lighting for shed without mains power

Wessel3 · 18-12-2017 10:32am #1

as above, anyone use 12v lights rom battery etc? have shed with no power in yard, looking something to get a bit of light in cattle shed , any ideas, ta

larthehar · 18-12-2017 10:40am

Wessel3 wrote: »

as above, anyone use 12v lights rom battery etc? have shed with no power in yard, looking something to get a bit of light in cattle shed , any ideas, ta

12v Led lights, deep cycle battery, solar panel and charge controller?

_Brian · 18-12-2017 10:43am

Loads of reasonable priced led lights now. Solar panel on roof and deep cycle battery attached. Few hundred euro should do a good job.

Don’t use a standard lead acid battery as they’re not suitable for this type of set up.

Wessel3 · 18-12-2017 10:44am

would there be much electrical setting up, I have no clue looking something handy, how long would the battery last , ever on timer or something

_Brian · 18-12-2017 10:47am

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00HOEGHSY/ref=psdcmw_13679871_t1_B00H2H47N0

No need for much wiring experience, you can buy reasonably priced kits that take the work out of it.

Wessel3 · 18-12-2017 12:52pm

having a think and a read about,
I was looking at either , a 12v to 230 inverter, fit a simple timer that can have lights coming on from say 6pm til 1am the , maybe that would be too much , just wondering if the cattle need a load of light, sheds open but once its dark outside its dark inside if you understand,
some of the 12v kits seem expensive especially when I have 2 x leisure batteries used for fencer that will be sitting until march april ,
I came across another forum saying if I have say a few low watt bulbs led type, maybe 40w, /12v =3.3ah x 5hours*7days needed eg 5*7=35 = 115.5ah. if I had a battery of this size or adjusted hours accordingly to my own this should run a week?
maybe im reading this wrong,
also any comparison between 12v bulbs or inverters to run standard 230v bulbs

_Brian · 18-12-2017 1:58pm

Wessel3 wrote: »

having a think and a read about,
I was looking at either , a 12v to 230 inverter, fit a simple timer that can have lights coming on from say 6pm til 1am the , maybe that would be too much , just wondering if the cattle need a load of light, sheds open but once its dark outside its dark inside if you understand,
some of the 12v kits seem expensive especially when I have 2 x leisure batteries used for fencer that will be sitting until march april ,
I came across another forum saying if I have say a few low watt bulbs led type, maybe 40w, /12v =3.3ah x 5hours*7days needed eg 5*7=35 = 115.5ah. if I had a battery of this size or adjusted hours accordingly to my own this should run a week?
maybe im reading this wrong,
also any comparison between 12v bulbs or inverters to run standard 230v bulbs

Cattle need no lights, lights are for you checking and feeding.
Back in the day we would have had one very low watt light on if a cow was in to calve but that’s it.
Remember, cattle are fit to be out 24/7 in the darkest of weather and so have adapted to that lifestyle.

Also, for your needs a 12v system of led lights is more than adequate.

mycro2013 · 18-12-2017 9:13pm

_Brian wrote: »

Cattle need no lights, lights are for you checking and feeding.
Back in the day we would have had one very low watt light on if a cow was in to calve but that’s it.
Remember, cattle are fit to be out 24/7 in the darkest of weather and so have adapted to that lifestyle.

Also, for your needs a 12v system of led lights is more than

Metabo do an 18v worklamp.

Hard Knocks · 18-12-2017 10:13pm

mycro2013 wrote: »

_Brian wrote: »

Cattle need no lights, lights are for you checking and feeding.
Back in the day we would have had one very low watt light on if a cow was in to calve but that’s it.
Remember, cattle are fit to be out 24/7 in the darkest of weather and so have adapted to that lifestyle.

Also, for your needs a 12v system of led lights is more than

Metabo do an 18v worklamp.

What about a generator with some lights?

_Brian · 18-12-2017 10:17pm

Hard Knocks wrote: »

mycro2013 wrote: »

What about a generator with some lights?

Yea.
But then your into petrol, starting it every time you arrive and the noise, although smaller ones are silent.

If it were me I’d go solar, a proper system would be ready to switch on and essentially identical to a regular live system.

If your sending a neighbor up to check stock for any reason they don’t have to bother starting a genny and the like.

