Shop Lighting Considerations

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wareagle

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Shop lighting is an important tool. We need enough light to see the small details of the items we make as well as to navigate the shop environment. Many methods of accomplishing this are available, and many implement several in their shops.

Here is something to think about... Do your power loads and shop lighting get the power from the same breaker? If so, what happens when it is dark outside and you trip that breaker? Can you see to get out of the area safely?

We had a power outage a couple of weeks back and I happened to be neck deep in the middle of a welding project. The shop went from bright to totally dark in an instant. :shock: My only saving grace was that I always carry a small flash light with me in a pocket. Without it, I would have had a difficult time of getting out and not having an injury or some sort by the time I got to the door.

Once is enough for this cat! I have installed emergency lighting ballasts in half of my overhead shop lights so that if there ever is another power failure, I can egress without fear of injury. The cost of this conversion was about a $100, but it is cheap compared to getting stiches at the ER!

Also, my shop lights are not on the same breaker(s) as the outlets and equipment. This way if I trip a breaker, I can see my way back to the electrical panel to reset the breaker and go about my tasks.
 
Good Points Here!
My shop is in the basement. The power to my small machines comes via
a separate dedicated circuit with a single 20amp breaker.
The lights are wired into another circuit. I did that to get an off the box
power feed to the machines. I never thought about a machine popping a
beaker and taking out the lights. I have been known to stall the little
lathe from time to time. :?
Excellent suggestion!!!
 
Good point about the lighting, when I pop the breaker im in the dark as all I have for a power supply is a big extention cord on a spool like a contractor would use. Its a good thing that my garage door is broke and stays open all the time, the light from my back porch is enough to let me walk out of the shop without anything.

My garge has no power other then that cord, it still has some of the old wires in there. (that will never be used) thew are the cotton insulation and on ceramic insulators type wires. very scarry.

I need to get it wired and plan on doing it right.
 
lugnut, I guess I am a "younger" HSMer, and the best time for me to be out in the shop is when it is after my son's bedtime. This way I don't have as much "help". :D

tattoomike68, those wires that you are calling scary are known as barn burners. Copper prices are way from where they were a few years ago, but wire is very cheap compared to replacing a structure and contents. You have the right idea, do it right and make it safe.

Happy chip making!
 
When I bought my first welder I decided I should rewire my garage.
When I pulled the old underground wire back into the basement I
discovered it ran to a light fixture in the rafters. Same circuit as the
1st floor outlets. :shock:
Now it's a straight shot off the 100 Amp main with a disconnect in the
basement.That runs to a new breaker box in the garage. Even at that,
if I'm running my little 110Volt welder and the air compressor decides
to kick on I've got turkey S*%T for weld. Maybe I should have used
10Ga wire instead of 12?
 
rake60, is the 100A feed using #12? If so, that is a huge hazard as the NEC requires a #3 (copper) for a 100A circuit. :shock:

My shop has a 125A service (with panel) serving the equipment, and I don't have any issues with voltage drop when something kicks on. Each piece of equipment has it's own circuit, and that seems to keep a lot of problems at bay.

FYI Circuting sizes and breaker ratings (non-motor loads)

15A #14 AWG Copper
20A #12 AWG Copper
25A #10 AWG Copper
30A #10 AWG Copper
40A #8 AWG Copper
50A #6 AWG Copper
100A #3 AWG Copper
125A #2 AWG Copper
 
OK let me rephrase that...
The main is 100Amp
The max draw on the welder is 20Amp
All wiring here has to be inspected and certified by a qualified inspector
before your allowed to power it up. I think it's a money grab, but I
have seen some down right dangerous home project wiring.
My house is about 100 years old. When I first bought it there was some
old knob and tube wiring in the basement that the inspector said was
old dead circuits that held no hazards. Before I ripped them out I jabbed
a sharp probe through the old cotton insulation. Got a nice clean 112Volt
reading on the meter. And the mortgage company MADE me pay that
idiot to....... Ahh that's another issue. :lol:
 
Our house has a 200 amp service and had a solar unit in it when it was built. The people before us had the house changed to natural gas and the panel has an unused 100 amp breaker in the panel. :)

A local electrical contractor set me up with a new 100 amp sub panel with all the breakers in trade for machining the supercharger pullys on his car. I still need to run the conduit for the wires then he will hook it up so the shop will have all new wiring. :D
 

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