New "garage" in the works

[Car Nut]

Looking good!

 

[Cranky]

Looks great, RC! Replaced all of our lighting with LED's and boy does it save money. Since building the addition, our energy bills have actually gone DOWN. LED lighting is the only change.

At the front of my shop, I have 2 light switches...one controls 4 double tube light fixtures at 40w per tube for the left side front. The other controls another 4 fixtures for the right side front and there's 6 more in the back and 3 more in my clean room. That all adds up plus my wife has this penchant for 'forgetting' to turn off ANYTHING that uses electricity and she's in and out of the shop quite often....but she's not as bad as she used to be lol.

All of the lights in the shop are plugged in instead of being fixed so I could move things around easily if needed and I've done some of that. Well, that became more convenient for keeping the wife at bay by unplugging many of them in front lol. I also hung a few clamp type lamps with the 13w CFL's in them. One is over my tool box, and another two are over work benches and are mainly used just to be able to see what's what and not actually for working on things. All of my benches (3) have 4 foot fixtures over them. I also have several flexible/extending lamps which also have the 13w CFL's but I'm slowly converting to LED lighting and yes, this stuff saves big time on the bill but the biggest waster of energy was my old AC unit. My last bill was for 146 vs 300 for this time of year! The rain we've had for the past week has keep temps down in the 80's instead of in the high 90's with several 100 degree days and so the AC isn't having to work nearly as hard....

 

[HT413]

At the front of my shop, I have 2 light switches...one controls 4 double tube light fixtures at 40w per tube for the left side front. The other controls another 4 fixtures for the right side front and there's 6 more in the back and 3 more in my clean room. That all adds up plus my wife has this penchant for 'forgetting' to turn off ANYTHING that uses electricity and she's in and out of the shop quite often....but she's not as bad as she used to be lol.

All of the lights in the shop are plugged in instead of being fixed so I could move things around easily if needed and I've done some of that. Well, that became more convenient for keeping the wife at bay by unplugging many of them in front lol. I also hung a few clamp type lamps with the 13w CFL's in them. One is over my tool box, and another two are over work benches and are mainly used just to be able to see what's what and not actually for working on things. All of my benches (3) have 4 foot fixtures over them. I also have several flexible/extending lamps which also have the 13w CFL's but I'm slowly converting to LED lighting and yes, this stuff saves big time on the bill but the biggest waster of energy was my old AC unit. My last bill was for 146 vs 300 for this time of year! The rain we've had for the past week has keep temps down in the 80's instead of in the high 90's with several 100 degree days and so the AC isn't having to work nearly as hard....

Yeah, cranky, my wife and I have really cracked down on leaving lights on over the past few years. (It's tough with 3 little kids!!).

My shop also has flourescent bulbs - the only non LED's in the house. I do sort of regret not going LED's, but for little cash I can always swap out the ballasts and convert to LED. Something for the future.

Heck, speaking of my kids leaving the lights on... last year I got up in the middle of the night and noticed the toilet wasn't filling after I flushed it. I went downstairs and noticed the window in the utility room was WIDE open (this was January in the middle of a NJ winter). The pipes had just begun to freeze and thankfully hadn't quite frozen solid and burst yet. Man, I just barely caught it in time. Turns out my then 2 year old went downstairs and opened the only window in the house that a) I couldn't notice and b) could cause massive disaster lol.

I'll take a light left on here and there any day over a repeat of that!

I bet down in your parts AC energy usage is a big killer, up here it's probably more heat than AC, especially for RC up in Taxachusetts.

Speaking of that, RC, what's your plan for hot water heater? It's the #2 natural gas user in the house.

 

[Cranky]

My home is total electric. The water heater has a timer but since the kids are gone, I just switch it off and on as needed. The house also has a 'real' fire place with a heatilator which helps a lot with keeping the winter time heating bill down. We also use room heaters and keep the extra rooms closed off and just use the room heaters as needed. That seems to work pretty well. The shop has a mix of electric and propane heat heaters but in the past several years, we've have pretty mild winters.

 

[5.7 hemi]

My last ac bill was 535 bucks!! It's a 2 story house and the condenser is only 2 years old. We bought into solar and that is going to be installed on Sept. 1st with 24 panels. The garage (3 car) has the insulated doors on them and they hold the heat in really well. Last week we had temps in the 104-106 range and before I went to bed at 12, I checked the temps in both bays and they were 100-102 ish. Thankfully is getting closer to fall and the temp will be dropping! I also converted to led bulbs in and out of the house but still have fluorescent light fixtures in the garage.