Farmer · 18-12-2017 11:07pm

+1 on the solar, though for feeding or looking at cattle, I'd go for a stronger 100w panel as you'll never get the rated output from it in winter, and maybe an18w led floodlight, the type you'd put on the back of the tractor, for the yard

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N1H66G5/ref=sspa_mw_detail_3?psc=1

This one doesnt include a battery though you might get away for a while with a fairly fresh used tractor battery as the charge controller will prevent you from running it flat. Otherwise, as Brian says, you'll need to buy a deep cycle one. One way or another, make sure it's secured away from the cattle

In summer it will also run a decent 12v fencer for you

Wessel3 · 18-12-2017 11:43pm

Thanks for this I have two gennies but no feasible to be starting every time etc.
I have two deep cycle leisure batteries for the fencer that are lying over winter I'd rather use . I was thinking maybe 3 X 10w or even 5 w spit light equivalent to either 100 or 50 w (X3) respectively and running from car battery with some sort of.timer in-between?
I know the cattle are to be out etc but spending most of the day in darkness couldn't be good either. Have a look at cow signals

Farmer · 19-12-2017 12:45am

Wessel3 wrote: »

.....
I know the cattle are to be out etc but spending most of the day in darkness couldn't be good either. Have a look at cow signals

It looks like you need significant light levels to make a difference. Looking at https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/rural-economy/farm-management/Lighting_effects_in_dairy_cow_housing.pdf it quotes an example

For example, a 10,000-square-foot open-sided barn lit by 250-watt (20,500-lumen) metal halide lights requires 22 fixtures.

So taking 4 standard cattle pens to be roughly 1/10 of that, you're looking at (20,500 x 22 x .1)or 45,000 lumens. By my reckoning (and please correct me if I'm wrong) You'll need 300-400 watts of Led to come anywhere near that. They seem to be pretty adamant that that's what you need and that much less is the same as none

'Cow signals' equates it to full daylight in a fairly open shed in winter. That's the theory anyways

Nekarsulm · 19-12-2017 2:19am

Neighbour has a small shed that's several fields away from any ESB.
He just needs light for feeding and checking them after work.
Last winter he put two 24watt Led tractor work lamps up on an old esb pole he erected.
Tractor battery at the bottom of the pole and 2 crocodile clips to join it to the lamps.
Only uses it for 10 minutes or so every evening.
Last year he only had to charge the battery once mid winter.

Wessel3 · 19-12-2017 10:33am

I have been looking at the 15w LED work lights , *3 possibly 45w draw 3.75aH, my 75ah leisure battery should run these in theory , maybe only use 2 of them , but using 3 , = 20 hours light per week, around 3 hours a day ?

larthehar · 19-12-2017 1:18pm

Wessel3 wrote: »

I have been looking at the 15w LED work lights , *3 possibly 45w draw 3.75aH, my 75ah leisure battery should run these in theory , maybe only use 2 of them , but using 3 , = 20 hours light per week, around 3 hours a day ?

Really and truly for the life off the battery you should not discharge below 20% so that would be 16hrs.. a solar panel charge controller looks after that end of things as the load is wired into the controller.. 100w solar panel, charge controller and the lights.. done.. in the summer you can use the same kit for the fencer.

jimini0 · 19-12-2017 6:34pm

Just bought one of these for a shed. Have a new leisure battery that was bought for another project

J.O. Farmer · 19-12-2017 7:21pm

jimini0 wrote: »

Just bought one of these for a shed. Have a new leisure battery that was bought for another project

How much power would that put into a battery on say a typical overcast day in terms of load you might draw off.

I mean for example running a 40w leds for an hour each day without flattening the battery compared to not having it if that makes sense.

I'm going doing something similar to the advice here and I'm debating getting a solar panel but don't know if it's worth the cost or will it make little enough difference in how often I'll have to charge up the battery.

jimini0 · 19-12-2017 8:28pm

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

How much power would that put into a battery on say a typical overcast day in terms of load you might draw off.

I mean for example running a 40w leds for an hour each day without flattening the battery compared to not having it if that makes sense.

I'm going doing something similar to the advice here and I'm debating getting a solar panel but don't know if it's worth the cost or will it make little enough difference in how often I'll have to charge up the battery.

I don't have a clue of the details of it. My brother is an electrician so he recommended it to me. He said it will keep the battery charged up and should work fine on a dull day. Goin to put in 3 low watt led bulbs. He has all the wires and bulb holders so its a cheap light really. Since I will only be using it for an hour a day max. The battery will never get too much use. Give me a few weeks and I will let ye know how i get on

Tail painter · 20-12-2017 11:18am

Just wondering if the lights are for the cattle or for yourself for feeding? Cattle don't really need lights. If its for yourself, why not get a good LED headlight. They are fantastic, because they put the light exactly where you need it.

jimini0 · 20-12-2017 12:01pm

Tail painter wrote: »

Just wondering if the lights are for the cattle or for yourself for feeding? Cattle don't really need lights. If its for yourself, why not get a good LED headlight. They are fantastic, because they put the light exactly where you need it.

I have a good led head light. For my shed it's mainly for feeding and checking on stock. But dad does it some evenings so it would be handy just to have light there with a flick of a switch.

