Replacing fluorescent tubes

[john9159]

Hello
I have 6ft fluorescent light fittings in my garage but as tubes are no longer available (other than eBay), can LED tubes be used as direct replacements?
Also, I've read that dummy LED starter is required, is that correct and what specifically is this?
Thank you

 

[pete01]

Its realy easy just to replace the whole fitting,

most people with a bit of know how can do it?

 

[ericmark]

Yes, with a wire wound ballast type you can replace the starter for a special fuse, and simply fit a LED tube. The old ballast absorbs some energy, so you get around 95 lumen per watt and the tube has around half the output of the fluorescent it replaced.

Rewiring the fitting will increase the lumen per watt, from this to this so the ballast is completely removed. As to if this or complete new fitting is best, is down to if bright enough, and if you want a fitting where you can change the tube or one which needs a whole new lamp fitting when it hits end of life.

Whole new fitting in general gives more lumen per watt.

 

[333rocky333]

The dummy starter is only used if your old fitting is old enough to have a normal starter.
If you look at the drawing above on a old style starter fitting Live and Neutral are at opposite ends of the tube, the dummy starter simply brings one end connection to the other end connection.
L and N become at one end now to feed the new led tube.
With more recent tube fittings the dummy starters not required as the tube runs on a High Freguency ballast

 

[ericmark]

With more recent tube fittings the dummy starters not required as the tube runs on a High Freguency ballast

I have noted, there are tubes now designed to work with an electronic ballast, but the early tubes were not to be used with electronic ballasts.

I have seen diagrams where only one end is fed, the other end of the tube is a dead short between the pins, so putting the tube in wrong way around will mean a dead short, to wire up, so this can be done, seems wrong, I have seen labels to show which way around to fit tube, but as said to wire, so the error can be made seems just wrong.