Fluorescent tube LED replacment

[Steve Walker]

If the ballast is not removed from the circuit, then if it fails, it could prevent the tube working.

SteveW

[ARW]

+1.

[Brian Gaff]

Yeah, but have you tried to buy an ordinary tube lately? Brian

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I also wonder about their life in real use? The LEDs themselves may last well, but the built in electronics? A florrie - if you're not too concerned about peak efficiency - can last for a very long time.

[DerbyBorn]

Best advice in my view - if it is your own home then are you likely to accidentally fit an old fluorescent?

[Dave Liquorice]

Me, probably not. Others I wouldn't like to bet on it. Last time SWMBO'd tried to change a florrie tube she broke the fitting trying to ping the end caps off the tube rather than twist the tube...

[Dave Liquorice]

better

short

Which is what putting an LED "starter" in effectively does.

Taking the ballast and capacitor out of circuit would stop a normal tube striking. Could fit a double pole change over switch to properly isolate the ballast an capaictor but that seems a bit too much like hardwork, at least to make it safe and simple.

[ARW]

I am sure the ones in my parents garage are 20 years old.

They are used for 5 minutes every time the garage door is opened and not much else.

[The Natural Philosopher]

The one in my late mothers garagre was installed by my father around

1960. It was still working when we sold the house in 2003

[Dave Liquorice]

Well the ones I put in a couple of years back are still going strong. Aldi specials and on sale. Couple of them on for 15 hrs/day ish. Say

5,000 hrs/year, no quoted life.

The one if the garage here is probably nearer 40 years old. Gets naff all use though. Sometimes reluctant to start when it's cold, like -5 C cold.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I have under cupboard ones in the kitchen. Fed from posh Osram dimming electronic ballasts. Posh tubes too - IIRC Philips colour 32 (tungsten match) And they are more than 20 years old. Couldn't even guess how many hours they've done. One ballast did need repair though. Blame that on the kettle. ;-)

[ARW]

TBH I often swap office 600x600 grids for LEDs and the office staff say that they are too bright.

Now the light meter that I have placed on the floor before I started work shows that the FFL Lux level is lower after I have replaced the lights.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

LEDs are sometimes too bright to look at, but that not always translates into useful light.

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail]>, "Dave Plowman (News)" [e-mail]> writes

Yes. Particularly re-bulbed streetlamps. I wonder if the office florries appear less bright for the same lumens because they emit light in all directions.

>

[tabbypurr]

LEDs appear to bright because the florry fittings were also too bright.

NT

[Roger Hayter]

I think colour temperature makes a difference to perceived brightness to.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

People in offices are often looking for something to moan about.

[tabbypurr]

and the lighting is often excessive

[PeterC]

On the shop floor at work the oh florries were off except along the corridors and each bench had its own light, The girls found it much better for fine work.

[ARW]

That is why good offices had proper diffusers.

And the even better offices had a proper replacement plan when tubes started to fail. Instead of just paying for us the get the non working ones working they paid for a full change of lamps at the same time.

A 2 ft tube is less than £2. Why swap one in a fitting when the biggest cost is me getting up to the fitting and taking down the diffuser? Especially when you can see blackened ends on the working tubes.