Florescent to LED 4ft tube conversation.

No ballasts. I cut them out. I thought with LED you bypassed the ballests? Maybe that's my issue?

 

There was a wire to each side, so I don't think there shunted. I saw those and what they were when I was double checking what may be wrong.

 

Well, the only thing I can say at this point would be now that you need more bulbs anyways, go get some with directions...or just get new light assembly's

 

I would buy the new shop light at Walmart. It was only like $17. But I'm putting these In my new to me shed. Ceiling is very low and I was screwing these on the side of the ceiling joists. They only hung down .5-1" below the bottom of the 2x4. So I would have to get creative to fit the double tube light so that I wouldn't walk into it. I already have to kind of tilt my head as it's low.

See the picture. I was screwing on the joist one away from the peek of the roof. On the side that was facing the bench for light. I have an extra set of strip LED lights that will go right over the bench so that part is covered..I think.

I also have an old double tube fixture I could use. I may see how deep the new ones are and see if I mount a 2x4 sideways between the rafters and then punt the light to them, up between rafters running parallel to the rafters.

 

As far as instructions, there are some instructions on how to replace a tube, but not on wireing. I am attaching a picture of that.

If you can't read it cause it's blurry. It basically says cut power off, remove diffuser, twist tube out to remove it, place new one in line lines up with slots , twist in........

So maybe since no mention of if replacing florescent tubes cut out the ballast you leave it? Or are they just to replace LED tubes in the fixtures they sell and others that started life as LED? But if the latter is true they should be like others I have done, power on one side neutral on other.

 

there are some that all you do is remove lamp and replace with led lamp no wiring changes required. they are designed internally to work with the ballasts & wiring in place ( sounds counter productive- eh? )

 

That's probably what these are!!

So if this is the case, and my ballasts are bad would the LED still work?

 

Bingo.

If that was the case there would be no tubes.
Here is a pick of a Lumax light.

 

Only problem with those is the ballast might be bad. Then you have to buy a driver also.
These Lumax lights have an adjustable driver. My buddy can bring a hand held device and turn the power up and down on them. (He works at Lumax in altoona)

 

Yeah, that's probably what they are. Now, do they just use the ballast and feed the power through them, or what? Great question, if the ballast dies, do the new led bulbs still work?

Yeah sounds totally counter productive considering that the ballasts themselves use a bit of power.

 

I have heard there are some that you can just put in, I assume these are the ones. I thought I read that any of them will work without removing ballasts, but some lights that are designed to have ballasts removed that they shorten life to not remove them.

Just thinking out loud I think the ballast would be doing something and be required to be working and not just passing power. If all they did was pass power to the light it would of worked the first way I wired it as I am just sending power to the tube. At least that's my thought process.

 

I triple the recommendation of just buying new fixtures.
Menards or Harbor Freight or wallyworld.
Menards had some damp rated fixtures on sale a month or so back and the 11% rebate so I picked up 2 to replace fluorescent fixtures.
Well worth the cost vs dicking with converting.
The HF onnes are not damp rated but I put mine in a basement and garage both get humid, but I'm sure the non-damp rated ones would probably have been ok.

 

I may just do this. Like I said overhead space is a premium here. I'm 6'2" and can barely clear the joists.

As far as damp rated. My old ones get water run over them in carport and still work. Haha

 

Went on Walmarts site and read the reviews. People said you leave the ballasts in place with these. And also said if your ballasts are going out they won't work either .

Mystery solved.

 

There are some tube LED that require a ballast but it has to be a more modern electronic ballast, otherwise the lights flicker for about 5 seconds and die.
Been there, done that.
Shop light tubes can be wired from both ends or just one end depending on either the ballast or the LED tubes themselves.

 

Unfortunately there are many different LED bulbs. Each one has different power requirements , even the so-called plug n play models will only work with certain ballasts.

 

I have always used the direct replacement LED tubes, about the size of a T8 bulb, never had to change any ballasts.

My little 1 car garage has four total 4' fixtures with the LED replacement bulbs. There is a large, pretty large improvement over the fluorescent setup.

 

I replaced four tubes total price n two separate fixtures in my carport. (Two fixtures double tubes each.) And the instructions were to bypass ballasts, which I did. No problem on those. And yes light was noticably better!

 

agree 1000% I'll never go back to fluorescent. Even those CFL bulbs are being replaced in this house.
Leds all the way.