I replaced my undercabined lights with no problem. But these, I'm not so sureof. So I have to take them apapart and find screws inside?
You will be time and money ahead to replace the fixture(s). You would need to replace the ballast and the lamp sockets to go to T8.
If you are asking how to get the old fixture gone, yes, take out the lamp, open/remove the cover that is hiding the ballast. You should see the electrical connection, the ballast, and the screws holding the fixture at this time.
As Dan said, remove the lamp, open the fixture, and it will be apparent, however if these fixtures are hidden from view, and in good shape, you may just want to install electronic T8 ballasts. Contrary to what Dan said, you do not have to change the sockets, but the T8 ballast wires completely differently than the T12, so you will have to follow a wiring diagram
The contacts are deteriorating where the bulb hits the light. These are nearly 35 years old and its time for them to be recycled. I would like to keep it simple - so I just want to deal with the wiring - no internal ballast stuff. I just want to deal with black, white and green.
You can replace the contacts easily. Commodity items. Bins of them at hardware stores. At most one screw. Wires are push-in. Easy.
Going by the diagrams (in this case because you're changing ballast technology), or by following existing wiring (if you were replacing magnetic ballasts with new magnetic ballasts) is just as easy as color code matching, and easier than trying to come up with 5 or 6 hands to hold things in place and fasten a new fixture at the same time ;-)
However, it is exceedingly unlikely that a ballast will be cheaper than a complete fixture of this type. Insane yes, but that's the way it is. [Homeowner ballasts are low volume items, usually "name" supplier. Pre-made fixtures are very high volume, with lowest possible bidder ballasts.]
Doing a ballast swap rarely makes sense cost-wise, unless there's something unusual about the old fixture you need to retain.
If you put them out in the trash with "free" on them, someone will probably take 'em ;-)
Or you can gift wrap them and leave them in the front seat of your car. :)
In art. , Chris Lewis wrote in part:
Go to a home center and get new fixtures only if they will have electronic ballasts for T8. If you buy T12 fixtures from a home center, then all too likely their ballasts will be subpar ones a couple inches shorter than "full size". Some call those cheap ballasts "residential grade ballasts". I call them "stool specimens" to put it politely. Those ballasts often result in reduced light output, sometimes as little as half of "full".
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)
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