Fluorescent Strip Light Replace with LED .The light is instant

bbobb

This might have been covered before but just in case.

I have just replaced a 40watt tube light with an LED equivalent that uses less than half the power(17.5 Watts). The light now switches on instantly. 

The only note of caution : - Check which ballast the old light uses. There are plenty of firms selling lights that show how to check and all you need is a phone or ipad with a camera. Screwfix sells these lights at a good price.

pseudodox

I recently upgraded two tube lights to LED (one had died) & can agree they are excellent.  Instant light when I switch on.  Some places will try to suggest you have to replace the entire fitting but my local trustworthy electrical supplier explained about checking the old starter type & fitting the new ballast units that came with the LED tubes & it was easy peasy.

Had to laugh at the "LED tubes will last 10 times as long as the old fluo tubes" information.  The tube that died was 9 years old & in constant use in the kitchen.  So I will never have to replace the LED - it will outlive me & probably the house!

QrizB

On a tangentially-related topic, I've currently got an ancient CFL in my bedside light specifically because it comes on dim and takes a couple of minutes to warm up to full output. It's gentle on my eyes in the winter months when I'm waking up in the dark!

Replacing it with a LED lamp would lose this feature. I could use a smart bulb and dim it right down every night before going to sleep, but does anyone know of a better way to achieve the same end?

Netexporter

My bedside light/alarm clock gradually comes on over the previous half hour to the alarm time set, which is quite a gentle way to wake up. If you haven't taken the hint before the allotted time it then makes one of a selection of noises, again increasing gradually. A bit pricier than programmable bulb, I suspect.

I replaced a kitchen fluorescent tube with a whole new LED light fitting. I wish I'd known you could just put a LED tube in, as it is a relatively temporary set up, whilst I rearrange the gaff.

bob2302

bbobb said:

This might have been covered before but just in case.

I have just replaced a 40watt tube light with an LED equivalent that uses less than half the power(17.5 Watts). The light now switches on instantly. 

The only note of caution : - Check which ballast the old light uses. There are plenty of firms selling lights that show how to check and all you need is a phone or ipad with a camera. Screwfix sells these lights at a good price.

FWIW when I looked at these, the reason they use half the power is that they produce roughly half the lumens. I can't say I've noticed much of a difference though - maybe they are better at directing the light.

I had a fitting with an electronic ballast, and I rewired it. It's really easy to do if you cut a corner. I took the two wires from the nearest end to the connector block, trimmed them and simply screwed them into the neutral and switched-live on the connector block. I removed all the other wire.

The reason this is cutting a corner is that tubes designed to be used in legacy fittings (which is all Wickes had) are shunted at the other end, and if I were to insert the tube the wrong way around  I'd short-circuit the mains. However it is possible to buy fittings like mine, and non-shunted tubes to go with them, so I doubt it would be dangerous - probably the shunt would burn-out gracefully turning the tube from shunted to non-shunted.

It's not much harder to wire it up the intended way, but I thought would be a greater risk - extra wire would need to be connected which might come adrift.   

The replacement ballast is just a dummy, it allows the original to be removed without breaking the circuit.

mmmmikey

QrizB said:

On a tangentially-related topic, I've currently got an ancient CFL in my bedside light specifically because it comes on dim and takes a couple of minutes to warm up to full output. It's gentle on my eyes in the winter months when I'm waking up in the dark!

Replacing it with a LED lamp would lose this feature. I could use a smart bulb and dim it right down every night before going to sleep, but does anyone know of a better way to achieve the same end?

Hi, the Philips Hue bulbs can be set to fade on and off in the way that you describe. No need to buy the expensive colour bulbs, I have ambient bulbs in the bedroom that can be set to different temperature of white. I have mine set to come on gradually when the alarm goes off in the morning, and I prefer a warmer white as I find it easier on the eyes. It also has a nightlight option which provides just enough light for me to orientate myself which is useful for me on nights when I'm heavily medicated. Not something that is ever likely to pay for itself I guess but for me the smart features are well worth the expense. 

JohnB47

I have three Netexporter said:

My bedside light/alarm clock gradually comes on over the previous half hour to the alarm time set, which is quite a gentle way to wake up. If you haven't taken the hint before the allotted time it then makes one of a selection of noises, again increasing gradually. A bit pricier than programmable bulb, I suspect.

I replaced a kitchen fluorescent tube with a whole new LED light fitting. I wish I'd known you could just put a LED tube in, as it is a relatively temporary set up, whilst I rearrange the gaff.

I have three under cupboard fluorescent tube fittings in my kitchen. I've always wondered about replacing with LED fittings when each one blows - and now one is flickering a bit when turned on. I never realised that you can get replacement tubes that are LED.

The flickering one is a T8, marked F15W/830 and it measures 450mm at full length, including pins. I see Screwfix doesn't sell one that small - presumably I could get one elsewhere and it would simply fit in the same holder? I see some advertised as 1.5 ft which is close to 450mm (1.47 ft) - are they equivalent?

QrizB

JohnB47 said:

I see some advertised as 1.5 ft which is close to 450mm (1.47 ft) - are they equivalent?

I can't speak for your lamp fitting specifically, but yes flourescent tubes were traditionally sized in feet and typically produced 10 watts of light per foot. When we went metric they simply treated each foot as being 300mm.

So yes, it's likely that your fitting will accept a 1.5 foot tube.

Largs

Yes I agree with above. Mines are T5 and described as either 12" or 300mm depending on shop.

I go through about 5 or so every 12 months as they are used in the entrance and common areas in my flat. They were previously £1 per tube off eBay but now nearly £2 per tube. So this thread has been most helpful as didn't realise LED tubes were an option. 

Maybe after 18 years my neighbours will consider contributing to the cost if I buy LED!!!!

JohnB47

Largs said:

Yes I agree with above. Mines are T5 and described as either 12" or 300mm depending on shop.

I go through about 5 or so every 12 months as they are used in the entrance and common areas in my flat. They were previously £1 per tube off eBay but now nearly £2 per tube. So this thread has been most helpful as didn't realise LED tubes were an option. 

Maybe after 18 years my neighbours will consider contributing to the cost if I buy LED!!!!

That's quite a throughput. I think one of the common reasons for failure of any type of lamp is heat. Are the tubes enclosures well ventilated?

twopenny

Thanks for this as an update.

The previous thread on the subject, not soo long ago showed that there was little saving to be gained - and to be fair my tube does't seem to use very much.

But with the dark and gloomy weather we seem to be getting more in winter it would be good to have bright light on for longer.