 

[conv67bdere]

It also depends on the fluorescent bulbs

The type of bulbs that you use can also make a difference, as the "standard" type of bulb is a T12 bulb - and they are the least efficient bulbs.
They also have available T8 bulbs, which are a little thinner in diameter, and a little more efficient ( and generate a little less heat )

But I found a T5 bulb unit at Home Depot - the bulbs are even thinner than the T8's, much more efficient, and generate even less heat . . . so if you can track down the T5 bulbs - you'll be doing better off ( and the light that they emit appears to be both whiter and brighter than the T12 )

But I do agree . . . I'm going LED where ever I can . . . much nicer ! !

 

[NJRR]

It also depends on the fluorescent bulbs

The type of bulbs that you use can also make a difference, as the "standard" type of bulb is a T12 bulb - and they are the least efficient bulbs.
They also have available T8 bulbs, which are a little thinner in diameter, and a little more efficient ( and generate a little less heat )

But I found a T5 bulb unit at Home Depot - the bulbs are even thinner than the T8's, much more efficient, and generate even less heat . . . so if you can track down the T5 bulbs - you'll be doing better off ( and the light that they emit appears to be both whiter and brighter than the T12 )

But I do agree . . . I'm going LED where ever I can . . . much nicer ! !

T12, T8 and T5 bulbs are not all interchangeable. They use different ballasts if I'm not mistaken.

 

[conv67bdere]

T12, T8 and T5 bulbs are not all interchangeable. They use different ballasts if I'm not mistaken.

True - you need to buy the fixture ( with the proper ballasts ) to support the bulbs.

 

[kiwigtx]

T12, T8 and T5 bulbs are not all interchangeable. They use different ballasts if I'm not mistaken.

Correct on that.

you need to buy the fixture ( with the proper ballasts ) to support the bulbs.

It's cheaper to buy a complete fitting with tubes included - then you know everything is new, and under warranty.

Something worth remembering - a single fluorescent tube over rotating machinery will cause what is known as the "Stroboscopic effect" meaning for example, a lathe might look like it is not spinning. Always install a twin fluorescent tube where this might be an issue.

Also - LED lighting is far less likely to attract bugs, mosquitoes and moths etc due to the lack of infra-red in the light output spectrum - very handy if you're having a BBQ or dinner outside under lights.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Also - LED lighting is far less likely to attract bugs, mosquitoes and moths etc due to the lack of infra-red in the light output spectrum - very handy if you're having a BBQ or dinner outside under lights.

Good to know!

 

[themechanic]

Ever tried to insert a chuck key in a spinning lathe? Ouch.

 

[HT413]

The house also has a 'real' fire place with a heatilator

Love those things. A buddy of mine had one as a kid, that thing really puts out heat! Most people don't realize that a 'modern' fireplace typically makes a house colder when it's on. Not that heatilator though.

 

[HT413]

Something worth remembering - a single fluorescent tube over rotating machinery will cause what is known as the "Stroboscopic effect" meaning for example, a lathe might look like it is not spinning. Always install a twin fluorescent tube where this might be an issue.

That is fascinating.

 

[HT413]

Ever tried to insert a chuck key in a spinning lathe? Ouch.

No but my students will from time to time turn the drill press on with the chuck key still inserted... good times!

 

[Cranky]

In the 37 years of machining.....I've left the chuck wrench in 3 times and all 3 times it was on lathes that were 15" or larger. The first time it hit me but only got a bruise from it instead of a broken arm. That was in my first 3 months as a newbie. The other two times I was out of the way but had a few years under my belt and should have known better. I guess something was learned from that first time but hope it never happens again! Thing is, seems like we were always in a rush to get things done at work only to see the finished parts sitting around the shop waiting for the equipment owner or outside machinists to come and get them for installation. In my last 5 years at the plant, anyone that tried to rush me got told to take a number and get in line and reminded a few what my name tag said on my shirt said....Short Timer. And think it's about time we quit high jacking RC's thread lol

 

[Richard Cranium]

Some visible progress...

 

[747mopar]

Holy cow Dick, that's a freakin mansion not a garage!!!! The dormers really add a lot of character to it, coming together very nicely.

 

[Richard Cranium]

My turret...

 

[MarPar]

My Sniper's Perch...



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fixed it for ya, Dickie. lol

btw, do you know you have a cock over your head?

 

[Car Nut]

Sweet!