Every garage, no matter how heavily used, needs quality, reliable and safe lighting. Today the market offers a large number of different types of lamps with their own characteristics and scope, however, special requirements are imposed on garage premises, and not every type of lighting is suitable for them.
LED garage lights
LED lamps are most suitable for a garage, because they have a number of significant advantages over analogues. This is an economical and energy efficient way to organize light. This type of lighting is completely safe for human he alth (both during operation and after their disposal), LED elements are quite durable (high-quality LEDs work up to 11 years), they endure any mechanical damage fairly well. In addition, they almost do not heat up, which reduces the risk of fire, and this is the mosta weighty argument for the place where valuable and flammable things are stored.
LED strips and lamps (ceiling and wall) are used for garage LED lighting. They differ in the type of base, the number and power of lamps, as well as in price. Ceiling LED garage lights are the most commonly used because they perfectly illuminate the entire space. You can install them both on the ceiling and on the walls. LED wall lamps for the garage are used to illuminate places that are characterized by visual load. These include tables, shelves, etc.
The importance of good garage lighting
Good garage lighting is critical for all car owners. No one has the desire to move in the dark or look for the right tool in the twilight. In poor lighting, it is difficult not only to carry out daily maintenance of the car, but also to navigate well. In addition, it is possible to damage the vehicle even when parking.
Advantages of LED lighting
Modern ceiling LED lights for the garage - recessed, overhead and spot - are significantly different from traditional lighting fixtures: incandescent, discharge and fluorescent. Accordingly, in comparison with them, LED lamps have both advantages and disadvantages. Consider their benefits:
- First of all, such lighting devices are characterized by a minimum levelelectricity consumption. An LED lamp consumes on average 10 times less electricity than an incandescent lamp, and almost 3 times less than a fluorescent counterpart. Therefore, the installation of LED lamps can significantly reduce the cost of lighting the garage.
- The design of such devices has no consumables and requires the replacement of lamps, chokes and so on, so there is no need to spend time and money on replacing and recycling lamps.
- Garage LED lights turn on instantly and do not flicker during operation.
- Long service life. The nominal life of the lamps used in LED luminaires is about 100,000 hours (over 10 years of continuous operation) without compromising lighting quality.
- LED garage lights do not contain mercury and other toxic substances, which makes them absolutely safe from an environmental point of view.
- LED lights provide high quality garage lighting. LEDs with frequent on and off do not fail. They can be used in both cold and hot environments.
- Easy to install. An overhead lighting fixture can be mounted on any ceiling in a few minutes.
- The 12 volt LED lamp for the garage has an extremely low voltage, almost safe for humans, and with a short circuit in the circuit, the probability of fire is almost zero.
Disadvantages of fixturesLED
- The light output is not bright enough (compared to traditional light sources).
- The spectrum of emitted light is quite unpleasant and narrow, so more points of light per unit area may be needed.
- LED ceiling LED lights for the garage have a relatively high cost. However, such equipment pays off due to lower energy costs and a long service life.
- Gradual "degradation" of LED lamps. Inexpensive models may lose their brightness over time.
Variety and technical indicators of LED lamps
Modern LED garage lights, photos of which show all their diversity, can have different sizes, shapes and connection options.
Key technical indicators include:
- Rated power of products. Each light element can have a power of 1-24 watts, while the brightness of the glow is comparable to ordinary incandescent lamps 20-150 watts.
- Connection options. Manufacturers offer lamps with the ability to connect to electrical networks with different voltages (this data is indicated in the instructions on the packaging of each lamp).
It is important to consider that if 220 volt wiring is installed in the garage, then you can install LED lamps with a standard base,designed for this voltage. If the wiring has not yet been done, then it is better to choose 12 volt LED lamps and a power supply that allows lighting to work both from the city electrical network through the unit and from a car battery.
LED Lighting Device
Classic LED ceiling light is arranged as follows:
- The light source of any LED lamp (both built-in and overhead) is a lamp, which consists of LEDs. Their number and type are the main factors that determine the power of the lamp and, accordingly, the lamp itself.
- In one lamp there can be a different number of LEDs: from one to several dozen.
- All LEDs in a luminaire are usually included in a single circuit that is connected via a power supply to the control circuit.
The design of luminaires based on LED lamps necessarily includes a heat sink (radiator) of various types, since heat is generated during operation, which requires mandatory removal. It is on him that, first of all, depends on how stable and long the LEDs and the entire lamp as a whole will work.
DIY LED Garage Lights
This lighting device can be made with your own hands. First of all, you need to stock up on all the necessary materials. It is very important to consider their price so that the cost of a homemade product does not exceed the finished one.
Required Materials
To make an LED lamp, you need to purchase:
- used halogen bulb without front glass;
- several bright LEDs (depending on the planned dimensions of the product);
- limiting resistors;
- aluminum sheet;
- quality glue.
Production sequence
Remove the used lighting element from the halogen lamp. To do this, use a screwdriver to open the seat from the side of the contacts and clean it. Then, without damaging the outer case, we get rid of its remnants.
We make a reflector from an aluminum sheet, into which we install LED lights. Here you need glue, with which we attach the LEDs, each separately. It is advisable to attach the reflector to some holder for convenience.
We solder the LEDs to each other, observing the polarity. We bend the leads of the LEDs, cutting off the excess. We make sure that there are no intersections, otherwise a short circuit will occur. Solder limiting resistors. We reduce the conclusions to “plus” and “minus”, after which we solder them to thick copper wires. To stiffen and additionally protect the wire from short circuits, we wrap and solder the contacts with silicone.
After doing these procedures, we move the LED tube directly into the case itself, and fill the sides of the basesilicone in the place where the residue was removed with a screwdriver. Apply with a marker on the base of the polarity. We shorten the lamp leads again with wire cutters. The LED lamp itself is connected to the battery in polarity. After that, if everything was done correctly, it lights up brightly.
