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construction lighting

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SWarner

Civil/Environmental
Apr 9, 2014
6
I have 250,000 sq ft of enclosed concrete reservoir that needs to be lighted for safety and completing punch list items. Does anyone know of temporary lighting options for very large areas?
 
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Hollywood... And the system can't be powered by fuel. The tank is enclosed. Do you leave your car on when you work in your garage at home?
 
What do they do in mining and tunnel operations? I would thing that electrical power is brought in from the outside and that interior lights would be acceptable for hazardous atmosphere at least for mining work. Why not bring in electrical power from the outside.
 
Exhaust from fuel powered systems can be piped outside. Check OSHA requirements for workplace lighting to give the amount of light you need. Get a light meter to check the levels.
 
Tunnels are more confined so a string of lights down the length of the tunnel is enough to light their entire operation. We have a 96" tunnel being drilled for our outlet. A 500' x 500' x 35' tall concrete box is becoming a little more challenging. Generators outside the reservoir are expensive due to fuel consumption and site power is dedicated to construction activities. Generators are still an option, but cost and power demand should be considered. A lighting system that luminates a large area is what we are searching for.
 
We always use the generator + light trailers at the outside jobs: But, your are inside an eclosure, so call your construction rental company and tell them: We need 6x remote light trailers, hooked to two independent outside generators, each 200 feet away, each light trailer capable of delivering 4x floodlights.

Test out the six trailers, see if you need 8 or 10. Get the trailers first, get the extension cables (440 volt or 220 volt - which ever is going to get the job done, then test your results.

Do NOT accept just one generator - you MUST have a constantly running backup when the first drops off. Arrange for a daily refueling, arrange for 24 hour servicing and replacement as part of the contract.
 
Piping exhaust to the outside in my mind, is somewhat a risky proposition since leakage of exhaust in an enclosed is a possibility; also OP indicates tunnel work, so what if methane exposure exists and methane gases come in contact with generator?
 
Do you really need to light the entire tank at the same times? It would make sense to provide brighter lights at the work areas and less light for the rest.

It would be more practical to light just the areas that you are working in.

An illumination level of 108 lux (10 fc) is known as level II illumination and is suggested for illumination on and around construction equipment and for tasks such as resurfacing. An illumination level of 216 lux (20 fc) is known as level III illumination and is suggested for projects involving higher levels of visual difficulty, such as, crack filling, critical connections, and maintenance of electrical devices or moving machinery.

A 400 watt metal halides provides 36,000 lumens of lighting.


If you can find LED's, then you can get by with less power. The LED light head on this unit includes two 150 watt LED fixtures and will provide 30,000 lumens for 300 watts of power.

 
I don't see any comments here from electrical engineers. Why not ask the sparkies, who should be a better resource for lighting issues?
 
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