Don’t forget lighting when renting equipment – here’s why it may be more important than you think

Renting equipment for a commercial or DIY job is a practical decision for many projects. Equipment rental gives you the capability to temporarily make use of equipment that you don’t have the need or funds to buy permanently. Most people don’t need a personal set of drywall hanging and finishing equipment; but you might need it for one special home improvement project. Even construction teams rent large or specialty equipment in each project to reduce the costs of buying and maintaining these big-ticket items on their own.

But one element of equipment rental that can go overlooked is lighting. When there’s perfectly good sunlight and nearby outlets, why invest in rental lighting for your upcoming project? For those with diverse project experience, the answer is obvious; but new teams and DIY clients may not have the on-site experience to see why rented lighting can – in the right circumstances – be essential to your rental equipment loadout.

Let’s dive into the top reasons why to include lighting as part of your project’s equipment rental order.

Lighting is Essential for Project Safety

First and most importantly: Lighting is essential to safety. This matters whether you’re working with large and powerful equipment or a simple hand shovel. If lighting is insufficient, your team can’t aptly see what they’re doing. Someone could get hurt or equipment can be damaged when operating in low-light environments. Even if you have enough light to walk around and place objects, you may not have enough light to see obstacles or operate in the site’s cast shadows.

This makes lighting an essential part of your project equipment, whether you have floodlights, area lights, and portable lights or not.

After-Hours and Overcast Skies

Maybe your project is outdoors and you are planning to rely on some bright summer sunshine to illuminate the work. This is quite common for DIY projects where the DIY-er is working on landscaping or the exterior of their property. However, you can’t always count on sunlight when you need it; and you may want to work longer hours than sunshine allows for.

Working after-hours can be cooler and even safer in most cases – especially during the summer but you will need additional lighting. You also can’t always predict whether you will be dealing with heavily overcast skies on your project days. Overcast skies can significantly lower the available lumens and even cast your project into a hazy twilight of under-lit hazards.

When On-Site Lighting is Offline

You may, by default, be planning to rely on the lighting on-site. Nearby outlets and light fixtures can be helpful for indoor projects; but it’s important to calculate whether these lights or their power source are part of the project. From incomplete buildings to room renovations, keep in mind whether you’re about to be working in a space that doesn’t actually have overhead lighting you can rely on. When on-site lighting is offline, your best option is to use portable high-lumen lights to illuminate your project safely.

When Your Project Casts a Dark Shadow

Some projects create a deep shadow during peak work hours in the day. Consider a wall that shades one half of itself as the sun moves, or a pit that is half-shadowed at every moment but noon. In these shadows, even brilliant sunlight or nearby lighting can’t prevent the usual low-light project hazards. Unseen obstacles and too-dark details can lead to everything from a throbbing hammer-whacked thumb to wrecked vehicle equipment.

Working in Basements, Pits, Crawl-Spaces, and Tunnels

Then there are underground scenarios which represent a large portion of rental light demand. Basement work, for example, can be fully dark if you have to cut electricity to the lights or are replacing your light fixtures. Pits, as we mentioned previously, can cast deep, dark shadows. Crawl-spaces don’t have to be underground to become too dark for safe work. Tunnels are just basements that go somewhere and can be equally pitch-black unless outside lighting is brought in.

Renting Lights With Your Equipment Rental Order

Here at Vandalia Rental, we know how important lighting can be to your project’s safety and efficiency. That is why we offer a selection of free-standing and portable lights to illuminate your site no matter the weather, the time of day, or how deep underground you may be. Portable wobble lights are great for small areas like crawl spaces and for multi-location projects. You can also find floodlights for limited or indoor area lighting and larger light towers for lighting an entire work zone. Our light towers come with their own generators so you don’t have to worry about on-site electricity.

If you’re planning an upcoming project with equipment rental, take a moment to calculate your work schedule and light levels. Will you need rental flood lights and area lights to ensure the safety of your project? If so, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to discuss your project plans and we’ll make sure you have all the equipment you need, including enough light to get the job done.