Autonomous garage lighting - 7 simple ideas
Solar installation
Anyway, the most effective way is to install solar panels, thanks to which you can not only make autonomous lighting in the garage, but also provide independent power to the entire site. Yes, this is a costly option and probably without the help of specialists in the installation can not do. However, once you spend money, you can not only turn on the light when the power is turned off, but also significantly save energy bills.
About, how to install solar panels do it yourselfwe told. If the budget allows, seriously think about this option.
Homemade wind generator
An alternative to autonomous power supply to the garage and the cottage as a whole is to install a wind turbine, which can also generate free electricity. You can buy a ready-made device, but it will cost quite expensive. For a 2-kilowatt model will have to give about 100 thousand. That is why we offer you do-it-yourself wind generatorthanks to which it will be possible to use the light in the garage without electricity.
The only thing to consider is wind speed. If your region or the location of the site does not have strong gusts of wind, it is unlikely to receive free electricity.
Diesel or gasoline generator
You can also make light in the garage without electricity, if you use a gas generator. In this case, as in the case with solar panels, it is possible to fully provide the site with electricity by connecting the generator to the mains. To use such an idea is only rational if the lights are turned off for a short period of time, and if you use a power tool in the garage.
Otherwise, 1 kW of electricity from a gas generator will cost you quite a lot, so constantly using it is unlikely to be beneficial. About, how to connect the generator to the network, we told in the corresponding article.
Battery Usage
Is there an extra 12 volt car battery in the garage? So why not make autonomous garage lighting with it? Everything is quite simple - you get a 12-volt LED strip (it is most practical), install it above the work area and along the room, then connect it to the battery. The light from the LED strip is quite high quality, in addition, if you reasonably choose the length of the strip, the battery will not drain too quickly. You can see how such a backlight looks in reality, you can in the video below:
And the author of the video provided below simply upgraded the fluorescent lamp by placing an LED strip in it. In the photo it looks like this:
You can see the result in more detail on the video:
LED bulbs with battery
On the Internet now you can find many offers for the sale of LED lamps on batteries. A battery is installed inside 5-12 watt bulbs, which is able to maintain autonomous lighting for 6-12 hours.
Using such a lamp is quite simple - it is screwed into a standard E27 cartridge, is charged from the mains for 24 hours, after which it can provide lighting in the garage without electricity. The cost is about 600, so you can buy 2 bulbs and forget about the problems with power outages.
Garden Solar Lights
A similar idea is to purchase solar-powered garden lights, place them outdoors in the area, and in the evening, if the lights are turned off, bring them into the garage. Such lighting devices will last for 5-6 hours, if they are of high quality.
The only drawback is that over time, the brightness of the lighting will fall, in fact, as well as the time of autonomous lighting. However, many people use this idea, so there is reason for its existence.
Philippine lanterns
Well, the last way that allows you to make free light in the garage during the daytime is the use of Philippine flashlights, which work on the principle of light refraction. Making a Philippine lantern with your own hands is quite simple - a part of the bottle is cut out (although you can use the whole), it is mounted on a rigid base and mounted in the roof. If the roof is made of corrugated board, you can simply cut a suitable hole in the sheet into which a water bottle is installed, as shown in the photo below:
To prevent rain from entering the garage, the joints between the roofing material and the bottle must be well sealed with sealant. This idea is suitable for residents of regions in which sunny weather prevails. Otherwise, the light will be dim and nothing will work. If you do everything right, the result will be something like this:
So we have listed all the popular ways to make light in the garage without electricity. Our opinion is that if you really need only autonomous lighting, and not full power supply, it is better to purchase LED lamps on the battery or to make a windmill yourself. All other technologies are either too costly or not efficient enough.
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