Explosion proof lighting

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Spanish What type of lights should be used in your spray booth? May 19, 2003

Question
I am in the process of setting up a spray booth in my shop and want to make my fluorescent lighting safe. Can I do this without spending upwards of $400 per fixture? My inclination is to build a gasketed box of some variety. Some say not too worry about the lights and others say the risk is high.

Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor J:
A true 4 tube x/p light fixture is less than 1900. You should be able to get a class one div 2, typically called sealed and gasketed, for about 300 bucks.

That said, you are on the right track with mounting the fixture above the roof of the booth and putting glass in the opening and sealing with a non-silicon based caulk.

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We did our lights in a box of double-walled fire rated sheetrock with a gasketed glass cover. There was also a switch box with a button that turned off electricity to lamp socket each time glass was removed. This was for upgrading an existing location to code, not for building new. You should check with local codes to see what is required in your area.

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From contributor J:
Codes can be a real pain the ass. Paint rooms are class one, div one. Spray booths, three sided and four sided, can use booth class one, div 2 lights, sealed and gasket within 5 feet of the opening and regular open lights in the rest of the opening.

In my shop I use the book my fire marshal uses, nfpa 33.

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Grainger sells dust-proof gasket sealed fixtures - eight footers. Run wire in plastic conduit. Each end has a thread. My whole shop has these. Very safe but not legal.