Need some advice as to how to build dedicated reloading room in my attic. Will be 14x14'. Figured on Sheetrock walls and linoleum floor for easy cleanup. Need great lighting but afraid fluorescents will affect my RCBS Chargemaster 1500 digital scale/dispenser. Big things I wasn't sure about was lighting, heat/air (air movement) and proper venting. Any advice on any of this room build would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
- Thread starter bbowles
- Start date
In the attic I wouldn't worry to much about heat, heat from the main living space will rise if you leave the door open. If you are just going to leave it closed off then an oil filled radiant or a ceramic space heater will work fine. You don't say where you live so you will have to make the call if you need more than 1. In a 14x14, a 12,000-15,000 BTU A/C will cool that nicely.
Insulate also.
I hate fluorescents, I'd get some track lighting so you can configure it how ever you like.
Insulate also.
I hate fluorescents, I'd get some track lighting so you can configure it how ever you like.
It will be a totally closed off room in attic. I live in SW MO so extreme weather and humid a lot. Like the track lighting idea. Hoping to run ducts off main heat/air. Will have my builder work on that. Any other cautions in building room?
I just use a spare bedroom as my office/reloading room. So i have just a generic ceiling light that does well. Honestly it is all i use for 90% of reloading. When i do need more light i have a desktop lamp i can put on the bench with a CFL bulb in which provides plenty of light for when the light is really needed (detail stripping guns for instance). I dont like a super bright room so this combo works well for me.
Unless you plan to cast bullets i wouldnt say you need to do anything special for ventilation. Normal ventilation would be plenty unless you are using super strong chemicals for something.
Heating and cooling i would try to put more towards one side of the room and then build your main reloading bench on the other side. Really shouldnt be an issue but that way theres no chance of the air movement blowing powder around or something weird. Not really an issue IMO but since you are designing it i say something to consider.
Build more shelving than you think you will need. I know my bench sarted with tons of spare room and grew into me building a second small shelf next to it and now i am looking at building more shelving. But i also reload for 10+ calibers so bullets, powder, dies, and primers take up a good amount of room.
Im unfamiliar with SW MO but maybe look at getting a dehumidifier for that room as well. Although the powder will be sealed it might just be a nice bonus to have one or two of them to help a bit.
Unless you plan to cast bullets i wouldnt say you need to do anything special for ventilation. Normal ventilation would be plenty unless you are using super strong chemicals for something.
Heating and cooling i would try to put more towards one side of the room and then build your main reloading bench on the other side. Really shouldnt be an issue but that way theres no chance of the air movement blowing powder around or something weird. Not really an issue IMO but since you are designing it i say something to consider.
Build more shelving than you think you will need. I know my bench sarted with tons of spare room and grew into me building a second small shelf next to it and now i am looking at building more shelving. But i also reload for 10+ calibers so bullets, powder, dies, and primers take up a good amount of room.
Im unfamiliar with SW MO but maybe look at getting a dehumidifier for that room as well. Although the powder will be sealed it might just be a nice bonus to have one or two of them to help a bit.
I highly recommend the t5 high output fluorescent lights. I bought them for my hydrographic setup both above my tank and in my paint booth with daylight bulbs and they are awesome! 4 bulb 4ft is like $100 and 2 bulb 4ft is $50 without the bulbs. These put out more light than just about anything else in the store but the gteat thing is its even light dispersment.
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Velillen, thanks for help. If anyone has pics of a good bench and shelf setup would be grt.
MarshallTex,
I am concerned with fluorescents affecting my digital RCBS Chargemaster scale. Have read many places where people said these lights caused problems. So that scares me.
MarshallTex,
I am concerned with fluorescents affecting my digital RCBS Chargemaster scale. Have read many places where people said these lights caused problems. So that scares me.
How tall are your ceilings?
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For what it's worth I run florescent lights off the same circuit that my digital scale is on without a even a hint of an issue. I don't think it's the lights. Milage may vary.
I have a chargemaster also w fluorescent lightinging and it works like a charm I dunno. I have 11ft ceilings maybe over fixutured in small room creat problems?
