How to easily convert fluorescent Lights to LED -Easy Ways to Save Money
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2024
- How to easily convert fluorescent Lights to LED - Easy Ways to Save Money
New 2021 update: • How to easily convert ...
CORRECTION: At about 3:58, I misspoke. We are replacing shunted with non-shunted lampholders - not the other way around.
Lamp holders (tombstones): amzn.to/3iF4AjS
Push connectors: amzn.to/2Q3LgAR
LED tubes: amzn.to/39cbbjH (The tubes in this video are no longer manufactured. The tubes in this link are comparable and I like them slightly better than the originals.)
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Replacing your fluorescent tube bulbs with LED is an easy project that can save you money on energy costs as well as saving you the inevitable time and expense of replacing the electronic ballasts in fluorescent light fixtures.
You can calculate your potential savings using this helpful link: www.ledwaves.com/pages/led-calc
Chapter Links
00:41 Tools and Materials Needed
01:36 Steps for Converting to LED
07:44 Putting Everything Back Together
09:29 Important Tips for Choosing the Correct LED Tube
#ChangingFluorescentTubestoLEDs
#CanyoureplacefluorescenttubeswithLEDs
#Whatisthedifferencebetweent8andt12fluorescentlightbulbs
#HowdoIrewireatwobulbfluorescentlightforLEDbulbs
#Areledsmoreefficientthanfluorescent
#HowefficientareLEDlightbulbs
#FluorescenttoLEDConversionEASYDIYInstructions
#ConvertafluorescenttubefixturetoLED
#ChangingFluorescentTubestoLEDs
#WaystoConvertYourFluorescentLightFixturestoLED
#FluorescenttoLEDConversion
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This video will demonstrate how to replace T8 fluorescent light tubes with single-ended LED replacement bulbs. It involves 3 primary steps; removing the ballast, replacing the lamp holders, and installing the LED replacement bulbs. Additionally, we'll cover the different types of LED tubes - single vs double ended bulbs, ballast required vs no ballast, shunted vs non-shunted lamp holders, and choosing your output and temperature color.
Related topics worth searching:
LED fluorescent conversion
Retrofit fluorescent light tubes with LED
T8 or T12 LED replacement bulbs
Non-shunted T8 lamp holder tombstones
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Хобби
It's been almost 4 years since this video posted. Here's a new updated version. Hybrid LED tubes make this even easier! ruclips.net/video/VKEQ1HCLW5c/видео.html
I have an 8 ft shop light. Uses 4 ft bulbs. Have blue and red wires in the middle and yellow running to the end. I have double ended LED bulbs. How do I remove the ballast and wire that?
Hi, how do I do the opposite? I want to put fluorescent tubes inside a LED fixture... Please advise!!
@@pdjtw Why would you want to go back to fluorescent Tubes when they are becoming obsolete and you get better light with less energy? Thats the DUMBEST question I ever heard!!!
Thanks
Will hybrid tubes work with this conversion?
as a maint. man for H.U.D. for 20 years , I have done this many times and still find useful tips in watching these vids regardless if they are directed to the novice. Sometime they will show a cool retrofit or new tool or hardware that I have not seen before . It's all good . you are never done learning . Lighten up !
Viet Namese
This was one of the best instructional videos I have ever watched. You, sir, are a professional presenter. Thanks for giving me all the information I need to do this in my shop where I am always replacing Fluorescent tubes or ballasts or stumbling around in the dark. Make more instructional videos.
Perfect. You covered everything I needed to know and then some. Learned more than I bargained for. Feeling pretty confident in upgrading the lights in our deli now. Thank you so much.
4-5 years ago, I converted the one in my garage to LED and so glad I did. Although it took a bit longer than your demonstration--first time and I left the fixture mounted--it worked out fantastically. Now, I have such clear, white light in there whenever I need it without the hassle of having to replace the tubes so often.
Thanks for the instructional video! I replaced the ballast fluorescent lights in our kitchen with the non-ballast LED lights. Easy-peasy, and we'll save on energy usage!
Great informative video.
I was considering replacing my florescent lights in my shop. Now I will just convert them.
thank you. I watched a bunch of videos that kept telling me to connect all the positives on one side and the negatives on the other, thinking that made no sense.
Your video was what I needed and made me realize that those other videos were all for double ended tubes. Made sense immediately.
