Ways An Electrician Can Help To Improve Your Garage Lighting | Myrtle Beach, SC

Ways An Electrician Can Help To Improve Your Garage Lighting | Myrtle Beach, SC

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Your garage doesn’t have to be dim and gloomy. Many homeowners in Myrtle Beach, SC, are now transforming their garages into functional spaces using creative lighting options. Good garage lighting can change your garage from an unsuitable place to work into a great workshop, storage, or parking of your dreams.

If you’ve got a poorly lit garage, you may find it difficult to navigate, and you may be susceptible to injuries or falls. Fortunately, an electrician can help you improve garage lighting to boost your space’s efficiency, safety, visibility, and allure. Below are some tips to help you get the light you want to be brought to you by your reliable electrical company.

Go Beyond Overhead Lighting

When installing artificial lighting, it’s best to consult with an electrician in Myrtle Beach, SC, to know which one will be perfect for your garage. Below are some categories of artificial lighting that you can use to illuminate your garage, depending on your needs.

  • Ambient lighting: If you are concerned about your safety when walking around the garage, you can have an electrical professional mount this soft overhead light. It provides sufficient lighting for the garage floors and walls.

 

  • Task lighting: This one is recommended for DIY enthusiasts. It’s bright, making it suitable for work and storage areas because it enhances visibility, making it easier to perform organizational tasks and detail-oriented projects.

 

  • Accent lighting: Some folks prefer accent lights because when focused on an object, they focus on that object in contrast to its background. Accent lighting makes your garage space seem larger than it is.

Since your garage is a multi-functional space, you can have an electrician help you layer illumination to have the proper light for display, parking, storage, and handiwork. It’s important to remember these categories when choosing and positioning your garage lighting fixtures.

Swap Out Regular Bulbs for Long Ones

This is the easiest way to upgrade your garage lighting. You can replace the regular bulbs with long bulbs ranging from four to eight feet in length. An electrical service can help you add a circuit to accommodate these large bulbs.

When adding large bulbs in their garage, some folks forget to consider their warm-up time. It’s important to consider the warm-up time of these bulbs because some do not perform well in cold conditions. If your garage usually gets frosty, an electrical professional will recommend “cold start” bulbs, which can function at their maximum even when your garage is chilly!

Determine The True Light Output Needs of Your Garage

Some homeowners install lighting fixtures in their garage to get lighting, hence the horrible light in their space. A qualified electrician should guide you on the standards laid down in the Illuminating Engineering Society Lighting Handbook. According to the handbook, 50 lumens per square foot is recommended in residential garages, and in workshop areas, 300 lumens per square foot can be sufficient.

For ambient lighting, a professional electrician will strive to achieve 50 lumens per square foot (PSF) and 75 lumens PSF when installing accent lighting. In places that require task lighting, the expert will aim for 300 lumens per square.

Choose T5 or T8 Fluorescent or LED Tubes

LED and Fluorescent bulbs are designed in a tube shape to illuminate a larger area compared to standard bulbs. Also, tube-shaped bulbs available in the market come in various diameters ranging from T5 (5/8″) and T8 (8/8″) to T12 (12/8″). Thus, if you prefer tube-shaped bulbs, you can choose T5 or T8 bulbs, which are energy-efficient compared to the older T12 bulbs.

Additionally, T5 and T8 bulbs are designed with electronic ballasts to reduce flickering when temperatures in the garage fall before 50 degrees or the bulbs get bumped.

Arrange Fixtures Based on Their Type and Function

To boost your garage lighting, you can have a certified electrician arrange your lighting fixtures based on their type and functionality. For instance, you should position ambient lighting so that it illuminates the entire garage floor. Therefore, a professional will align the garage door openers with permanent lights at the center of the ceiling. In cases where you use multiple flush-mount fixtures, it’s best to have them installed at an equal distance from each other on the ceiling.

On the other hand, you should set task lighting to focus on the storage area or the work surface to reduce the glare. You can hire a professional to mount the lights on your garage ceiling, hanging a few inches behind where you sit or stand while working to prevent the light from reflecting directly into your eyes.

Lastly, accent lighting should be placed to directly illuminate the details you want to showcase. For instance, if you’re going to brighten a decorative display, then you should put the pendant light directly above this object.

Install Motion Sensors

There is an increasing trend by some folks in Myrtle Beach, SC, connecting motion sensors to garage lighting. This saves money because it reduces electricity consumption by automatically disconnecting the lights after a specific time if they can’t detect movement.

An electrical company can help you select a motion sensor that’s compatible with the light bulbs you intend to use and connect it to a garage light fixture by extending the cables from an electrical box to the motion sensor and then to the light fixture.

Bigger Windows

Sometimes you don’t need an electrician to boost your garage lighting. The solution could be installing bigger windows. When remodeling your garage, you can mount large windows, but this won’t improve the garage lighting at night but will offer sufficient light in your garage in the daytime. The drawback of large windows is that they can tempt burglars, hence you may have to take additional security measures.

Your Licensed Electrician Is A Call Away

At Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach, we have licensed residential and commercial electricians experienced in garage lighting. We deliver quality work for your practical and aesthetic projects.

Our services also include surge protection, outdoor lighting, and emergency electrical solutions. Plus, we sell various electrical products such as generators, ceiling fans, smoke detectors, and electrical sub-panels. Contact us today to improve your garage lighting.

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