Bay lighting?

[Greg Pack]

Ordered 2 off eBay to try for $280 each. I'll let you guys know.

 

[tejtd35]

I installed the G&G LED in my auto bays and really like them. It reduced the shadow effect of the ceiling mount 8' fixtures.

Did you go color wash or the white? How big are the bays and how many/which size did you get?

 

[Greg Pack]

My G&Gs are white only. I installed more than recommended though and the bay is bright.

At one wash I just took the easy route last year The wash was built in 1999 and originally had LSI Scottsdale's in the bays. About 9 years ago I installed Crees. A couple of the Crees had gone out and others are getting dim so I opted for a lighting upgrade and bought all new Scottsdale LED lights from Kleen Rite. They were as price competitive as anyone I could find online. One of the things I like about the Scottsdale is they are designed for a one person install (in a metal canopy) so an operator can go up and install one or two in their spare time. They have a spring retaining clip that pushes up into the hole. They were noticeably brighter than the aging Crees.

At another wash I'm still running the Crees in the SS bay and have the G&G white LED in the auto bays. When the Crees get replaced I'll likely go all G&G.

Cree, LSI, and G&G are all much more expensive than second tier lighting brands but I've tried the other cheaper lights and was only getting 3-5 years out of them, so I didn't see the point at a nice wash.

Just replaced my awnings with T5 lights with LSI overhead lighting and poles bought at Kleen Rite and it is fantastic. They light up the lot like a football field but don't glare out on the road. LSI is expensive but Kleen Rite had a very competitive price. Also, I think the vinyl awning look is a bit dated so it looks more modern. I think the poles were about 1 K each and the fixtures about $400 each.

 

[owinborne67]

Wanted to add my two cents to this thread just on timing the lights, IMO with modern LED's if you have any reason at all for more night-time lighting (security, customers with weird schedules, etc.) and don't have any issues with the local authorities re more night lighting, you really don't need to worry about turning lights off to save power.

A lot of the answers in this thread have more lights than I do, but here's the math for me:

4 bays
150 Watts of LEDs per bay
Say 12 hours on per day (turn on before dusk, off after dawn)
30 days in a month
$0.20/kWh

4 x 150 x 12 x 30 x $0.20 / 1000 = $43/month to have every light on all night, no motion sensors or anything. If half of them turned off on motion sensors I'd save $20/month. Standard fluorescents use ~double the watts of replacement LEDs, so as long as you're running LEDs I say spend those savings on having more lights for more of the time (my area does have iffy security + lots of shift work though). Not the answer for everyone but just consider what you're actually saving.