Thank you soooooooooo much! We just moved into a new place and the fluorescent lighting in the kitchen was loud, flickery and giving me a headache. Following your instructions I've successfully converted to LEDs. They're easier on the eyes and don't make that head-splitting buzz! Much appreciated :D
This was an very good class on how to convert over from Florescent to LED! You made it look so easy to the average home owner do it yourself guy or gal!! Thx for posting your informative video!!😋
Thanks so much. That explained the issue perfectly.
I have seen a LOT of vids explaining various thing. YOUR'S sir has to be the MOST simple and Direct instructional vid to date. No stories about how Aunt Hilda stubbed her toe because of bad light or the time you and a friend made your dog Bark at the light. I like that..when I look for an Instructional Vid I want Instruction and NOT Stories of relatives no one ever heard of..thanks for being so Direct. Be safe and have a Great Week.
Thank you so much for this video. My walk-in closest have been a nightmare for us. The contractor put in fluorescent lights, but cheap ones. So it is constantly going out. When I saw this video, I thought what have I got to lose. It was so simple and easy to do. The lights are so much brighter in both closet. I can actually see clothes and shoes well to see if they goes together or not. Thank you, thank you.
Very good and very clear i must said everything is very simple thank you
I've been converting all my lights to LED. At first it was cost prohibitive, but now it's affordable. I love the longevity.
You seem to be putting the cart before the horse. You have no idea about the longevity because you just got them. Come back in 15 years and if they still work, THEN you have a valid claim. If you think you can trust the cheap ("affordable") LED light lifespan ratings, I have bad news for you.
@@stinkycheese804 Fluorescents lose their brightness rather quickly, LED's dont. That right there justifies the "longevity" comment as far as I'm concerned.
@@stinkycheese804 Not having a ballast makes it worthwhile to me right off the bat.
Converted my kitchen tubes to LED about 5 yerars ago, and been very happy. Since converted my small workshop. It was shadowy under my cabinets, so I made some under-cabinet lights. I bought 4 of the 48" 5000K tubes. Used round connectors to plug thin power cords to the prongs on the tubes, hung them up with rubber bands on magneitic hooks. Happy camper.
Concise. Safe. Did it the right way. Great editing - didn't show redundant parts we didn't need to see. Great job, sir! Loved the video.
Did three fluorescent lights today...took about 15-20minutes each. Thanks for the vid.
OMG!!! I just did it!!! I LOVE it...thank you for such a detailed video! Woooohooo...Light again..:)
Awesome! Nice work.
this video is a lot more informative than others out there. Thank you.. I won't burn my house down following this information/tutorial.
Very informative, especially when describing shunted v non-shunted lamp holders and which LED bulbs are compatible with which setup
This information will save me several hundred on my shop lighting conversation
Thank you Sir, you've been helpful. Keep up the good work
What a great video! Clear explanations, no background "music," no wasted time. Many thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Converted to LED years ago, bought an LED tube from amazon, came with a special replacement starter to replace the fluorescent tube one. LED will light up only if plugged in the right way round but that was it. Job done and still working. No more flashing tube lights.
Solid well done video, thanks for your time & solid method to teach, share.
Here’s a little tip before you spend extra money for non shunted tombstones. Some holders have a fiberboard cover on the back side. Gently pry off the staple and cover and look for a clip connecting the two pin tabs. Remove that clip (it should lift right out) and you now have a non shunted tombstone.
When I opened mine, there was just a wire on bottom between the two sides. I cut that and voila, non-shunted.
Make your own video thanks GOD bless you
Your video and clear instruction was very helpful for my conversion of fluorescent to LED. Thank you!
Thank for the diy fluorescent to led conversion.
I'm in the UK so we have diffrent wiring, colours, fixtures and connectors.
Nice at the end that you explained the light o/p in lumins and the colour.
I refitted my lights when thay came out in the UK with Lidl ones bacically reducing my light if all on from 2500 watts to 175 Watts about 10 to 15 years ago.
The rule of thumb is you will save approximate 90% of power used.
Unfortunately they were 3000 lumins warm colour, so very yellow over the years changing them to 6000 lumins daylight colour.
Just subscribed to your channel.
Thanks.
I enjoyed this very informative video. You explained it well and I understand lighting much better now. Thanks for sharing.
Mm
Lol. It's an uncle reunion
I recently bought LED tubes for the kitchen that work with a ballast, I wish I had seen this video first. I have two florescent fixtures in the garage, in one the ballast died this week. I’m switch to direct wired LEDs as things die out. Thanks for the video.
