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

[Bill in NC]

sure, if you want to risk a fire.

from the comments on those FEIT Costco tubes:

"Beware, does not work correctly in all applications I have T12, when replaced the ballasts overheated & shut down. Could have easily caused a fire.. I returned them to Costco, to bad, they are very bright."

"Be very cautious where you install these lamps
I bought these last week online, and will be returning them. I installed a pair in a 4-foot shop light that with T-12 bulbs, and the wattage drawn went up 23%. Rather than saving energy, it increased energy use. I do not have a T-8 shop light to test them in, and they may work ok there."

it is clearly not safe to use "drop-in" LED tubes with an electronic T-12 ballast.

as you & others have said, if the OP chooses option #1, he should bypass or remove the ballast and use LED tubes that operate directly on line current.

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.

[clay]

I have just ordered a 4 pack of 4' tubes as drop in replacements in one of the fixtures. They say they're compatible with some newer ballasts but will work with ballast bypassed. I'll just bypass the ballast, since I'm guessing whatever I've got is not new enough to be described as a "newer" ballast.

I'm going to see how this first set looks, and then decide how to proceed with the rest of the lights. We might actually want to go with different approaches for different fixtures, depending on the type of light we want in each area.

Thanks for all your input!

[Bill in NC]

I strongly suspect "newer" ballasts refers to T8, not T12.

let us know if you're happy with your direct-wire LED tubes (color temperature, dimmable?)

[clay]

non-dimmable, 4000k temp. There are 3k, 5k and 6k options as well in this particular model, and based on some of the reviews, it sounded like the 5k option might actually be closer to what we're used to in the current tubes. But, I decided to at least try the 4k lamps and we'll see how the color comes through. I'm interested to see how it all works out!

[GuyGene]

Thanks. I didn't know it was so complicated about the ballasts thingamajigs. Maybe I need to remove them.

[Cary]

Quote
Cary
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.


#1 included bypassing ballasts - that's what I was going with, not leaving ballasts in the loop.

[clay]

my set of bulbs came yesterday, and this morning I bypassed the ballast (easy) installed the new bulbs, and voila! Up and running.

Definitely getting plenty of light...so much so that we might consider removing two of the bulbs and using in another fixture. I guess when you get used to a fixture that's not putting out a ton of light (failing ballast, failing bulbs, etc), when it's working as designed, the brightness almost seems too much!

Anyway, I'm quite pleased with the outcome of this upgrade. Would highly recommend it to anyone considering a similar retrofit in their own situation.

Here's what I used: https://www.amazon.com/Hyperikon-Dual-En...r_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1495460119&sr=1-6&keywords=hyperikon

The 4k bulbs seem just about right for my particular situation. Can't imagine the 5k bulbs would be any better for us.

[Bill in NC]

sorry Cary, my bad - thought you were referring to those Costco LED tubes "dropped-in" to fixtures with a T12 or T8 ballast.

and thanks Clay!

I'll be doing the same when the T12 ballast dies (again) in my kitchen/basement (twin-tube) fixtures.

Or when my source runs out of their stockpile of non-Chinese T12 bulbs.

(haven't had those last much past a year)