how many lights on a single light switch?

Philphine · 03-21-2007, 06:00 PM

trying to start planning out lighting an unwired garage. it's about 30'x40' and i'd like to have maybe two regular 60-100 watt incandesant bulbs over each car position (8 lights).

i'm thinking about ceiling fans that are wired to one switch and may have 3-4 lights on them along with the fan it's self. could i put all 8 on one switch? or preferably two three way swtiches to cover two entrances?

if not, and maybe preferably, what about 4 on two pairs of three ways? that way i might save a bit of energy being able to light whichever side of the garage i'm on.

or a last option, since one car position is closed in like a small shop area, and has a flouresant(sp?) light over it already, have 6 lights over the cars on three way switches, and a couple lights over the shop area on their own switch.

dose any of this sound feasable?

JoeD · 03-22-2007, 05:59 PM

YOu can put up to 1800 watts on a 15 amp circuit. That fully loads it up and I would not go that high. Put up to 1400 watts of lighting if that is all that is on that circuit.

I would certainly make shop room separate lighting.

Philphine · 03-22-2007, 06:55 PM

can i ask just to make sure i understand, 1800 watts on a 15 amp circuit, would that be like 18-100watt bulbs on one switch? if so i'm thinking should be safe. i think i will try 6 lights with the shop area separate (it's not really a separate room though. it just has like a big counter around it). thanks.

Daryl in Nanoose · 03-22-2007, 09:21 PM

How about this. 2 3-way switches at each door. 1- for one car 2nd for other car and then a seperate switch for the work area.

Philphine · 03-23-2007, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daryl in Nanoose

How about this. 2 3-way switches at each door. 1- for one car 2nd for other car and then a seperate switch for the work area.

there are really three car postions. i think i'm going to try 6 and leave the shop area separate. one for each of 3 spots seems a little too much and separating one out seems like too much just for one car position, where before it would have been the one car and the shop area on one side, and two cars on the other. the doors are on the 30' side (two doors) and cars go in back to back on each side (1 car and shop area on one side).

Snoonyb · 03-24-2007, 04:31 AM

Or, 12, 4',T5 fl's on 3-3ways

AndyD5 · 03-29-2007, 07:42 PM

You could wire a single pull switch into one of the three ways so that it operates that mentioned third area so it is only lit when you desire it. also those places you can use regular light bulbs like on the fans use compact florescent they put out almost as much light as a 60 watt bulb which is 850 Lumens but only use 13 watts producing 800 Lumens each and they are much cooler temperature wize they do work indoor or outdoors so having them exposed to weather is no factor, and there is no spring inside them to break as easily if you should bumb them lightly

Mach1 · 03-29-2007, 08:24 PM

I wired my (smaller than yours) garage with six 8' fluorescent light fixtures. The pair of lights in the center of the garage are on one 3-way switch leg coming from the house.

The 3-way switch leg coming from inside the house goes to a 4-way switch next to the rear-entry door of the garage, and from there to another 3-way at the front garage entry door. So I can turn on the center pair of lights in the garage weather I'm coming in from the back, front, or from the house.

The other 4 light fixtures are switched in pairs from inside garage. I did it this way so I could have lights on in the garage when I'm not in there without having to have all the lights on.

Joe Michel

JoulesWinfield · 04-17-2007, 10:54 AM

All you have to do is make sure that you have a switched light at each entry door and that you have calculated the load based on the fixtures that you are using. Remember that flourescent lights are to be calculated by the rating of the ballast not the bulbs. If you are adding ceiling fans to the circuits make sure you account for the fan as well as the lights.

I like mach1's idea. Just have a couple lights, on a three/four way and put the rest on another switch. Or have all the lights for the cars on one switch and the fans on another. Or put everything on the switchs and use remote controlled fan/light combos. You could set two fan/lights on the same channel and operate both from one remote.