Plus leaving the ballast insures greater electric usage! Go bypass and save
Very well done. Brief, and straight to the point. I will now be converting 6 of my 4-foot fluorescent fixtures to LED. Thanks!
I’m knowledgeable around electricity and converted a Lifelite unit last night. What a different setup! Transformers, capacitors, and startup circuitry instead of your typical ballast. Another difficulty is removing the tombstone holder. Manufactured to be a “one-time”install, it’s a pain to unclip it and get it apart. It took four hands to do it but opened with patience and didn’t break the plastic molded clips. I also found a never soldered wire... no wonder it flickered. My helper was confused but I understand shunted/nonshunted. He wanted to insert a replacement tombstone. But Lifelite doesn’t use the standard snap-in units. So, as you showed, I used my VOM to verify the existing tombstones were non-shunted because we had to use the existing tombstones. You were smart in your video to teach that. We cut out all electronics; two transformers, two capacitors and resistors and the startup circuitry and reduced it to simple 120 VAC hot/neutral at one end for both bulbs. The only thing we left in place was the power ground connection. Snapped the tombstone units back together, inserted the single-ended LED while paying attention to which end power goes in, and it worked perfectly. Only eight more of these to go!
Excellent tutorial, covers everything you would need to know.
Thanks for the info
I did try this 8 months ago, bought two LED tubes with the connectors on both end. Instruction shows very easy to take out the old connectors and put in these new ones. That is the hard part, I could not even get this going so I returned them. Then I bought LED tubes which include metal housing from Amazon for the same cost,. These LED tubes come in as complete unit. Take off the entire old tube fixtures, then install these in (only two screws needed to attach it to the ceiling or wall), then do the standard 3 wires connection to the old wires (black, white and ground) that feed the old tubes. This is simpler. REMOVE OLD ONE COMPLETELY , INSTALL NEW ONE.
Thank you for talking on bolts nuts parts n techniques of conversion. Great hands on workshop.
WOW! Great info and demo. Thanks so much.
excellent vid -- thank you.
Very informative. I will be doing some of these conversions in the near future. In fact I will be able to buy some 4 foot fluorescent fixtures for almost nothing and convert them. Thanks for good video. Gregg, Wilmington Delaware
Finally seen a very informative video. Using meter to determine what tombstone fixture has. Single sided bulb is definitely the way to go. Very neat installation with zip ties etc. Class A job.
very professional easy to understand instructions!
Good afternoon, I like your video, I was wondering how much electricity do I save if I change to led from Florence lamp
Many 4 foot T8 fluorescent tubes use 32 watts of electricity. 4 foot LED replacement tubes use anywhere from 12 to 24W. You'll find most of them are about 18W. So the savings is 14w per bulb.
Thanks for the video. I have four pairs of lights I need to upgrade in my kitchen. You make it sound easy and I am confident you are correct with your guidance.
Thank you very much, awesome tutorial , I feel more sure of myself now.
At the beginning, 4:03 in, you say to use shunted lamp holders, but later you say you have to use non shunted lamp holders.
I know which is right. I just thought you shuold know.
I watched the whole video, now I'm a certified LED technician. When do I get my diploma? LOL! Good video...thanks!
Same place he did. LOL
From Trump University! Your diploma will be as worthless as Trump himself. LOL!!!
🤣
Great job on the video. I learned a lot from this video .I work at a hardware store so it may come in handy
Thanks for showing people the right way to convert to LED. Most people think you save money by just installing direct replacement LED bulbs that run off of the existing ballast. That will not save any money. You have to do the conversion the way the video depicts in order to save money. Nice job
Ballasts are quickly disappearing. Home Depot only has one type and plan to have none by next year
I'am a professional electrician and i do recommend single ended led lamps cause are lot of easy to fix them, by the way rarely seen shunted lamp holders unless they are electronic ballast driven. ( wired ballasts or choke coils are more common in my country since they more reliable and long lasting)
This work as described in the video is also illegal in many western countries unless you are an electrician. For most people its better to just buy a light that is designed for LED tubes, although its more expensive.
I'm confused...I'm not sure if you are aware of it but you contradicted yourself at 3:57 in the video. You described the lamp holders that were already in the fixture and that you needed to replace as non-shunting when you previously (and later towards the end of the video) described them as shunting lamp holders. You did state correctly in other parts of the video that the fixture in which you were replacing the lamp holders, require non-shunting lamp holders on the power end of the lamp.
