Replacing fluorescent 2x4 fixtures with LED...which approach?

[OWC Jamie]

Racer X wrote:
[quote=Bill in NC]
#1 only works if you already have T8 tubes/ballasts, not the older T12.

So I vote for #3.

I dunno. I pulled out T12 40 watt tubes and pit in super skinny LED tubes from Costco.
There are electronic ballasts for t12, you can't go by the diameter of the tubes.

[clay]

just checked, the current fixtures contain 4 x T12 bulbs. 3300 lumens, 20k hour bulbs, 80CRI, 4100k temp. Standard diffuser covering each one.

Don't know if it makes any difference, but these are likely original to our 1978-era house, or at least close to that old. Perhaps its because of their age that I'm reluctant to just do the drop-in LED bulb replacement, for fear that there is something bound to fail right after I invest the cash to replace the bulbs. I know that there's not much to the fixtures, but somehow it seems more wise to just replace the fixtures. I guess that might be the direction I prefer (option #2 or #3). Wiring new lights is no problem, I've done that sort of thing plenty of times.

[davester]

MikeF wrote:
You can get LED fluorescent replacements that just go in without the need to remove the ballasts.

This is true, and it is easy upfront, but eventually those ballasts will fail. It's so easy to cut the ballast out of the system and remove the failure point that I think it makes much more sense to go with the ballast-less LEDs.

[Robert M]

Davester,

That's what we did in the warehouse of my office. All LED. All ballast-less. Superior light all-around. Tube goes? Pop it out, pop in its replacement. Done.

Robert

[Paul F.]

I'd go with option 3, because I like like the look better.

Option 1 is the most economical - get that damn ballast out of the loop and put in decent LED bulbs. The school where I work just finished upgrading every light on campus to LED. Took almost two years, as other projects kept taking priority and the head of maintenence has now had both knees replaced...
It's been great.

[Cary]

Bill in NC wrote:
#1 only works if you already have T8 tubes/ballasts, not the older T12.

So I vote for #3.

This is not correct. You can replace either T8 or T12 bulbs with LED tubes.

I vote for cutting out the ballast and changing the tombstones. I've done this on a bunch of fixtures - only takes a few minutes.

#2 may, and #3 will require new dropped ceiling panels and maybe crossbars, which may or may not match whet you've got there.

[Racer X]

Cary wrote:
[quote=Bill in NC]
#1 only works if you already have T8 tubes/ballasts, not the older T12.

So I vote for #3.

This is not correct. You can replace either T8 or T12 bulbs with LED tubes.

I vote for cutting out the ballast and changing the tombstones. I've done this on a bunch of fixtures - only takes a few minutes.

#2 may, and #3 will require new dropped ceiling panels and maybe crossbars, which may or may not match whet you've got there.
Cary is correct. I just checked, and the empty Feit LED box the tubes came in says nothing about ballast type or T12 or T8. I pulled out T12 FL tubes with an unknown ballast, the the Costco/Feit tubes are AWESOME!

[bobinmurphy]

Racer X wrote:
[quote=MikeF]
You can get LED fluorescent replacements that just go in without the need to remove the ballasts.

Yup. Did that in my garage. $18 for 2 tubes at our local Costco. Work well when cold, instant full bright. Well worth it. Wish I could do that cheaply to my 8' fixtures too.
Depending on how many 8' tubes you have to replace it can be done pretty inexpensively. I did it in a friend's shop in Alaska last summer, but I had to buy a case of bulbs (12) and haul them up there myself. Luckily I needed exactly 12 to complete the retrofit on his shop lights. Having them shipped by commercial carrier would have be very costly though.

[max]

We have been doing #1, bypassing ballasts as they fail, on our warehouse for the last four years, over 300 tubes replaced so far, the first 200 we brought from China, the second batch is coming from Costco, now that the market finally courght up. We have even started to replace HID units with the high bay LED tubes...

[Buck]

I installed several integrated led fixtures, replacing all kinds of old fixtures. Works great, cheap too! Flush mounts from Costco $20 each. Never screw in another bulb. Very bright too.