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Metal Halide, Pulse Start Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium etc.

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
What is best and relatively energy efficient?! I'm beginning the process of lighting my new barn and I know I do NOT want to go with hundreds of 4' fluorescent lights!! I always have lights out in my old barn and I'm sick of changing those damn worthless lights that don't put out squat for light. I hate those things!!

Otherwise, I've read that mercury vapor lights are on the out but there are still plenty of other selections. So far from what I've read I think I want to go with high bay metal halide lighting. Just for estimates, figure that I'm lighting an area that is 80X120 with 20' high ceilings. I'm told that the high pressure sodium (like I have in a dusk to dawn light) wouldn't be satisfactory because it puts out a yellowish color light. That seems to leave the metal halide lights, but unless I go with the far more expensive pulse start metal halide they take a few minutes to come up to working brightness. If that is the only drawback, I think that is the way I want to go.

It appears that the suggested size is a "medium" base 400 watt metal halide bulb. I've been told that they are "relatively efficient". I have to wonder "relative" to what?! I want decent light but I don't need to light a stadium nor want to pay $25 an hour to light my barn. Anybody have experience with this type of lighting? Bob, you light warehouses don't you? Is this what you use?
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I needed some quick, cheap lighting in a part of the bunker that's about the size of your building. I installed 10 or so mercury vapor. Personally, I think they suck... Even if I put in another 20, I'd say I still wouldn't be happy.

I think metal halide would be your best bet.

I'm in the process of installing 4 & 8' fluorescent in my shop. These are the instant-on with T8 bulbs and ballasts good to zero degrees. I like them but like you said, for that size building, my estimate is you'll need 100 4' fixtures. I found 1 4', 2 bulb nicely lights approximately 100 sq/ft.
 

TOMLESCOEQUIP

Just Plinkin Away the $$
What is best and relatively energy efficient?! I'm beginning the process of lighting my new barn and I know I do NOT want to go with hundreds of 4' fluorescent lights!! I always have lights out in my old barn and I'm sick of changing those damn worthless lights that don't put out squat for light. I hate those things!!

Otherwise, I've read that mercury vapor lights are on the out but there are still plenty of other selections. So far from what I've read I think I want to go with high bay metal halide lighting. Just for estimates, figure that I'm lighting an area that is 80X120 with 20' high ceilings. I'm told that the high pressure sodium (like I have in a dusk to dawn light) wouldn't be satisfactory because it puts out a yellowish color light. That seems to leave the metal halide lights, but unless I go with the far more expensive pulse start metal halide they take a few minutes to come up to working brightness. If that is the only drawback, I think that is the way I want to go.

It appears that the suggested size is a "medium" base 400 watt metal halide bulb. I've been told that they are "relatively efficient". I have to wonder "relative" to what?! I want decent light but I don't need to light a stadium nor want to pay $25 an hour to light my barn. Anybody have experience with this type of lighting? Bob, you light warehouses don't you? Is this what you use?


Brent........I just got a load of the 400 watt sodium lights on a part payment for a forklift I sold. I put 4 in my 30x40 work bay at my shop & it's like daylight in there. I have $50 each in them & they came with the bulbs. They work on 110, 208, 220, & 277 volts. I think I have 6 or 7 left I'm not planning on using. But you are just a bit far away from me.

Tom
 

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Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
In my warehouse we alternated Sodium and Metal Halide. The fixtures had plastic diffuser lenses on them to spread out the light over a wide pattern.

The reason I chose to alternate the 2 different types of lights was for color rendition. Sodium lights tend to cast a pale yellow glow while Metal Halide tends to be very white. The M-H is so white it washes out colors and the Sodium's yellow glow tends to make things look brownish tan. Mixing the fixtures every other one yields a reasonably accurate light spectrum that is easier on the eyes and also more true to color. It is not the most energy efficient option, but its not too bad either.

FWIW, we had fixtures similar to Tom's but yanked most of them down and put up fixtures that had a shallow and wide reflector that was painted white, each had a fresnel type diffuser lens that clipped on the front because we didn't want 'hot spots' of light under the fixtures.

When you buy fixtures you have to pay attention to the distance off the ground that they need to be mounted or you could end up with bright dots of light on the ground surrounded by dim areas. As your mounting height is going to be just below your 20' ceiling, I'd probably look at something in the range of 250watt units and stay away from the 400 watt units.
 

Bulldog1401

Anybody seen my marbles?
SUPER Site Supporter
I am currently doing a 60x100 warehouse with 18 six tube t-8 fluorescent high bay lights. Light output is substantially more than typical fluorescent fixtures. Instant on with zero degree ballasts. Instant restrike. T-12 fixtures will soon be phased out. Many T-8's qualify for energy star benefits. Metal halide high bay lights can leave you in the dark for quite some time if you are in the middle of the room during a power glitch.
Good luck.
 