Very well presented and most informative. Thank You.
Great video. Now...do it on an 8' ladder, overhead, in a row that goes to the other end of the building. Then, start on the next row.
When you're done, go up to the next floor and start over.
I understand, it's a helpful video for novices. Keep 'em coming.
My electricity bill is about 100$ a month with all the CFLs in my house. Not changing anything else in the house except for the light bulbs. I managed to save an average of $25-30 a month in my home. This is a 4 month average. I didn't tell the family anything. We used the same amount of light but got billed for way less each month. I think it's worth it in the long run.
Replaced every bulb in my house. Now with outside lights on all inside lights on total of 190 watts. 3 bedroom home
But what was the capital cost to covert those? Did you include those costs?
@ki0ng That's apparently a real issue... rats tested with LED's demonstrated measurable destruction on retina cells, at domestic lightning levels !
Don't look at those lights ! The worst issue is maybe on the road, though... much brighter.
The light they diffuse is also quite cold, I need to find warmer color temps (couldn't find incandescent bulbs anymore last time, only cold white or colored LED's, not what I was looking for) Maybe some day LED's will end like fluorescent lights, limited to kitchen and public spaces ?
I appreciate this video sir. Thank you. Mistake or no mistake. You covered your arse on this one. Soon farward...
He joined the bulb directly to the mains power?
How come they don't use a balast or such.
@@irishguy200007 don't need a ballast for these bulbs. The required electronics is inside the bulb end.
@@irishguy200007 LED light emitting diode uses a sine wave through drivers (like a ballast in non tech talk), there is no arching inert gas such as fluorescent plus your dealling with half the wattage with LED then 40 w att or higher flourscent that the drivers can control with lower wattage. If you were to put a LED driver bulb in a flourscent system with out removing ballast the arch charge would destroy the drivers instantly- possibly electrical fire.
Excellent video Brother, you made it easy to understand...especially since I've never attempted this before, thanks...
Thanks for the info on this LED upgrade.
3:57, don't you mean you'll be replacing the shunted with non-shunted? Sorry, I only saw your correction above now. :)
Just some legal info...
If you change the construction of a fluorescent fixture the fixture needs to be recertified in Canada. If it causes damage to a person or property you will be held liable.
Plus, the tombstones are not rated for 15 amps, so this retrofit does not meet Canadian code.
Exactly. And where is the disconnect?
My hero. Those flourescent lights make me dizzy and fatigue me. Make me sick. I hate being around them. Grocery stores and companies that use fluorescents make me mad. So glad you made this video. You are up with the times. Those flourescents are just ancient history. It is a part of history that needs to be retired to history and never used again. Lots of people are effected by flourescents. They just don't know why they feel the way they feel. You are helping lots of people. I wish companies would get the hint and drop their tubes. LED is the way of the future. Saves lots of money. I cut my electric bill in half by just using LED over those curly lights. LED good for your health. Good for your wallet. They do last a long time. Keep up the good videos. I just subbed. You are the MAN!!!
Awesome video. I can now see things much better. My kitchen, garage and shed has a whole new look. Can wait to to convert the rest of me house lighting fixture to this technology.
I've been encouraging my corporate customers to do this for decades. Basically since these tubes became available. For those that balk at the capital outlay of a full conversion (especially in areas without green incentives on them) I tell them to simply convert a fixture each time a ballast inevitably fails.
A T8 Florescent bulb is costing me $3 in packs of 10. The Hyperikon T8 LED's I get cost about $11 each. These are 120-277 Volt. I need 277 volt!!! Not a normal Home Depot LED replacement unless I got one that needed the ballast. I've replaced them to LED's in a couple offices. I've like to convert more as the bulbs or ballast go bad. Havn't made that move yet to do the rest. The front office wants to do their own thing, and plan things, and then it never gets done, instead of myself just doing it.
