LED garage lights

[joe fxs fxr]

There's over 125 4ft fluorescents in my shop, Folks,...

So I gotta ask: Do the LEDs use the old ballasts?

Thanks in advance as always,

....Cotten

No they don't. The replacement tubes give you a wiring diagram, just two wires to one end from line voltage. You also need different mounting parts that have separate wiring to each pin on one end. The tubes in each housing are wired in parallel, hot to hot, neutral to neutral. Amazon has everything you need.

[T. Cotten]

No they don't. The replacement tubes give you a wiring diagram, just two wires to one end from line voltage. You also need different mounting parts that have separate wiring to each pin on one end. The tubes in each housing are wired in parallel, hot to hot, neutral to neutral. Amazon has everything you need.

Talked me out of it, Joe!

Its appreciated...

.....Cotten

[joe fxs fxr]

Talked me out of it, Joe!

Its appreciated...

.....Cotten

Yeah, it took me a while to do six. 125 is a major project, I'd just replace the whole fixture.

[T. Cotten]

Yeah, it took me a while to do six. 125 is a major project, I'd just replace the whole fixture.

Suspended ceiling 4-bulb, double-ballast fixtures?

I'd have to sell the shop to re-wire it.

....Cotten

[Spag]

Tom, just a suggestion. Replace the fluorescents with LED fixtures only in the area where you work the most. The LED fixtures with diffusers are self contained and only require you to hook up the existing wires and the ground. There is truly a “night and day” difference. Best thing I did for lighting in my garage.

[T. Cotten]

Thanks, Spag,

I have already focused lighting where it is needed most, which is bench tops and machinery, since most chassis left with my glory days.

For intense work, I collected antique desktop fixtures, since it is, after all, an antique motorcycle shop.

(I hoarded incandescent bulbs for their warmth in the winter, and swap them out with the pig-tail fluorescents for hot weather. Funny how the pigtails don't last as long?)

....Cotten

[Peter Cooke]

I used these to replace my garage fluro's. No rewiring needed.

LED light tubes - fluorescent replacement | Philips lighting

[TH47Indy]

I used these to replace my garage fluro's. No rewiring needed.

LED light tubes - fluorescent replacement | Philips lighting

Peter, were you able to use you existing Fluro ballast with the new LED tubes?

[Jerry Wieland]

There's over 125 4ft fluorescents in my shop, Folks,...

So I gotta ask: Do the LEDs use the old ballasts?

Thanks in advance as always,

....Cotten

Cotten It depends upon which LED's you get. Some will go right in your current fixtures without changing anything. Jerry

[Steve Slocombe]

For me the existing fluorescent light fittings were used, the tubes changed for LED ones, and the condensers/ballasts that stick out the side switched for new ones that I guess are just a bridge. For ten tubes the whole job including labour came to around $300, surely a one-year payback on the power savings.

[Peter Cooke]

Peter, were you able to use you existing Fluro ballast with the new LED tubes?

Yep, Just replaced the starter with the dummy that came with each tube and that was it.
That was about a year ago. So far so good...

[Lyle Manheimer]

There are two types of fluorescent fixtures. Most older fixtures have a starter, condenser that sticks out the side for easy replacement, and a ballast. Newer fixtures are what is called, rapid start, these use no starter only a ballast, transformer. Likewise there are two types of tubes standard and rapid start. There are also two types of replacement LED's. One type requires rewiring the fixture, removal of the ballast and rewiring the fixture. The plug and play type require no rewiring, you simply remove the old fluorescent tube and replace it with the plug and play LED and you are done. I say you are done but keep in mind if the ballast ever fails you either replace it or when it does rewire the fixture and use the other type LED. The big enemy of ballasts is heat, as with many other electrical and electronic devices. Ballasts usually last a very long time, years and years, for me the plug and play was the way to go.
Everything I talked about here is also a two pin fixture. There are also old single pin fixtures and I do not think there are LED's available for these. They would require a rewire of the entire fixture. Can you say throw it out and bbbbbuy new fixtures.
I hope this has cleared things up and not muddied the waters.