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I don't see how the light could matter at all. If anything I'd think it have to be something to do with the 60hz buzz, but I'm no electrician. My scale is plugged in about 10 feet from some florescent lights (measuring the wire between them) that are about 4 feet above the scale. No issues whatsoever.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and talk partially from knowledge and part from my butt 
the problem with the florescent lights is not the light but the ballast required to run the lights which is kinda like a transformer for lack of a better word. When you have a ballast or transformer you have the potential for electromagnetic fields and or harmonics which are what cause problems with more sensitive electronic devices and these are even more prevalent when using magnetic ballasts like the older t-12's. effects from harmonics is going to happen in the actual circuitry like when you have your unit plugged into the same circuit as the lights. effects of electromagnetic fields are going to happen when your equip is just near the lights like shorter ceilings or like hanging down above your bench. that all being said one of the reasons its not as much of an issue in some cases than others is, the more modern lights use electronic ballast instead of Magnetic and the homes wiring if done properly is less susceptible to harmonics. now take all this with a grain of salt, YMMV. and anybody with more info on this feel free to correct me or add to it
the problem with the florescent lights is not the light but the ballast required to run the lights which is kinda like a transformer for lack of a better word. When you have a ballast or transformer you have the potential for electromagnetic fields and or harmonics which are what cause problems with more sensitive electronic devices and these are even more prevalent when using magnetic ballasts like the older t-12's. effects from harmonics is going to happen in the actual circuitry like when you have your unit plugged into the same circuit as the lights. effects of electromagnetic fields are going to happen when your equip is just near the lights like shorter ceilings or like hanging down above your bench. that all being said one of the reasons its not as much of an issue in some cases than others is, the more modern lights use electronic ballast instead of Magnetic and the homes wiring if done properly is less susceptible to harmonics. now take all this with a grain of salt, YMMV. and anybody with more info on this feel free to correct me or add to it Last edited:
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and talk partially from knowledge and part from my butt
If there is such a problem, I suspect you're on the right track. It's certainly not as simple as fluorescents = bad. Mine are running electronic ballasts and I have no issues, so there's one data point.
Your absolutely right. that's what i was meaning to get across, that not all Flourescents = Bad. ive never been that great at getting my fingers to type what my mind thinks is being said
Your absolutely right. that's what i was meaning to get across, that not all Flourescents = Bad. ive never been that great at getting my fingers to type what my mind thinks is being said
I got you the first time. Just adding another supporting data point.
Double the number of power receptacles you think you may ever need and put them in places you don't think you'll ever need one.
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i love your reloading room. I'm closing on my new house Monday ans specifically picked out our floor plan so i could have a room finished off in the basement for reloading. I have been using all the the photos you posted in another thread of your room to get ideas to design mine. great job man.
+1 for LED Recessed cans
I finished my reloading room remodel last winter and I can say this is good advice. I put in extra outlets on the walls at floor level and extra at counter top height; still seem to be short of outlets. I also run a RCBS Chargemaster under flourescent lights and have no issues; of course as mentioned they are the newer electronic versions.
I live in NW Missouri so I feel your pain on the climate changes but if you are forced air heat in the winter and central air in the summer the temp/humidity inside the house should be fairly stable. Be sure and place HVAC vents in a location where air movement will not affect the RCBS Chargemaster.
I'd post pics of my room but I'm a slob and even though room is new I have crap stacked everywhere
For lightning, if you're worried about fluorescent's affecting the Chargemaster.
Buy LED lights, with a cold white light, instead of daylight, fluorescent equivalent light color would be 830.
The white light gives lightning a whole new meaning if you really wanna see what you're doing.
If you're gonna use LED spots in like in the pictures above, you should pull down the entire roof and make boxes for them to sit inside.
IF not they pose a rather big fire hazard, of course worse with Halogen bulbs, but LED do produce heat too.
If you don't you're roofs insulation will be partly melted away after a few years.
I've seen results of this done while using Halogen bulbs a few times, and well only thing that kept the houses from burning down was lack of Oxygen in the roof, just something to be aware of.
Buy LED lights, with a cold white light, instead of daylight, fluorescent equivalent light color would be 830.
The white light gives lightning a whole new meaning if you really wanna see what you're doing.
If you're gonna use LED spots in like in the pictures above, you should pull down the entire roof and make boxes for them to sit inside.
IF not they pose a rather big fire hazard, of course worse with Halogen bulbs, but LED do produce heat too.
If you don't you're roofs insulation will be partly melted away after a few years.
I've seen results of this done while using Halogen bulbs a few times, and well only thing that kept the houses from burning down was lack of Oxygen in the roof, just something to be aware of.