Have never known a balast to fail but granted they could but they also draw some power so best to get rid
pChristopher Gaul ‘h. Hi 51’/
@@jbdragon3295 $11each ? The T8 tube 18W 1800lm ,pf0.9, we ship to US just cost 2.3$
@@gowdsake7103
They fail all the time
Might be a good idea to mention how incredibly sharp the edges of sheet metal light fixtures are. Everybody does things different, but using the internal wiring to bundle itself makes for easier troubleshooting if required. And I would always use wirenuts for wire connection. I just don't trust those "push and pray" gizmos. At least I worried about that kind of stuff before I retired ;-)
Sharp sheet metal-- same on computer cases! Mfrs used to tumble in walnut shells, knock off edges, but no more! I call it A FOREST OF RAZOR BLADES!
Bring Band-Aids and Neosporin when you open all these things, and if you'll be back in there (or it's your own toy) take a file to accessible edges, then clean up steel dust with a magnet and tack cloth (before it gets between fine traces). Do it right, the first time.
Did my shop a couple years ago, no regrets; removed ballasts, cleaned and repainted white inside surfaces.
My experience is that most of those metal cases are apparently made by Wilkinson Sword.
Just like the warning on food products about peanuts they should have a warning that "These cases are made in a factory that also makes razor blades."
I hate that! I'm an electrician and I've cut my hands on quite a few sharp fluorescent fixture edges. It's like a papercut, it sucks! I always used wire nuts for a while when wiring ballasts and such but after doing it for so long and the time saved using the push-in connectors are well worth it. I only use the ideal brand which I've never had a failure on. Also gotta use some common sense like don't use them for anything but ballast wiring, always do a quick "tug" test. If the connection doesn't hold up to being given a good tug then the connection is not made in my eyes. Amazing how many helpers I've worked with who were never taught the good 'ol tug test. Can save you a lot of troubleshooting down the line bc a connection will look like it's good up until someone pulls it out of the box
Not only are most modern sheet metal assemblies nothing but assemblages of razor blades, but by cutting those zip-ties that way you are adding even more flesh rending points. Use a flush-cutter and cut flush to the zip-tie head. (Your wire cutters are diagonal cutters. Flush cutters have the outside of the blades ground such that the cutting edges are flush with the outside face of the blades. Your knuckles will thank you next time you need to work on these.)
Flush cut plyers aren't part of your average electrician or homeowner's tool chest, BUT if you have a pair of linesman plyers you can twist the 'lil buggers til they snap off. The result is a nice soft nubbin of broken plastic. If I'm using the big thick tie wraps I'll usually cut little chamfers on those sharp edges if cutting into hands or other wires is a concern
Very good presentation, clear, well spoken!
And, this was a very good video! Thank you!
For the cost of the bulbs and conversion you can just about buy a nice led fixture you can drop in and connect wires. Much easier quicker looks bettet and gives better light
And send the old ones to the landfill???
Not as easy if your in a shop or commercial building where you have conduit running to each fixture with wires from one to the next.
I have replaced fluorescent tubes with two different LED tubes in our house. One required rewiring to eliminate the ballast., the other just plugged in with no modifications. Obviously the ballast draws power so it is good to eliminate it.
In both cases the LED bulbs are performing perfectly. The come on instantly, don't flicker, are brighter than the bulbs they replaced, and none has failed after a year.
The drop-in replacement I can find almost every Home Improvement store and cheap. Around $6 a bulb. But the ones that where you take the ballast out are four times as much. Even on Amazon more expensive.
Dug Bard
The Ballast dont draw power, it is just a length of wound wire.
The ballast is just something more that could go wrong. They can also cause buzzing sounds. They also do FAIL. For me I feel it's just better to toss them. So I replaced the fluorescent T8 bulbs in the owner's office and the HR's office. using LED bulbs that work over 120-277 volts. All the lights in the factory are powered by 277 volts. There's so many more lights I could do also. Some also are connected to a battery backup system that's in them. I've had to replace a few ballasts and battery backup systems.
It's not hard, you basically rip the ballast out and all the wiring going everywhere. You replace the Keystone on 1 side with a new one. One that allows a black wire connection on one side and a White Wire connection on the other side. Normally both those pins on a florescent Keystone are the same and linked together. That wouldn't work for getting power directly. It's a simple wire hookup. The other side of the fixture there's no wires at all, the only thing it's now doing is holding up that side of the T8 bulb. I also put a label in them that saw 277V Power end, LED Conversion. Just in case it's not me that's doing something with them.
These things should last for YEARS and YEARS, and use a fraction of the power. There's no ballast in them to ever have to deal with either now. If I used the lights in my garage a whole lot more, I would start switching them out. Hell I may do that once the bulbs start to fail. The cost of LED keep dropping. Most of the bulbs in my house these days are LED's.
did you put an amp meter on that to verify that??? just asking, if so why do they fail if they use no current??
