Thread: Best way to light up a shed without mains power?

I'm building some stuff in my shed but don't want to run mains power to it just yet. What are good options for lighting it up? Thinking of Bunnings camper lamps or something. Maybe portable battery + cheap LED strips.

I've been using 12V LED strip lights with the adhesive backing. They're pretty effective.
Cut to desired length and stuck to aluminium flat bar or angle, they are then drilled and screwed to wherever I want them.
Unless you have a clean flat metal surface the adhesive probably won't do. Metal also acts as heat sink.
You might need to buy extra wired connections for the individual lengths. Use cable ties to help keep them in place.
They would probably last a long time with a pre-charged car battery and switch, or you could also hook up a small regulated solar panel for about $40.
I found that the adhesive wasn't so sticky on some that has been in storage for a while, but using a hot air gun on the aluminium backing warmed them enough to get the glue to stick.

Another option is small LED units that have a PIR motion sensor and built in solar panel and lithium battery. They usually last for a few years but are cheap enough.
I often put them inside, underneath a clear skylight panel of the corrugated roof, so they get enough sun to keep going most of the time.

Can you run an extension lead to it? If so 1200mm twin led battens and get a sparky to fit a 3 pin 240v plug to them with enough wiring to plug into an extension board and then fit as many led battens as needed depending on shed size. When you eventually get you shed powered up you can reuse them.

nah don't want to run a line. A mate suggested LEDs too. I guess I just need batteries then. Where can you get cheap car batteries? I guess they'd fit the bill.

Hi Guys,

I've bought a number of lead acid 120Ah deep cycle batteries from my local scrap yard. He has a discharge tester and will swap any battery found to be poor or bad for a good tested one. He gets lots of car batteries from various sources and last time I was there had several fork truck batteries. I paid the scrap price for lead based on the weight of the battery for the ones I've purchased.

I do not believe you would find a scrap yard anywhere in Australia that would sell used car Batteries let alone have a means of testing them

Lots of batteries at car wrecking yards.
Why wouldn't they sell them if they could?

I run an extension cable from the house to my shed. I rent the property so I didn't want to pay for permanently wiring it. I ran over it with the car virtually every day for 7 years and never had a problem but last year I replaced it with a heavier duty one. For my 3-phase 440V I use a 6.5KVA diesel generator which works very well but is quite thirsty.

Hi Guys,

One of the things that I discovered when I first bought a used battery, was it seems that when people have a problem with starting their car or call in road side assistance, or go to a garage to have the problem sorted out, the first thing done is to replace the battery, even if it is not at fault and the issue was just that the battery had become discharged for what ever reason, due to cold, alternator problems, bad connections etc.

My scrappie recharges all the automotive batteries he receives and tests them ! I'm told that more than half of the automotive batteries that he gets for recycling are just fine, particularly the ones that come from roadside assistance mechanics. Others like the fork truck batteries he sometimes gets, are simply changed and replaced as part of a service schedule.

Bad lead acid batteries are drained and the sulphuric acid is collected and recycled as well. Even though the recovered acid is useful for pickling, he won’t sell any of it to me or any other customer.

Sulphuric acid is a controlled item and very difficult to get without the required licensing.

Simon

I recently bought 1L of 98% sulphuric acid from a place in Dandenong for $20. Their website says it is a controlled substance and that you need to show ID when you collect it. However that wasn't the case when I collected it. He will happily sell a 20L container of the stuff to anyone who walks in off the street.

Originally Posted by jack620

I recently bought 1L of 98% sulphuric acid from a place in Dandenong for $20. Their website says it is a controlled substance and that you need to show ID when you collect it. However that wasn't the case when I collected it. He will happily sell a 20L container of the stuff to anyone who walks in off the street.

Wow. Handy to know.

Actually I have been thinking trying some aluminium anodising, so that may come in handy. OT sorry!

Back OT. If I were to light up my shed on 12V or alternative power, then surely LED is the Go-To.

Simon

Good Morning Simon,

Yes 12 volt LED lighting is definitely the way to go ! Recycled lead acid batteries are the thing to use. Get a domestic solar panel and a cheap control box from China. Those 12 volt, four foot strip light batons are very good, its difficult to tell the difference between them and fluorescent ones. Maybe the LED's are a bit more yellow.

Good Morning to you Baron!

As an avid camper, outdoor enthusiast, hiker etc. etc. I'm always keen when technology can be used in this area. Recently I purchased some of these :
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4X12V-Wa...cEx8:rk:2:pf:0

to see how good they would be for lighting up the camp site. At 9W per bar they are around the maximum I would want to spend in terms of power on lighting. They also come with an RF remote which also has a dimmer function.

For $20 for four light strips I can't see a more efficient or cheaper method of lighting. At 100% they are ridiculously bright and are really good for task lighting such as when cooking or reading. If you just want a small amount of light to see where you're going then 25% brightness is plenty.

I'm going to house them in an extruded aluminium case and allow them to be used separately or ganged together. Also numerous RF receivers can be paired to the same remote meaning that the one remote can switch many lights in many locations (if you wanted)

My point being that they are super bright, cheap and lend themselves to easy mounting. They also put out more lumens per watt than any fluoro light.

Simon