Replacing fluorescent tubes for LED tubes without changing fitting

[sparkwright]

Anyone replaced old fluorescent tubes for new LED tubes, without changing the fitting? T8 type.

Not impressed with the complete LED strip fittings, as many have failed, and like the idea of changing only the tube (and removing ballast and starter if needed or worthwhile) on some fluorescent lights.

I gather there are options;
1) Remove ballast and starter, and make one end of the fitting supply both L and N.
2) Remove ballast and starter, and make one end supply L, and the other end N.
3) Leave ballast, swap starter, and swap tube.

Any recommendations on what to use?

Seen many American YouTube videos on this.

 

[AndyPRK]

Did option 3.
Fitted energizer led.
Happy.

 

[sparkwright]

Thanks. Were the tubes one-ended, or double ended?

EDIT, it seems the Energizer tube is one-ended when used with the 'remove the ballast and starter' option.

Is one type of tube more common than the other?

If so, I would like to use the more common type, as I will be doing 30 lights, and don't want any difficulties in the future when the tubes need changing again.

 

[AndyPRK]

It couldn’t of been easier for me.
Change starter
Fit led.

 

[sparkwright]

I like the idea on the Energizer ones that they can be fitted, as you describe, without removing the ballast and that - but I also like the idea that they can also be used without the ballast fitted too, which gives me options.

 

[ericmark]

The one I had was supply one end short circuit other end, you replaced the starter with a special fuse and simply fitted LED tube, which was 24 watt in a 58 watt fitting, and light output also down around 2400 lumen instead of between 5000 and 5600 lumen from a 58 watt fluorescent tube depending on type of ballast, only with a wire wound ballast could be ballast be left in place, and it dropped the voltage to the LED tube producing heat, so in real terms if left in place the LED produced less lumen per watt than the fluorescent, so I removed the ballast, I made an error, I supplied just one end with 230 volt, which means if LED tube fitted the wrong way around then there is a short circuit, so both ends need to be wired in series so it does not matter which way around the tube is put in.

The house was vacated as we were looking after my mother, so although the LED tube was in for 18 months, it did not get much use, so lasted around ¼ the time of a fluorescent, and gave out half the light to a fluorescent, and gave no warning when it failed, however once wiring changed could not really return to fluorescent so second LED fitted, this was also hardly used as moved house and sold old one to son, who removed the fluorescent fitting, which is now in my garage ready to be fitted in my loft.

The main advantage of LED is you have the same spread of light to a fluorescent, but can select the output, so 5 foot long and just 2200 lumen on the second one, and 24 watt, same area now has GU10 down lights, I think 16 x 3.5 watt so 56 watt, 4080 lumen so around same power as original fluorescent and 1000 lumen less output, he says it looks better, also our hanging baskets of flowers changed for a bike, seems an odd decoration to my mind.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It couldn’t of been easier for me.

It couldn't HAVE...

Yes, it is important.

 

[ericmark]

I never measured, wonder what the volt drop across the wire wound ballast is, how much energy is lost by leaving the ballast connected?

There is clearly some sort of switch mode regulating which can cope with the volt drop across the ballast.