Well done! I ordered some replacement lamps today.
thanks great info, good timing I am fixing to replace lights in my shop and out buildings.
I have done several conversions and never changed the ends. You simply connect the hot to one wire and the common to the other.
Jake Jones - That’s the proper method on a double ended bulb but as was stated in the video, some bulbs are single ended. One pin is marked L1, the other N. The ETI retro fit kit from Home Depot is configured this way. The pins on the other end are not connected to the internal strip. They are just there to hold the lamp in place.
You said that you replaced the NON-shunted holders with shunted holders. But from what I can tell, you actually did the opposite. 3:53 Perhaps it was just an accidental mix-up of terms?
Guess I was lucky in that every fixture had TWO wires into each holder on one end of the fixture. But yeah, I understand that there is no way to attach two wires (hot & common) to the holder, that the electrical end of the LED tube connects to, if there is only one wire coming out of it.
around minute 3:55, you talk about replacing the non-shunted wire holders with shunted wire holders. Isn't it the other way around? I believe minute 11:47 has it right, so I understand the concept.
Very informative video. Thanks for the info.
Nice catch, Michel! You are correct, that was stated backwards. For a conversion to single ended LEDs, you are replacing shunted lamp holders with non-shunted.
Michel Dumas n
Chinese cucumber salad
Really thorough video. Thank you so much!
Good video, simple and easy to follow instructions and clarifications.
You have contradicted yourself, You said at the beginning you said you need non shunted lamp holders and then said that you need to replace the pre existing non shunted lamp holders with shunted ones. Did you mean that you need to replace the pre existing shunted ones with non shunted ones? And to fully clarify, do I need shunted or non shunted if a am replacing with a single ended lamp like yours?
If they’re single ended led bulbs. You can simply disconnect the other end and use it as a holder because there is no current running them.
He did misspeak and say he was going to install shunted tombstones but of course he installed non-shunted.
At home I just replace it with $10 LED sets from Walmart. Left old transformer in. Works fine. Plug and play.
Some bulbs are direct replacement but the ballast sucks too much power, inefficient, puts out a lot of heat.
Well worth the conversion, my home is 100 percent LED for about 8 years, I have integrated Alexa and motion sensors (Insteon) when you walk into a room the light will come on for a pre etermined time or on my steps I have the LED 35 ft light strip, no more turning on and off the lights, its a wonderful thing.
Wow! Super easy to follow, and extremely well-explained. Any time I had a question, you soon answered it. Thank you! Subscribed!
Where did you find multi wire snap together connectors?
Amazon. The brand is Wago.
Lars Eckman
Personally, I would not use that type of wire connector. The contact area between wires is significantly smaller than using traditional wire nuts. It is a similar connection to the push in connections on light switches and receptacles which I have seen others use many times and I have seen fail over and over again. The fix for them is to use the screws on the sides.
Yeah those push in receptacles are used traditionally in single wide mobile home manufacturing.
fbeckman, can you provide a pic or link for the kind of connector you are referring to? Thank you in advance! I'm getting ready to do this change over and if a better part is out there, I'd like to have a look.
When switching to LED you don't need to use the ballast anymore am I correct?
Generally, yes. I have yet to come across an LED replacement tube that *requires* a ballast. Many require removal of or bypassing the ballast while some will work with or without the ballast. Just be sure to check the tube manufacturer's instructions. I highly recommend removing or bypassing the ballast for one simple reason...that ballast will eventually fail so why not just remove that possibility when you have the fixture open!
I fully agree with you. My ballasts are dead, that is why I want to change to LED. Don't waste money on replacing ballast.
Some LED units still use the ballast. Makes them simple to install. Remote old Fluorescent light, pop in new LED light and done!!! It's that simple. Other LED bulbs use no ballast and are powered on either just the 1 end or both ends. The ones I've installed at work, I used the single end ones and replaced the Tombstones. They're called that because that is what they look like. Mini Tombstones!!!
I think it's worth the little extra effort to toss the ballast and never have to deal with it again. It's something that could fail a year or 5 down the road. Why not take it out of the picture. They also have making buzzing type noises.
It really is pretty simple to convert. After you do the first one, the following fixtures will be even easier. It's 3 wires, Black, White and Green/Bare-Ground. It's not rocket science. It's one of the most basic things you can do in home repair.