TOMLESCOEQUIP

Just Plinkin Away the $$
I am currently doing a 60x100 warehouse with 18 six tube t-8 fluorescent high bay lights. Light output is substantially more than typical fluorescent fixtures. Instant on with zero degree ballasts. Instant restrike. T-12 fixtures will soon be phased out. Many T-8's qualify for energy star benefits. Metal halide high bay lights can leave you in the dark for quite some time if you are in the middle of the room during a power glitch.
Good luck.

The sodium fixtures in my pics have the small quartz restrike bulbs along side the larger sodium bulbs for just that reason.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I am currently doing a 60x100 warehouse with 18 six tube t-8 fluorescent high bay lights.
Are those 4 or 8' tubes? It sounds like you're still working on it but where installed, how's the light output?

I ask because I did an area about 1/4 the size of yours and I used 40 4' T8 bulbs. It's plenty bright but if you're using 4', you're using 56 bulbs. I would have expected about double that unless you have fancier fixtures.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks guys for the replies. I happened to come across a deal I couldn't pass on. I ended up getting 25 of these Metal Halide High Bay used fixtures with new bulbs and a 2 year warranty for a total delivered price of $26.40 each! :thumb: The only difference is that the ones I'm getting have a 14" reflector rather than a 16" reflector.

I hope they work out okay, but I just couldn't pass up that deal. I also just got back from buying a 1000' roll of 12/2 copper wire for them at a price of $181. That came from a friend's employer who ordered way more than he could use and offered to sell me one roll for what he bought 100 of the 1000' rolls for.

Now all I have to do is start getting all this stuff put up... :smileywac

Oh yeah, my electrician suggested that I may want to spring for 3 or 4 of the pulse start bulbs so I'd have full light for some of the barn right away and just wait for the rest to come up to power. Does that sound like a good idea?
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Brent, I would seriously consider drilling a series of holes around the base of each of those reflectors to disperse the light. 2" diameter holes, spaced 2" apart, at the bottom of each reflector all the way around them.

High Bay fixtures are designed to project light down, not to disperse it. They are designed for high ceiling warehouse use. We used High Bay fixtures in one part of my building for a specific task, it does its job as designed, but requires more fixtures and higher mounting heights. The lower the fixture is hung, the more concentrated the light at the floor level.

I am ONLY GUESSING, but I suspect you want even lighting over the entire floor surface of your barn, using High Bay fixtures will require the use of more fixtures, spaced tighter together, to achieve this. Its not very energy efficient because you need more fixtures to achieve even lighting levels. By drilling out the fixtures, or peeling them back, or doing something similar, you will effectively turn the fixtures from High Bay to Standard Bay fixtures.

Usually the minimum mounting height of a high bay fixture is 20' off the floor from the base of the fixture, at least that was the case when we laid out our warehouse lighting. We had 60,000 sq ft of warehouse, plus another 15,000 sq ft of freezer and refrigeration. Some of it was high bay, some was general (wide dispersion) lighting.
 

Bulldog1401

Anybody seen my marbles?
SUPER Site Supporter
Are those 4 or 8' tubes? It sounds like you're still working on it but where installed, how's the light output?

Each have six 4 foot T-8 tubes with polished reflectors. They are not in place yet (Still piping in) but I will try to post photos of the light produced just for your info. I tested one and they have amazing light output for their size.

Thanks guys for the replies. I happened to come across a deal I couldn't pass on. total delivered price of $26.40 each! :thumb:

Great price!!:thumb:

I hope they work out okay, but I just couldn't pass up that deal.
I also just got back from buying a 1000' roll of 12/2 copper wire for them at a price of $181. Outrageous price!! Typically $300.00!!

Oh yeah, my electrician suggested that I may want to spring for 3 or 4 of the pulse start bulbs so I'd have full light for some of the barn right away and just wait for the rest to come up to power. Does that sound like a good idea?

Very good idea..for at least two reasons: instant light when you enter the room, and a quick relight after a power glich. this is really important if you are in the middle of running a power tool or something. It helps you not cut your fingers or toes off!:yum:

Just for estimates, figure that I'm lighting an area that is 80X120 with 20' high ceilings.
It appears that the suggested size is a "medium" base 400 watt metal halide bulb. I've been told that they are "relatively efficient". I have to wonder "relative" to what?
Incandescent
quartz halogen
mercury vapor
 

cj7

New member
just fyi

The most energy efficient Low and High bay lighting is T-5 or T-8 fixtures it depends on the mounting hight you are looking at. Example: A 4lamp T-5 is designed to replace a 400 watt Metal Halide. This configuration will draw 253 watts as compared to about 450 for MH.

There are many lamp combinations to work with. Too many for me to type up in this post.

You really need to consider a few variables before you choose a fixture.

1. square footage to light
2. mounting height
3. light level you want to achieve
4. how much energy do you want to use
5. of course your personnal preference and budget will factor also

Keep in mind the ALL HID lamps light out out decreases faster than a FL lamp over time.

Color rendittion is much higher (closer to sunlight) with a T-5 or T-8 lamp.


Rick


www.national-lighting.com

http://www.lightwingslighting.com/
 
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