LED shop lights


  #1  
Old 12-03-19, 07:39 AM
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LED shop lights

A little over a year ago I bought these lights for my shop https://www.amazon.com/Barrina-Integ...s%2C159&sr=8-5 They have always worked great and still do - kind of. Starting about a month ago 3 of them are slow to come on. I have 5 of them butted up together and the last 3 are now slow to come on. It started out they would take an extra minute but now it can take up to 20 minutes for those 3 to light up. They worked fine/instantly all last winter. I know fluorescents can be problematic in the cold but didn't think LEDs were. Any ideas ??
 

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12-04-19, 04:37 AM
Pilot Dane
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Dixie2012, you didn't say which lights "these" are. Are you talking about the Barrrina lights MarkSr linked or the ones Norm201 mentioned?

If building a new garage I would use an inexpensive light string that clicks together like the Barrina. That is a unique design to that manufacturer so when they change the design you can no longer get replacements or parts. Instead I would either install higher quality LED fixtures or install "fluorescent style" fixtures that use LED bulbs. The traditional fluorescent style fixture is probably the most future proof since the bulbs can be replace and are very commonly available. Any LED fixture may have a short life on the market so 10 years from now you may be S.O.L. for replacements.

Another thing that makes a HUGE difference is white walls. If you can sheetrock and paint the walls white it will make the room much brighter with whatever lighting you choose. A couple years ago my equipment garage was getting a bit dim as I age. I had the option of upgrading the eight light fixtures but first I tried simply painting the walls. Gloss white on the walls and ceiling made a dramatic improvement in the brightness. And because the walls and ceiling reflect the light the light in the room is more even. The shadows when working on something are less dark and all with the old lights.
 
  #2  
Old 12-03-19, 09:20 AM
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You can check the electrical connections. Unplug and re-plug in the power connections a few times to see if it helps. It sounds like you have these lights connected in series. Since one end of the string is not working hopefully it's just a corroded or loose connection.

Beyond that replace the lights. There are no easily "serviceable" components inside unless you want to dig into electronics repair. If you want to crack one open you might find a cracked or bad solder joint that is not allowing the 120 VAC to be passed on the next light in series.
 
  #3  
Old 12-03-19, 09:29 AM
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3-year unlimited warranty, easy and fast replacement is offered if any quality issue

Take them up on it!

If ordered from Amazon, you'll have a record of the purchase.

I started replacing all my florescent fixture with these Satco units.
model SATCO LED 2 bulb linkable light model 62-928. They are really great.
 
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Old 12-03-19, 02:17 PM
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I had forgotten about the 3 yr warranty. I will see how hard it is to disconnect the ones that don't work - they just have a little short connector between lights, I have 5 connected in a straight line. Over all I've been happy with these lights, both how well they light the room and how quick they come on in cold weather ....... except for those 3.
 
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Old 12-03-19, 03:50 PM
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You kinda answered my question in you last post, Mark but.......
I'm in the planning stage of building a 24 X 36 shop. I suspect, I'll put 3 rows of 5 lights each. I am looking around for shop lights. Do you think I need 15 of these lights or will 2 rows of 5 lights... 10 lights total... be fine?
 
  #6  
Old 12-04-19, 02:47 AM
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It seems to me as we get older the more light we need in a shop ..... or maybe it's just me. I'd go for 3 rows.
I have those 6 lights in a 12x21 room of the back of my barn, 2 more would be nice but not totally necessary.
 
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Old 12-04-19, 02:48 AM
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I do not know how they feed power from one light to the next but you may have only one light that is bad and it is affecting the others.
So I would check them all, probably the second or the third is the culprit.
 
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Old 12-04-19, 04:37 AM
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Dixie2012, you didn't say which lights "these" are. Are you talking about the Barrrina lights MarkSr linked or the ones Norm201 mentioned?

If building a new garage I would use an inexpensive light string that clicks together like the Barrina. That is a unique design to that manufacturer so when they change the design you can no longer get replacements or parts. Instead I would either install higher quality LED fixtures or install "fluorescent style" fixtures that use LED bulbs. The traditional fluorescent style fixture is probably the most future proof since the bulbs can be replace and are very commonly available. Any LED fixture may have a short life on the market so 10 years from now you may be S.O.L. for replacements.

Another thing that makes a HUGE difference is white walls. If you can sheetrock and paint the walls white it will make the room much brighter with whatever lighting you choose. A couple years ago my equipment garage was getting a bit dim as I age. I had the option of upgrading the eight light fixtures but first I tried simply painting the walls. Gloss white on the walls and ceiling made a dramatic improvement in the brightness. And because the walls and ceiling reflect the light the light in the room is more even. The shadows when working on something are less dark and all with the old lights.
 
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  #9  
Old 12-04-19, 05:27 AM
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Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you meant to say NOT

f building a new garage I would NOT use an inexpensive light string that clicks together like the Barrina. That is a unique design to that manufacturer so when they change the design you can no longer get replacements or parts.
You'll want to compare the specs of LED vs Florescent bulbs, Lumins,and Kelvin temp of bothT8 and T12.