@@jbdragon3295 Tubestones.. get it? The pun? ;))
Some are designed to work with the original ballast : Very good for cold weather and more light. But convert if your goal is to save most energy,
Very informative. Thank you for for explaining if you do or do not need the ballast. Have several fixtures that need repaired. Dang you for creating yet ANOTHER fall/winter project for me! Ha ha ha ha.
Thank you for posting this. Nice video, well explained.
I recently converted my fixture to the LED tubes before I saw this. I never knew LED tubes they came in single ended. The local hardwares store by me only had the double ended tubes. I decided to keep the ballast in place in case I decided to go back to fluorescent tubes. There have been complaints about LED's not lasting very long. Also with mine I had the non shunted tombstones and I had to make them shunted in order to make my LED tubes work. Thank you for putting this video out, but people should do there home work before taking on this retro fit. One important thing to note is to make sure your ballast is compatible, mine wasn't. Best to call the manufacturer of the LED tubes to find out for sure. The people at my local hardware store didn't have a clue as to what ballast to use.
Excellent point about checking ballast compatibility! I overlooked this since I was removing the ballast altogether. I think it's a great idea to keep the ballast if it's good, but bypassing it will prolong it's life if you ever decide to go back to fluorescent bulbs.
Out of curiosity, do you know why your fixture already had non-shunted tombstones? Does the fixture have a starter in addition to the ballast?
Ballasts compatible LED tube must come with a compatibility list, local hardware store should check the ballast for its customer before selling out the tubes, this is responsibility. Ballast compatible LED tube is a way for fast retrofitting, and another way for fast rewiring is to get a double ended type B LED tube.
Some of the tombstones he had in the fixture had two wires and were probably non-shunted. He replaced them to show how to do it. Actually many fixtures have non shunted tombstones that are wired as shunted. Some of these lamp holders have the wires 'back stabbed' in (like switches do) and can be rewired either way.
Costco is selling replacement LED tubes that are double ended and are meant to be used with ballasts. I've used these to upgrade existing fixtures, it's easier to do as there is no rewiring. Also, since the LED tubes draw less power, the ballasts are likely to last longer as they will not get as hot.
Also most of the LED tubes are T8's, but they can replace T12 bulbs. One problem with the LED's (especially the 6 and 8 foot ones) is that they are not as rigid as the glass tubes and will sag in the middle. Not a problem if you have a lens in the fixture covering the lights, but if not you might need to add a support clip in the middle of the tube.
I replaced my fluorescents with LEDs without replacing the ballasts. The 8 tubes use a total of 240 Watts. I think they would use much much less if I got rid of the ballasts. I am looking for ways to get rid of power drain, so this video was helpful in understanding how the LED's work. I will get my multimeter out and take some measurements as well as look up the LED tube specs to understand what I'm dealing with.
Replacing fluorescent bulbs with LED is only about 50% more energy efficient, depending on what type of fluorescent bulbs you have. The mail reason I converted was because of the noise the ballasts make. Late at night it drove me crazy. Also, in a cold basement or garage, fluorescent bulbs may flicker until warmed up. LED's won't do that. Note: some (not all) LED bulbs are not instant on and may take a second or two to light up. This may take a little while getting used to. I don't recommend doing the conversion unless you have basic electrical wiring knowledge and skills. You'll want to look for 4000K color temperature LED's to achieve the same exact color as fluorescents.
Glenn Watkins like LED bulbs, fluorescent lamps also come various color temperatures, not just 4000k.
Glenn Watkins Glenn my Fluorescent ballasts drive me crazy with the noise as well. And when it's cold the noise is worse and the light output is crappy and flickers! What brand LED conversion tubes did you use?
There are way better colours than 4000k out there. I used specific colours for specific applications when I was an electrician with degrees in lighting engineering. In dairies I could get the cows to produce 17% more milk by useing certain colours and in classrooms for kids with ADHD or ADD certain colours have a calming effect. Plus, who wants to duplicate the colour of fluorescent bulbs anyways. Good video though he did leave out some important info
I converted 4 dual tube ceiling mount fixtures using these bulbs: www.ebay.com/itm/161612851107
Way better colors ? Color temperature is a personal taste when it comes to home lighting. Not everyone likes soft white (2700K) or ultra-white (5000K up). Most schools and homes use standard 4000K fluorescent bulbs.
