Hello everyone. Just wanted to know how everyone is wiring fluorescent lights over their layout. I did a complete remodel of everything and now i want to wire new shop lights over the layout. are you wiring them to a home light switch, and if so, how many can i put on one light switch? thanks
I just went through a similar exercise in installing over 40 single tube fluorescent strip lights in my layout room. The first thing you have to do is to determine the Amp rating of the circuit that is controlled by the wall (light) switch. Most home circuits are rated at 15 amps. If this is the case for the circuit you want to use to power your fluorescent lights, then all you have to do is to determine the total current (Amp) draw of the fluorescent fixtures that you are planning to use on that circuit.
The way to do this is to determine the total wattage of the fluorescent tubes in the fixture, eg., the typical shop light has two 40 Watt T-12 tubes in it thus this fixture draws 80 watts of power. To convert Watts to Amps, divide the total Watts by the house line voltage, eg., in the US typically 115-120 Volts. So for each of your shop lights having two 40 Watt tubes, the current draw will be 80 Watts/115 Volts = 0.696 Amps/shop light. To determine the total current draw multiple the number of shop lights by the Amps/ shop light, in this case 0.696 Amps. Don’t quote me on this, but I believe that to be safe, it’s generally recommended not to exceed 2/3 of the circuit’s current capacity, eg., in the case of a 15 Amp circuit don’t have a current draw on the circuit of more than approximately 10 Amps total. If you do these calculations, you’ll find that you can safely put approximately 14 shop lights on a 15 Amp circuit without popping a circuit breaker. This assumes that there are no other items drawing current from the circuit other than the shop lights.
Hope this helps,
Bob
I have two shop-lite fixtures over my layout. I put them in a little over 6 years ago, wiring them to a single light switch and they both work fine. Be sure to connect the ground wire on the fixtures and be certain that the circuit is properly grounded. If not, you’ll have no end of problems with bulbs burning out prematurely and ballast units going bad for seemingly no reason. I learned that from a professional electrician when he was wiring the Sundown fire station.
The Manitoba Electrical Code says a maximum of 12 fixtures or outlets per 15 amp branch circuit. It considers each fixture or outlet to be a 1 amp load. Also, lighting circuits must be fused or breakered (is that a word?) at 15 amps.
I don’t know if they would consider a 4-tube flourescent fixture as one load or two. With Bob Finch’s calculations, I would think that a 2-tube fixture is considered as one load as it is close to 1 ampere while a 4-tube fixture would be considered as 2 loads as it would exceed 1 ampere. So you could have 12 2-tube fixtures but only 6 4-tube fixtures. You’d also be limited to 12 single tube fixtures even though the load would be well under the maximum current allowed because each one is a single fixture counting towards the 12 maximum.
That question is best answered by consulting the electrical code for your region.
There are limits to the current draw a wire can handle, and other issues as well. So consult your electrical code, and if you know someone who is a licensed electrician, ask him for some guidelines.
It’s hard to believe, but a significant percentage of house fires today are caused by electrical issues.
[#ditto]
Yes, for sure consult the electrical code for your area and get advice from an electrician. AND GET A PERMIT! Which also means an inspection afterwards to sign off on the permit. When I finished my basement many years ago, I was informed that if my wiring caused a fire and I didn’t have a permit and an inspection, my insurance company wouldn’t pay out on the damage. By studying the electrical code and following it carefully, the inspector passed everything and I feel safe.
It’s also hard to believe the insane things that are done by amateurs doing their own electrical wiring. It’s a wonder there are not more electrical fires than there are. Do it right and do it safe the first time.
Make sure you know the real rating of the circuit. Chances are you have circuit breakers, which should have the rating printed right on them. If you have an older home with fuses, do not trust the fuse ratings! Anyone could have decided that since he was always blowing the 10-amp fuses, he’d just replace them with 15’s and solve the problem. Unfortunately, replacing a fuse is kind of a no-brainer job, and there’s nothing to stop anyone from putting in an over-rated fuse. Of course, someone could do the same with a breaker, but thankfully breaker replacement exceeds the fear threshold of most dingbats, and a qualified person just wouldn’t do that.
I have 8 fixtures (16 tubes) on a 15 amp breaker installed by a electrician with permit and final inspection. No problem. Marty
Good going! Now all you need is the proper tubes for your lighting. I use the “Sunshine” bulbs myself. They come in an orange box and really bring out the colors. Many fluorescents wash out the color and your layout will look blah.
I heard that Lowes sells the sunshine lamps but I do not have one near me.
What is the brand of the Sunshine lamps? I will want four footers. Thanks.
Rich
The 48" Sunshine lamps are Called Sunshine 40 and are made by GE. The tubes themselves are marked Chroma 50 on the glass at the end of the tube. I’ve purchased 2-packs of these tubes at my local Lowe’s for approximately $6-7/ package of 2 tubes. These are the fluorescent tubes recommended by Dave Barrow in his article on layout lighting in “Model Railroad Planning 2005” on page 78. I’ve tested some of these tubes in a lighting mock-up and they do produce good color rendition.
Bob
Down here they cost $6 - $7 each (1 bulb). Additional info on the bulb is as follows: GE Ecolux Chroma 50 40w
I’m guessing you’ve seen Holmes on Homes too 
I’ve heard of houses that the new owner wanted to renovate, and discovered that the house was wired by the owner in the most amazing ways. Like being too cheap to buy NMD, so he purchased extension cords and cut the ends off.</