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.

 

[Murdochcat]

I would suggest that buying new complete units is the better way forward

 

[ericmark]

I would suggest that buying new complete units is the better way forward

The question is maintenance, even with units which plug into some fixed outlet, will they still be available in 3 years time when the unit fails? I went for plug in unit now withdrawn, OK I can reuse this with another chandelier, so

in my garage

they may be on jack chains, so can arrange so it hooks up and plugs in. In which case great. But then why not simple pendent bulbs? The main reason for the fluorescent was spread of light and better lumen per watt. Today the simple LED bulb has good lumen per watt, so for use batten lamp holders

allow one to aim the light better to where required to a LED batten. I looked, around £20 and 50 watt. Compared with this

it is a garage, is not 28 watt enough? OK the new batten is 6000 lumens and the tube 2520 lumens but do you need the 6000 lumens, or was the 6 foot simply to stop shadows?