Try telling that to the owners of this church hall who lost all of their weekday daytime bookings:
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Flourescent/strip light help if possible please.
- Thread starter scooby1
- Start date
For the reasons explained below, I have so far only used retrofit LED tubes, even though I accept that is not an ideal approach. However, I have to say that, despite flameport's comments, I have so far not been 'disappointed' - I've been aware of no 'overheating' problems, and have been very satisfied by both light output and lifespan - it is several years since I replaced most of my fluros with LED tubes, and I haven't yet had to replace a single LED tube.
The reasons I have not yet gone for new fittings are:
1... As a matter of principle, as well as for practical reasons, I don't want 'integrated' (non-replaceable) tubes. However, of those which appear to have replaceable tunes, I can't work out whether (perhaps per your comment above) one is tied to a particular brand (if it still exists when one needs a replacement!) of tube, or whether (you seem to imply not) generic tubes are available.
2... Blurb about these fittings generally talk about the 'chips' they contain, which seems to suggest that the 'driving electronics' (at the least, rectification and current limiting) is in the fittings, rather than the tubes. Is that the case? If so, I'm not so sure that I'd be very keen - since, if other (non-'tube') LED lamps/bulbs are anything to go by, it is very commonly those bits of electronics, rather than the LED elements, which fail - so one could end up with a fitting that has to be replaced when it 'stops working', even though it had a replaceable tube!
Can you, or anyone, help me to understand these things?
Oh dear, I am more confused than ever now ! If I go and buy a "complete" unit, i.e. all I would have to do is wire it up to the mains or, if it has an external cable I just put a 13amp plug on the end of the cable, then is the LED tube, or whatever else is inside it, replaceable in the event of failure ?
In other words, are all this type of lighting fitted with a replaceable bulb of some sort or does it mean that some of this type of lighting have to be replaced completely when the light ceases to work ?
In other words, are all this type of lighting fitted with a replaceable bulb of some sort or does it mean that some of this type of lighting have to be replaced completely when the light ceases to work ?
From reading others' posts it seems fluorescents have been superseded by LEDs. I wasn't aware, I haven't had a fluorescent fail for many years. Or whether you can still buy fluorescent tubes. If you can, that's probably the simplest way to go.
There is no good reason to replace fluorescents, with LED, until they fail - then they become not worth trying to repair. I have 16 tubes, scattered around my garage and workshop, almost windowless, split into three banks/areas of lighting, installed some 35 years ago. All magnetic ballast. I have never had to replace any tubes, or repair any of the lights in any way. Flourescents are near as efficient as LED.
Yes. Screw it to the wall, connect the wires into the terminal block. The end.
LED battens do not have 'bulbs' or tubes or any other replaceable parts. You fit it and use it.
When it eventually fails, you buy a new one.
T8 and most others have been off the market since February 2024, as in they cannot be made or imported after that date.
T12 which is what the OPs fitting requires have been gone for at least 10 years.
Some places still have stock of fluorescent tubes, just as some hoarders have boxes full of incandescent lamps.
Telling what - that 1850 lumens is not a replacement for a 6ft fluorescent tube?
If single 6ft fluorescents were to be replaced in the exact same locations with the same style of fixture, all of which assumes the original lighting design was correct and actually existed, then this https://www.toolstation.com/integral-led-lightspan-ip20-ik08-batten/p21780 would be a probable replacement, 5200 lumens.
If the lighting in that building is useless, it's entirely the fault of those who specified inappropriate fittings.
The fact they are LED or any other type of lighting is unrelated.
Probably better to move fitting overhead for better light distribution .
Sadly I don't have any pre LED photos but the 9 6ft Fluo fittings were replaced with 9 1500mm LED integral fittings in exactly the same locations, the original screw holes in the ceiling grid have been covered with the new fittings, equally as sadly I can't find any makers name or model numbers on the new fittings but I can advise my 400A clamp meter with 100mA resolution shows 0.6A for each of the 3 circuits (I assume meaning 0.55 to 0.65/126 to 149W/42 to 50W each.
For what it's worth I assisted only last month (in order the invoice was paid by end of tax year) with 'replacing' 8 4ft fluo fittings with 8 of these https://www.toolstation.com/integral-led-lightspan-ip20-ik08-batten/p16505 (as one of four models specified by some sort of expert) in a carpentry workshop with almost non existant natural lighting. The two of us numpties (because obviousely neither of us know anything about lighting) made the decision to rewire from 4 switches to 2 and temporarily leave the old (and by some peoples description - junk) in place and functional.
Oh dear guess what - the old fittings with 3-4 year old tubes blow the LEDs out of the water in apparent light level which is exactly my expectation having now dealt with hundreds of fittings replacements, even placing all 8 in the area for 4 fluos gives the same apparent result. In this instance there is an additional issue as the the woodgrain doesn't show properly while trying to match it.
A few days before that we fitted one of these: https://www.diy.com/departments/v-t...hip-cct-3in1-4-ft-120cm/3800157659482_BQ.prd? in a kitchen, the customer had purchased it from B&Q, in their words 'to provide some proper light' in addition to the downlighters arranged by their landlord as advised by the energy efficiency report to replace the 4ft fluo. We had no difficulty hooking the wiring out of the hole in the ceiling (awaiting completion) and fitting it on the same circuit as the downlighters, but he didn't understand the way it was wired.
"Oh dear I still can't my recipe book"
"Could you before?"
"Oh yes." She took us to the garage where there remained a 4ft fluo fitting and she read the book without trouble, we swapped the 2 fittings over for her and she was a happy bunny again. OK the elderly lady (oops, probably not much different to my 70) obviously has 'old eyes' (her words) but 8 downlighters and a LED fitting described as 40W were not suitable for her, the fluo made all the difference. And we advised them where new 4ft tubes are still stock items and significantly closer to them than B&Q or any of the other sheds.
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As I wrote yesterday, what is confusing me is that there a a good few being offered which appear (by implicxation) to have replaceable tubes - but I don't know 'which tubes'.
... which I personally regard as ridiculous - which is why I will continue to use 'retrofit' LED tubes unless/until I can find a fitting (and corresponding LED tubes) which has replaceable tubes.
Yes, I had already decided that when I get the new batten that is what I am going to do. But thank you for your help.
Maybe consider flat panels , can be suspended from ceiling or fixed to it and give a good spread of light and cheap.
1200 x 300mm LED Panel Light, Colour Adjustable, TP(a) Diffuser
Switchable LED colour - choose from warm white, natural white & cool white 4000 lumens max brightness TP(a) diffuser - fire safe! Converts to a dimmable LED panel when paired with our dimmable LED driver Suitable with our emergency pack and surface mounting frame 5-year warranty
www.simplelighting.co.uk
Thank you for that and the link although in this situation all I am trying to do is illuminate a part of my work bench in the workshop. I have made a mobile illumination device which I can move around the workshop whenever I am working on any machine. It's a bit crude, it's just a halogen outside security lamp without a sensor mounted on a pole and is fully adjustable. I can see why those flat panels could be very useful.Maybe consider flat panels , can be suspended from ceiling or fixed to it and give a good spread of light and cheap.
1200 x 300mm LED Panel Light, Colour Adjustable, TP(a) Diffuser
Switchable LED colour - choose from warm white, natural white & cool white 4000 lumens max brightness TP(a) diffuser - fire safe! Converts to a dimmable LED panel when paired with our dimmable LED driver Suitable with our emergency pack and surface mounting frame 5-year warranty
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