12v lighting in a workshop

[DoubleEnder]

I’m thinking about installing some simple lighting in my shed. It will be a long and expensive run to wire it for 220v and only need some simple lights.

I could get one of these packages.

Off-Grid Lighting Package 1

Or does anyone have other suggestions? My electrical knowledge is very limited so I need to be realistic

Tank you

 

[PaulRainbow]

That's expensive, as you only get the solar panel and controller. For a shed you only need a cheap panel and controller, plus the battery and lights of course. A cheap car battery would be fine.

 

[Sandy]

How about a couple of these

Hispec 10W Adjustable and Rechargeable LED Work Light with Magnet & Clamp - From £23.99 inc VAT

 

[Refueler]

As Paul says .. plenty of budget stuff out there ....

A reasonable size car battery ... with a solar panel and cheap controller .... away you go.

Of course when later you decide to add music ... then your power demand will go up .....

I have a 35ft Mobile home .... BBQ area ..... pontoons with boats ... I originally was going to bury a cable in tubing but too lazy. I have a long lead trails down the garden from outside socket on the house ... cable is about 40m long to the mobile on the ground with plug / socket so we can disconnect when cutting grass ... then another cable overhead from mobile to BBQ .. another overhead to the decking supplying the pontoons.

Yes it should be buried armoured cable ... but its been this way for about 10 years ... one day I will sort it ...

 

[rogerthebodger]

Or use LED strips with a small alarm battery

Led Strips Light Waterproof 12V 24V 1m 5m 10m Red Warm White 9,99€/m | eBay

 

[Jim@sea]

50 years ago I went to a mechanics workshop which only had 12 volt lighting, he had put a Morris Minor engine in a corner and round the workshop he had linked up about 4 car radiators connected to the engine and the lighting from the dynamo was about 10 lucas headlights suspended from the ceiling, I believe he would put some neat petrol in a small car to start it and when the engine was hot would put a mix of petrol and paraffin similar to the TVO used in Massey Ferguson Tractors. Then petrol was 3 gallons to the pound. Mis Name was Ernie Brittain

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

As Paul says .. plenty of budget stuff out there ....

A reasonable size car battery ... with a solar panel and cheap controller .... away you go.

Of course when later you decide to add music ... then your power demand will go up .....

I have a 35ft Mobile home .... BBQ area ..... pontoons with boats ... I originally was going to bury a cable in tubing but too lazy. I have a long lead trails down the garden from outside socket on the house ... cable is about 40m long to the mobile on the ground with plug / socket so we can disconnect when cutting grass ... then another cable overhead from mobile to BBQ .. another overhead to the decking supplying the pontoons.

Yes it should be buried armoured cable ... but its been this way for about 10 years ... one day I will sort it ...

Hope you have written your will!

 

[DoubleEnder]

I’m thinking:

No buried extension leads
No petrol engines in the corner.

So either LEDs and a battery, with a solar panel. Or a little portable generator, but that’s smelly noisy £££ and something else to go wrong.

So it’s LEDs I think

Thanks everyone

 

[Seashoreman]

Or use LED strips with a small alarm battery

Led Strips Light Waterproof 12V 24V 1m 5m 10m Red Warm White 9,99€/m | eBay

Could you explain 'small alarm battery' please? Tried a search but just comes up with digital clocks.
Actually edited to ask: how would one simply set up this system? I have no knowledge in this so keep
it simple if you reply, thanks.

 

[Boathook]

Could you explain 'small alarm battery' please? Tried a search but just comes up with digital clocks.
Actually edited to ask: how would one simply set up this system? I have no knowledge in this so keep
it simple if you reply, thanks.

I think he means the battery's used in burglar alarms such as this one https://www.screwfix.com/p/sealed-lead-acid-battery-12v-7-0ah/38315

 

[colind3782]

That's expensive, as you only get the solar panel and controller. For a shed you only need a cheap panel and controller, plus the battery and lights of course. A cheap car battery would be fine.

Exactly what I have in two of my sheds. A 50w panel including the cheap controller was £23 and I had a couple of old batteries that would do the trick. A pair of LED strips cost £12.

 

[Martin_J]

Indeed.. Was your controller something like these?

They even provide a USB port so you can charge your phone whilst out in the garage/shed.



Looking at them again, you don't even need a timer function so could go for one with less functionality. Just that, a 50W panel and a spare car battery..

A few strips of LED lights will be easy to run from that, even putting a standard light switch by the door to make things easy.

 

[colind3782]

Indeed.. Was your controller something like these?

They even provide a USB port so you can charge your phone whilst out in the garage/shed.

View attachment 185487

Looking at them again, you don't even need a timer function so could go for one with less functionality. Just that, a 50W panel and a spare car battery..

A few strips of LED lights will be easy to run from that, even putting a standard light switch by the door to make things easy.

That's it. The controller is the one on the right. Cheap, but does the job.

 

[DoubleEnder]

Exactly what I have in two of my sheds. A 50w panel including the cheap controller was £23 and I had a couple of old batteries that would do the trick. A pair of LED strips cost £12.