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I run fluorescents, the newer t8 ballast version. I have 8' ceilings and a 3' tall bench. I have zero issues with my rcbs 1500. I have 3 of the 48" cheap units from home depot in a 10x10 room so plenty of opportunity for electrical interference. Not sure if the old t12 have issues though. The t8 also have basically zero warm up.
OK after publically admitting I am a slob, I felt guilty and went down and cleaned the room.
I'm a higly trained perfessnal space electronix instruments tech and there's no automatic problem with flourescent lights and digetal scales. It IS, or was, the magnetic fields from the old style ballasts that caused some problems.
If I were making a dedicated new reloading room from scratch I would NOT use dry wall, I'd use 7/16" OSB sheathing panels so the walls would have sufficent strength to mount anything want, anywhere I might want to put it. I'd attach the OSB with dry wall screws so I could remove individual panels if I wanted to revamp the wiring behind it. And all installed cabinets/shelving would also be attached with screws, NOT nails, for easy relocation because I LIKE flexability! Moderate priced plastic foam wall molding covering the ceiling and corner OSB joints and cheep painters caulk on the exposed seams would make it look nice. Paint three coats of a good exterior grade of latex, in a satin white for good lighting; it will look good and be quite durable. The finished "textured" interior should be no more expensive than dry wall and might be cheaper as well as much stronger. And I would NOT put electrical outlets at "normal" home levels, I'd put them at least as high as my bench top and have double outlet boxes at each point. Oh wait - that's what I DID do, and will do it that way again next year when I get my new place.
I have a window AC and portable electric heater but, if it were possible, I'd air condition/heat it from the house HVAC unit. But I'd have controllable registers or install "flap" doors that could be closed when needed to prevent scale inaccuracy.
If I were making a dedicated new reloading room from scratch I would NOT use dry wall, I'd use 7/16" OSB sheathing panels so the walls would have sufficent strength to mount anything want, anywhere I might want to put it. I'd attach the OSB with dry wall screws so I could remove individual panels if I wanted to revamp the wiring behind it. And all installed cabinets/shelving would also be attached with screws, NOT nails, for easy relocation because I LIKE flexability! Moderate priced plastic foam wall molding covering the ceiling and corner OSB joints and cheep painters caulk on the exposed seams would make it look nice. Paint three coats of a good exterior grade of latex, in a satin white for good lighting; it will look good and be quite durable. The finished "textured" interior should be no more expensive than dry wall and might be cheaper as well as much stronger. And I would NOT put electrical outlets at "normal" home levels, I'd put them at least as high as my bench top and have double outlet boxes at each point. Oh wait - that's what I DID do, and will do it that way again next year when I get my new place.
I have a window AC and portable electric heater but, if it were possible, I'd air condition/heat it from the house HVAC unit. But I'd have controllable registers or install "flap" doors that could be closed when needed to prevent scale inaccuracy.
I just finished expanding mine that is 1/2 workshop and 1/2 reloading area.
See if you can get a general lighting and then directional light on top of each reloader.
Separate the dirty area from the clean area with presses and scales. If you can have
running water and nice drain next to the bench some sonic cleaners you can run a tube
directly into the drain and another with hot water to make the solution.
Fro the motorized trimmers get electrical sockets all around the reloading area.
Air cleaner and then AC & heating and dehumidifier if needed.
See if you can build a firesafe. Or build one in the basement for long term ammo
and supplies storage. It might need a dehumidifier unit too.
See if you can get a general lighting and then directional light on top of each reloader.
Separate the dirty area from the clean area with presses and scales. If you can have
running water and nice drain next to the bench some sonic cleaners you can run a tube
directly into the drain and another with hot water to make the solution.
Fro the motorized trimmers get electrical sockets all around the reloading area.
Air cleaner and then AC & heating and dehumidifier if needed.
See if you can build a firesafe. Or build one in the basement for long term ammo
and supplies storage. It might need a dehumidifier unit too.
I built mine with 4x4 posts and large section wood. Go big to aovid flimsy structures. Mine doesn't move a hair even with the largest supermagnum
and progressive presses. I think I could park my truck on top of the counter and It would not budge.
In one of those custom benches I have a very heavy lathe and it is anchored to the wall and concrete too.
So think large, large screws, carriage bolts and avoid office or kitchen type of counter tops. Even some workbenches are not sturdy enough.
Metal with heavy settings are nice too but then hard to customize for cabinets and drawers.
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