THIS was the explanation I needed. It wasn't even explained in the instructions that came with my GE bulbs (double ended) Thank you so much! 😀
Glad it helped
thanks for giving a info in simple way great video
In an LED light, the driver is the first to fail, for this reason buy LED with separate driver. Best option.
Dixie Lough has a
I installed a new 24" fluorescent F20T12CW undercounter lamp fixture in my kitchen about a year ago. The bulb draws 20 watts of power. I checked on a LED tube to replace the older style fluorescent bulb and found it draws 16 watts of power. For a savings of 4 watts, it's hardly worth the effort or cost effective to replace the 24" fluorescent lamp. The lamp assembly cost $30 to begin with, and at a savings of only 4 watts, not worth replacing. That said, I've replaced all my incandescent bulbs with LED's all over the house and in the front and back entryways outside. At a cost of $.95 for each LED bulb (subsidized by the government) it was indeed cost effective: equivalent 40, 60, 75 & 100 watt replacement (in Lumens) LED's draw 6, 9, 11 & 15 watts respectively. Now THAT is a savings I can see over time on my electric bill. But replacing a year old 24" fluorescent fixture with a LED to save 4 watts? Forget it.
utubetommy , your old flourecent bulb loses about half its lighting power after about a year (it consumes the gas)and needs to be changed, even though it loses lighting power it still consumes the same. The LED will also lose power but slightly less than 1% per year.
utubetommy Stihl chain saw repair
The LEDs SHOULD last much longer. If the fixture is in a hard to reach position that's a good reason to switch to LEDs when your current tubes or ballast fail.
Derek Greenhalgh, you’re talking rubbish. I’ve had the same fluorescent tube in my kitchen for 15 years and it hasn’t lost any lighting power. Going by your analogy when I turn my light on at night it should still be dark. I was thinking the same thing, that it isn’t cost effective to even replace with a LED fixture never mind convert it. Both ways uses more Watts. Also we are led to believe that modern LED bulbs should last around 25 yrs. this is obviously non tested as the current versions haven’t been around long enough to test that theory. I think 15 years from my 11 watt lamp is good going. I could replace with LED that will fail in a week. That’s the reality is they have a much higher fail rate than any bulb out there. This is down to the power supply transformers within and not the diodes themselves so technically the diodes could last 25 years however the transformers won’t.
Idk about half its light output, maybe a quarter. Also, magnetic fluorescent ballasts themselves as used by most T12 fixtures are very inefficient. The lamp may typically draw X watts but the actual input power draw may be more (or less) depending on the ballast driving it.
great video direct and to the point as i am going to replace my old fluorescent tubes and was wondering about the ballasts now thats is cleared up
Very good !
5 Ohms on a short shunt!!!!!
must be a multi-meter precision problem.
It was a super cheap MM! I dropped the Fluke the week before this and destroyed the screen :(
A lot of complaining. lol. I never thought of replacing my current florescent lights. Great idea and will definitely look into it.
but I have not much in the complaining field.
Robert matheny me either,complaining and be negative ,and making excuses,all seems too use more energy .😉
This is a fantastic video - Thanks for all the information!
Thanks a million, great information.
the easy way is to go to home depot buy led tubes that work in your current fixture thats all i did and it worked perfectly just like i was replacing normal bulbs
This is more for those interested in upgrading their fluorescent lights to remove a broken or damaged ballast. This also reduces the power consumption as the old ballast when left in still has the same amp draw.
Put in a "dummy starter" or "led starter" and the led bulb. No cutting of wires or ballast removal needed.
Can you please link me to a video or website with what you are referring to?
Great content! Thank you sir.
Thanks this is exactly what I needed and it works
That conversion is way more difficult than it needs to be
I think you can safely remove the word "easily" from your headline. Removing an entire fixture from your ceiling is sufficiently intimidating to most people to either hire it done or forget it.
We travel in different circles.
then why bother watching this video if you are not into DIY?
Well, first of all nothing in my responses says anything about me. I said "most people" and I stand by that. Second, how would I know if I agree or not until I watch the video?
One of the options mentioned is _easy_. Just skip to it ... ;)
The video says "dispose the ballast at the hardware store.". Do hardware stores offer Recycling?
I watched your updated video for this and watching this one now. You’ve got a follow from me that’s for sure! Thanks for the insight
Very well explain! Thanks!