Can you point me to the LED strips please? This is very helpful. My shed is 10 x 20 feet

 

[colind3782]

Can you point me to the LED strips please? This is very helpful. My shed is 10 x 20 feet

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07ZR3JD86/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[WoodyP]

I’m thinking about installing some simple lighting in my shed. It will be a long and expensive run to wire it for 220v and only need some simple lights.

I could get one of these packages.

Off-Grid Lighting Package 1

Or does anyone have other suggestions? My electrical knowledge is very limited so I need to be realistic

Tank you

How far have you got to run a cable? We have a large yard and have put armoured cables underground without breaking the bank.

 

[William_H]

If OP is determined to go 12v off grid thenb much deopends on amount of light and time he wants it to run for. I would suggest rather than buy their kit that you go buy individual items. These things are brilliant for light and cheap. 10W LED Light COB Strip Bulb 12V LED Panel Lamp Warm Cold White 120x10mm Chips | eBay. For 10w you are looking at around .8 amp when on.
For a battery I would go for an old car battery. But if that proves insufficient capacity then you will need a deep cycle battery of your choice of amp hours.
You could lug it up to the house for periodic charging if you have a mains powered charger.
However for solar power I would suggest go for a domestic PV style panel around 2 to 300 watts. You may be able to find one second hand from house wrecker yard or go for new. Cheap because of enormous quantity made. This will I think be capable of gathering power on all but the darkest winters day. You will need an MPPT controller around 50 or 60 squid (Victron smallest)
Fit one fuse at the battery terminal like 5 amps to suit the lightest wire you will wire up with. Switches in boxes in convenient places.
I have a similar system around my house for security lighting. I have 2x old house hold PV panels on the shed roof around 150 w each. (vastly over powered) The Victron MPPT controller to a 80 AH deep cycle battery. Switched by a timer switch. Just runs every night without attention. Using various forms of COB LED lights. Not necessarily a cheap option but then I am a bit obsessed. (COB means chip on block)
There are cheaper lower powered possibilities. For solar PV panel you could collect those little solar garden lights. (They die quickly) take out the PV panel and connect about 10 panels and stick on a board. That will be sufficient power to charge a 12v battery without a controller. This is what might be alled an alarm battery 12v 7w SLA 12V 7.2Ah SLA Back-up Battery - NBN/ALARM/UFB | Jaycar Australia Or you copuld connect 3 x18650 lithium cells together. But you would need a charge controller like this 3S 20A Li-Ion Lithium Battery 18650 Charger BMS Protection Board 12.6V Charging | eBay
Or a last option might be to get a battery and charger or 12 v power supply at home with low voltage cheap wiring down to the shed.
ol'will

 

[Refueler]

Indeed.. Was your controller something like these?

They even provide a USB port so you can charge your phone whilst out in the garage/shed.

View attachment 185487

Looking at them again, you don't even need a timer function so could go for one with less functionality. Just that, a 50W panel and a spare car battery..

A few strips of LED lights will be easy to run from that, even putting a standard light switch by the door to make things easy.

Just make sure that the battery is first to be connected to controller and last to be disconnected ... controllers warn against connecting solar panels without battery first.

The controller on the right is same as I have on two boats .... and works a treat ... I appreciate that its PWM ... not MPPT ... but unless you are going for high watts solar / battery installation etc - PWM is more than good enough.

I have another two folding panels I am planning to use on my boats ... folded are 28 x 28cms ... unfolded are 56 x 28cms ... with twin USB and output built in + supplied with charge controller (which also has twin USB) and leads for various use.

Pardon our interruption...

No way will either deliver 100W ... other than perfect lab conditions ... but I would expect a reasonable 20W or more on a good day ... more than enough to float a House Alarm battery or small wet cell battery .... I also do not believe its true MPPT ... but a cheaper 'hybrid' version.

No doubt someone will post - nah .. that's crap .. but if all I want is a couple of amps and look after a few batterys ... it will do the job ...

You can spend a fortune ... or not ... choice is yours.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Can you point me to the LED strips please? This is very helpful. My shed is 10 x 20 feet

Look at post #5

 

[B27]

There are many possibilities, one is to buy a rechargeable light or two and charge it in the house.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-rechargeable-led-work-light-1000lm/613kf
I have something similar, it's been used in the shed, on the boat, outdoors, in the loft.
It's great but it's not the hole solution to every problem.
You can also get PIR movement sensing rechargeable lights for a few quid that recharge from a USB socket.

What lights do you need, what duration do you need?
If you 're thinking solar, then you need to decide how much panel power you need to recharge over an acceptable number of dull days in winter.

I have a couple of solar panels feeding some old 12v batteries, just junk that was lying around, but it would be easy to spend £100 if you needed to buy everything. It also does an auto-watering system, and the 12V batteries have come in handy for testing things.

If you have a few batteries for cordless tools, you can buy worklights to share the batteries.