6 Best Glare Free Barn Light Mounts For Humid Conditions Farmers Trust

It’s five in the morning, the air is thick with moisture, and you’re trying to check on a sick goat. The single bare bulb hanging from the rafters casts harsh, blinding glare and deep shadows, making it impossible to see what you’re doing. Good lighting in a barn isn’t a luxury; it’s a critical tool for safety, efficiency, and animal welfare. Choosing the right light and mount for humid, demanding conditions makes all the difference between a frustrating chore and a job well done.

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Choosing Mounts for High Humidity & Low Glare

Picking a barn light is about more than just lumens. In a high-humidity environment like a barn with livestock or a wash-down area, moisture is your enemy. It causes corrosion on metal fixtures, shorts out cheap wiring, and can turn a simple light into a hazard.

You need to look for fixtures with a solid Ingress Protection (IP) rating. An IP65 rating is a good starting point, meaning it’s sealed against dust and can handle water jets from any direction. This isn’t overkill; it’s what you need to withstand condensation, humidity, and the occasional hose-down.

Glare is the other half of the equation. Working under a single, intensely bright point of light creates eye strain and dangerous shadows where a tool or a hoof could be hiding. Look for lights with frosted or diffused lenses that scatter the light, creating a softer, more even illumination. The mount itself also plays a role; a light angled down from a wall is less likely to shine directly in your eyes than one hanging straight overhead.

Hykolity Vapor Tight LED: Sealed for Moisture

When you hear "vapor tight," think "submarine." These fixtures are completely sealed with gaskets to prevent any moisture or dust from getting inside. This makes them the undisputed champion for the most demanding, wettest parts of your barn.

The Hykolity Vapor Tight lights, often called "jelly jars" or linear fixtures, are built for this reality. Their polycarbonate housings resist corrosion far better than metal, a huge plus in barns where ammonia from animal waste can eat away at steel. They typically mount flush to a ceiling or wall, or can be hung by chains, giving you options for different ceiling heights and applications. While they excel at durability, be sure to choose a model with a frosted lens, as the clear-lens versions can still produce significant glare despite their excellent moisture protection.

Sunco UFO High Bay with Frosted Lens Diffuser

For barns with high ceilings, a UFO-style high bay light is a fantastic solution. Their round shape provides a wide, circular spread of light that can illuminate a large area, from a hayloft to the main barn floor. They are designed to replace old, energy-guzzling metal halide fixtures.

The key to making a UFO light work without blinding you is the frosted lens diffuser. This simple feature is non-negotiable. It takes the intense, concentrated light from the LEDs and softens it, reducing the harsh glare and deep shadows that make tasks difficult. The Sunco models with this feature are particularly effective. They typically use a simple hook-and-chain mount, making them easy to hang from a rafter or beam. This setup is perfect for general area lighting, though you may still want dedicated task lighting over a workbench.

Lumenty Wall Pack Mount: Angled for Less Glare

Sometimes the best way to reduce glare is to get the light source out of your direct line of sight. This is where wall-mounted "wall packs" shine. These fixtures are designed to be mounted vertically on an interior or exterior wall and cast light downwards and outwards.

A Lumenty Wall Pack is ideal for lighting up entryways, aisles between stalls, or the area around your main barn door. By directing the light toward the ground, it illuminates your path and work area without shining into your eyes as you approach. This angled approach is a fundamentally different way to tackle glare. The tradeoff is that you get a more defined cone of light rather than broad, overhead coverage, so they work best as part of a layered lighting plan, not as the sole source of illumination.

LEPRO Linkable LED Shop Light: Versatile Mounting

Not every part of the barn needs a fortress-like, vapor-proof fixture. For your workshop, potting shed, or a dry tack room, a linkable LED shop light offers incredible versatility and value. Their main advantage is the ability to daisy-chain multiple fixtures together from a single power source, dramatically simplifying wiring.

The LEPRO linkable lights are a great example of this category. They are lightweight and come with hardware for both flush-mounting directly to the ceiling and suspension-mounting with chains. This flexibility allows you to hang them low over a workbench for intense task lighting or mount them high for general room illumination. While they aren’t built for direct water exposure, many are rated for damp conditions, making them suitable for moderately humid areas. Just be sure to mount them where they won’t get splashed.

Kadision LED Barn Light: Dusk-to-Dawn Control

The classic gooseneck barn light shape is iconic for a reason: it works. It directs light down and away from the building, and modern LED versions have added features that make them even more useful. The standout feature on many, like the Kadision models, is the integrated photocell for dusk-to-dawn operation.

This automated control is a game-changer for security and convenience, ensuring the outside of your barn is always lit at night without you having to flip a switch. The mount is typically a direct-to-wall flange or an extension arm. The built-in reflector helps shape the light and reduce upward glare, but the exposed bulb design means it can still be harsh if you look right at it. It’s best used for illuminating specific zones like doorways, feed bins, or the side of a building.

AntLux 4FT LED Wraparound: Wide-Angle Coverage

For general lighting in spaces with standard 8-to-10-foot ceilings, a wraparound fixture is one of the best choices for minimizing glare. The lens on these lights curves around the side of the fixture, diffusing the light and casting it across a very wide area, including up onto the ceiling.

This "wraparound" effect from a light like the AntLux 4FT model softens the light and brightens the entire space, virtually eliminating the harsh shadows you get from a bare bulb or single-point source. They mount flush to the ceiling, providing a clean, low-profile installation that’s perfect for milking parlors, workshops, or storage rooms. The wide, even coverage makes the entire room feel brighter and more usable.

Key Features for Humid Barn Light Mounts

When you’re standing in the store or browsing online, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Focus on the features that matter for a humid, hardworking environment. Cutting corners on these will only lead to frustration and replacements down the road.

A solid decision rests on checking these four boxes:

• IP Rating: Look for IP65 or higher. This ensures the fixture is sealed against dust and can withstand being sprayed down with a hose. Don’t settle for "damp-rated" in truly wet areas.
• Lens and Diffuser: Choose a frosted or prismatic lens over a clear one. A diffuser scatters light, reduces glare, and creates a more comfortable working environment.
• Housing Material: Prioritize polycarbonate or powder-coated aluminum. These materials resist the corrosion that ammonia and constant humidity can cause on bare steel or cheap metal.
• Mounting Style: Match the mount to the job. Use chain-hung UFOs for high ceilings, wall packs for doorways and aisles, and flush-mount wraparounds for lower ceilings and workshops.

Ultimately, the best lighting plan for your barn involves using the right light in the right place. A single type of fixture rarely solves every problem. By combining a vapor-tight light in the wash stall with a diffused UFO high bay for the main floor and a wall pack over the door, you create a system that is safe, durable, and makes your work easier—no matter the weather or the time of day.