Wessel3 · 20-12-2017 11:11pm

Update guys. Have bought 3x10 watt led tractor spots . Going to wire them to 12v timer to.come.on for hour or two twice a day. Make things a bit easier worked with old.keep you posted. Also the charger is a good idea I'll look into it

_Brian · 21-12-2017 12:22pm

Tail painter wrote: »

Just wondering if the lights are for the cattle or for yourself for feeding? Cattle don't really need lights. If its for yourself, why not get a good LED headlight. They are fantastic, because they put the light exactly where you need it.

I agree.
Have a good head light here and now I usually don’t bother turning on lights in the dark at all.

Wessel3 · 21-12-2017 1:54pm

this might sound like nonsense , but the cattle seems to go over to the silage etc more when the light was on , I assume this isn't the case but id like to leave it on for a while after I leave, as im in and out in 5 mins in the morning, using head torch, good job but a bit more light would be nice

Wessel3 · 23-12-2017 8:27pm

Update. Got a couple of led spots 10w each I may get away with just one. Unreal light out of it and low draw. Thanks for advice

satstheway · 23-12-2017 10:52pm

jimini0 wrote: »

Just bought one of these for a shed. Have a new leisure battery that was bought for another project

Thats way cheaper than what i was buying a few years ago. You can set some of them charge controllers to turn on a light at dusk and keep it going for required time in hrs

Wessel3 · 28-12-2017 8:59pm

Another update. Bought a timer switch and wired it in. Have it coming on a few hours morning and night well pleased

memorystick · 14-11-2018 12:51pm

Anyone know what it would cost to install lights and panels for a 90 * 90 shed. I've no mains at the minute.

White Clover · 04-03-2019 1:46pm

Could someone recommend a solar light set up for a 48 x 25 shed. Something like 4 x 60 watt bulbs. Ideally to stay on from dusk til dawn, if that's possible ?

50HX · 22-10-2020 7:01pm

Bumping this up again

Will be without esb for a few weeks due renivations

Don't know exactky when yet but need a back up for the calving shed

What's the cheapest way to get light into the calving shed

Don't want to go solar as it'll never again ge used

satstheway · 22-10-2020 7:39pm

Why not get the cheapest generator you can. It will run lights no problem.

emaherx · 22-10-2020 7:54pm

50HX wrote: »

Bumping this up again

Will be without esb for a few weeks due renivations

Don't know exactky when yet but need a back up for the calving shed

What's the cheapest way to get light into the calving shed

Don't want to go solar as it'll never again ge used

Options:
Solar
Generator.

Or

If there is a spare tractor ie one that's not being used for feeding that could power a line of 12v lights from an aux power socket. Just leave engine run to charge battery. Could use a Jeep/ car/ van etc. 12v tractor lamps could be used.

Bass Reeves · 22-10-2020 8:13pm

satstheway wrote: »

Why not get the cheapest generator you can. It will run lights no problem.

If you connect in a generator you will need a electrician to connect it up. He will need to install a connection point and a change over switch

50HX · 22-10-2020 9:23pm

Defo not going the generator route as it'll be carried,

Have a spare tractor on site alright coukd go that route

Thought i could work something off a tractor battery

Will feed in the morning, check in the evening with head torch

Only time i'll get stuck is with calving

emaherx · 22-10-2020 9:35pm

50HX wrote: »

Defo not going the generator route as it'll be carried,

Have a spare tractor on site alright coukd go that route

Thought i could work something off a tractor battery

Will feed in the morning, check in the evening with head torch

Only time i'll get stuck is with calving

Of course you could just use a tractor battery and charge it regularly. But running a battery down regularly will kill it quickly. So it would be best to keep it charged as much as possible so solar or a running engine would make that a bit easier.

Here is a link to my solar setup, it cost less than €200 for a panel charge controller and 4 lights. I used an old battery from my Jeep. My brother has a similar setup but he used standard 240v bulkheads but got 12v bulbs for them. Tractor spot lights would work too.

https://farmer-eds-shed.com/solar-powered-lighting-and-polytunnel-watering-from-rain-water-storage/

50HX · 22-10-2020 9:58pm

I can prob get my hands on a deep cycle battery for a few weeks

Kickstart1.3 · 22-10-2020 10:16pm

Get a few Kerosine lamps. Dirt cheap and they give off a fair bit of light. Simple to setup.

Zimmerframe · 22-10-2020 10:21pm

Kickstart1.3 wrote: »

Get a few Kerosine lamps. Dirt cheap and they give off a fair bit of light. Simple to setup.

Can't you plug in a few leds on your time machine.

Kickstart1.3 · 22-10-2020 11:09pm

I think they come with built in Bluetooth

satstheway · 22-10-2020 11:35pm

A 30w led rechargeable light
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162746968652

50HX · 23-10-2020 6:43pm

satstheway wrote: »

A 30w led rechargeable light
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162746968652

That'll do the job

Thanks

emaherx · 23-10-2020 7:19pm

50HX wrote: »

That'll do the job

Thanks

Many ways to skin a cat

lighting for shed without mains power

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