Super Wash Gets LED High Bays Reading How to Use LED Tubes in Your Fluorescent Fixtures 4 minutes Next What a Difference LED Lights Make!
By Emmalee Gagnon
You have fluorescenttroffers or strip fixtures already, and you're wondering if you can just pop LED tubes in them or if you'll need to change out the fixtures for something designed for LED.
Good news: You can absolutely use LED tubes in your existing fixtures! But first you need to understand the differenttypes of LED tubes.
There are two basic types on the market right now: "ballast compatible"LED tubes and "ballast bypass" LED fluorescent replacements. Let's take a quick look at both.
1. Ballast CompatibleLED Replacement Tubes
Also known as Type Aor "plug and play," these are LED tubes you can literally pop into your existing fixture and you're good to go. Well, maybe.
Your fluorescent fixtures have one of three kinds of ballasts: magnetic (inductive), electronic, or instant start. Most ballast compatible LED tubes work with one or two of these but not all. To make sure a tube will work with yourfixtures,look for the manufacturer's ballast compatibility list and make sure the fixture you have is listed there. (If there isn't a ballast compatibility list...look for another tube.)
2. Ballast BypassLED Replacement Tubes
These retrofittubes, also known as Type B, work withalllinear fluorescent fixtures, regardless of ballast type, as well asLED-ready ballast-freefixtures. There's no risk of getting the wrong LED tube for your fixture when you go with a ballast compatible tube.
This is because, when you install these tubes, you'll first remove or "bypass" the fixture's ballast, so that the building's power goes directly to the lamp sockets, instead of through the ballast. You're removing the middle man!
This has several benefits:
- With the ballast removed from the equation, your lightsaren't going to be shut down by a ballast failure
- You'll never need to replace a ballast again, saving you maintenance time and money
- The energy draw of the ballast itself is completely eliminated, saving you even more on your lighting bill
That's why most of our customers opt for ballast bypass tubes. (You can find new LED replacement tubes for your fluorescent fixtures here & start enjoying lower lighting bills today.)
When you purchase your tubes, they'll come with an installation instruction sheet with diagrams, but the basic gist of upgradinga fluorescent fixture to run LED tubes is this:
- After turning off the power, remove the fluorescent tubes and open the fixture.
- Disconnect the wiring between the ballast and the tubes (and between the starter and the tubes in the case of a magnetic ballast). Cap any unused wires with nuts and tuck them out of the way.
- Connect the line and neutral wires to the G13 sockets at the "live" end of the fixture. (Only one end of the tube needs power.) Wrap your connections with electrical tape and secure with nuts.
- Make sure the fixture is properly grounded, then close it back up and install your new LED tubes.
You can also get a good idea of what's involved through this video from Kent Diego, where he bypasses an electronic ballast in order to install LED tubes in his fluorescent shop light:
Replacement Fixtures
Of course you can opt to replace your fluorescent fixtures entirely. Maybethe housing isold and looks it, or maybe you're thinking of upgrading to high-lumen LEDs and won't need to use as many tubes as you've been using. Replacing a fixture can actually be easier than removing a ballast: you just disconnect the old fixture and connect the new one to the same wires.
We have T8 fixtures for LED tubes as well as all-in-one LEDshop lights, panel lights, troffers, and more. Check out our LED ceiling lights selection.
Still Have Questions?
If you need more information before you go ahead with a decision to upgrade to LED lighting, reach out toour lighting team.
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