Personally I find the LED's tend to be brighter and better quality lighting. The SATCO's I mentioned have a 5 year warranty (not bad). But for a shop environment I agree that a traditional fixture that will take an LED replacement bulb is the better choice.
 
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  #10  
Old 12-04-19, 05:40 AM
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Just a couple thoughts for Dixie.

Ceiling height is also a factor.
I would get LEDs with clear lenses they throw more light.
Also the light comes down as a cone so LEDs with a double row are better.
For color I would use 5000K or higher. 5000K is white light but not overly harsh.
A 4 foot 40 W fluorescent is about 2300 lumens. I replaced these with 18 watt clear lens single strip LEDs which also had about 2300 lumens and they are way brighter
Also you may want to wire them so you have a couple zones.

You could probably pick up some old fluorescent fixtures from a refit store etc, cheap, rewire them (remove the ballasts) and then use 4 foot LEDs. I doubt getting replacement bulbs in the future will be a problem whereas fixture styles and wiring hook ups change.
You could get double bulb fixtures then just install one LED in each fixture. Then if you need more light in one area add the second LED
 
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Old 12-04-19, 06:03 AM
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PD: I was referring to the Barrina that Mark Sr was talking about.
I put 48" Florescent lights in my old shop but I wanted to put LEDs in this shop, so I am still in the "Looking around" stage for lighting at this point. I am not against florescent lights but LEDs are my first choice. As you noted, I want something that will be replaceable in the future & you made a good point about that. Obviously, for a shop, I just need something low priced but effective. The brighter & more effective they are, the fewer I'll have to buy & or replace down the road. That's kinda why I asked about how many he thought I'd need of those lights in that shop/area.

Norm: Thanks for your input.

Manden. Standard 8 ft ceilings.

I appreciate everyone's input. I really didn't mean for this subject to hijack Marks thread. Its gotten away from his topic/question. I apologize. I guess I should have started my own thread on these lights for my application.
 
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Old 12-04-19, 06:09 AM
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No problem Dixie, sometimes you learn more when the thread goes slightly off topic

I think I fixed my lights. I slid the working light and the nonworking one apart and then plugged them back together and that light came on, I did the same where that one connected to the next one and the last 2 came on. I thought it would be harder to slide the lights down the clips but it went easy. Should have done that to start with!
 
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Old 12-04-19, 06:50 AM
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Glad you got it worked out Mark. Always good to see a good out-come... especially with a simple fix.
 
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Old 12-04-19, 02:35 PM
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Ya, I should have got on a ladder first but I thought with just a little connector [less than 1" long] and the lights butted together that I'd have to disassemble the whole thing. I didn't realize that they'd slide so easily along the clips.
 
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Old 12-25-19, 07:09 AM
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(I don’t want to hijack this thread, so if this needs to be a new thread, feel free to move it.)

I am setting up a wood working shop in a 30 by 30 metal building with 10’ 6” walls and a peak of 12’. The previous owner has 4 - 2 tube, 8’ fluorescent fixtures attached to the metal roof beams. I am wanting to replace those with some bright LED fixtures of some kind. What would be everyone’s suggestions about the best way to go about doing that?

I was originally thinking traditionally about 4’ LED shop lights, but then saw an add for a light bulb socket light with 4 aim-able/directional panels and that got me to thinking more “out of the box” and wondering what others have done or would like to do!

Thanks so much for replies,
Ken
 
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Old 12-25-19, 08:38 AM
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I'm impressed with the SATCO NUVO model 62-928 2 bulb units. They're inexpensive. Can be daisy chained up to 3 units, and have pull chain switch. They throw a lot of light. They come with a 5 year limited warranty. For a commercial use this may not be what you're looking for. Bulbs are not replaceable.

NUVO 62-928 | 42W LED Shop Light Fixture | LED Utility | NUVO Lighting
 
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Old 12-25-19, 01:03 PM
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I didn’t clarify - my shop is a home, hobby wood shop, not commercial. So they will only be on up to 20 hrs./week maximum most weeks.
 
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Old 12-26-19, 04:53 AM
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I didn’t clarify - my shop is a home, hobby wood shop, not commercial. So they will only be on up to 20 hrs./week maximum most weeks.
In that case these may be exactly what you need. I'm replacing all my lights with these.
 
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Old 12-26-19, 05:43 AM
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After doing some more research I’m leaning toward these lights:

https://www.amazon.com/Hyperikon-Lin.../dp/B07T8BCZ3N

The specs look a little better and they are about $10/fixture less than the SATCO’s. Appreciate the replies.
 
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Old 12-26-19, 06:20 AM
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Looks like a good choice. I buy mine from our store at $20 a piece. Can't quite tell from the pics or the info but are these bulbs replaceable or do you replace the whole fixture?
 
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Old 12-26-19, 09:13 AM
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From reading all the questions and answers they are not replaceable - your just replace the fixture. But it appears that's what almost all of these type of fixtures are. I liked one is the answers about them working on cold weather. A guy lived in a northern State and it was 7 degrees in his shop and they worked great. That's a definite advantage to LED's over florescents and necessary for my situation.
 
 

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