lighting as I work on my cars, and do woodworking in there, unlike the previous owner.

The ceiling height goes from 12-16', is this too short for high bay lighting?

Is there something more economical than high-bay?

Aarthi
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Matt Dowell
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2 Answers2

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Times change. Looking at lighting a new pole barn, I found myself looking at 250W high bay LED lights, which put out about 33,000lm. These are more efficient than many existing LED lights and the cost (Dec 2020) is about $115.00. Furthermore, they are dimmable, which means that I can use a lower intensity when I am not doing detail work.

Four units will more than adequately cover my 40x60x16 foot pole barn.

Since we get sub-zero temps in the winter, the temperature range of the lights was important, and these are rated from -22F to +130F.

Additionally these are used for outdoor lighting are similar to parking lot and street lighting.

There are different dispersion angles, and a 120 degree angle may work better with a 12 to 16' height. 90 degree are normally used with higher ceilings, such as 25'.

My recommendation is that when looking for effective lighting for a pole barn LED high bay lighting be considered. Technology has changed since the OP posted this, and it was answered.

mongo
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  • "tech changes" - excellent point. Great follow up answer (_wonders how you came across this a decade later_). Jealous of your barn! (If only I had the land to build one that big.) – FreeMan Dec 10 '20 at 12:15
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    I have had the land, just not the money or need. I found this post looking for general guidance on lighting levels in a shop. My solution will be 6 250W dimmable fixtures. They are 110-277V so I suppose I could even run them off 250V. The only hassle I have not worked out is that the dimmer input is 1-10Vdc, and it looks like I may run bell wire or even old telephone (4 conductor, 22ga) wire to the lights for dimmer signaling. The number of fixtures is driven by coverage and shadow minimization. I wanted high level for welding, but will likely dim for casual use. – mongo Dec 10 '20 at 14:12
  • It's not particularly relevant here, but I decided to build without any windows, and to put solar on the roof. So I expect the light use will be somewhat compulsory. The house already gets 100% of light, HVAC, etc from solar. – mongo Dec 10 '20 at 14:14
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I'd probably try for a mix of natural light, fluorescent, and point lights.

The natural light will be the most economical, but obviously fails at night.

The fluorescent lighting should give you enough light for most working conditions.

And the point lights should help for when you need to do detail work or get under the hood of your cars. You can find point lights on articulated arms, that way you can just grab and move the light to wherever you need it. Mounting an arm or two on each pole would probably be enough.

jessecurry
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  • I talked with a lighting guy at Menards, he thinks 4 HO 8' fluorescent lights would do the trick, and after seeing them in action, I agree. They are also cheaper up-front and use less electricity. Thanks – Matt Dowell Jul 23 '10 at 13:36