Been looking at LED replacements for 28w fluorescent tubes.
What isn't clear to me, is do you simply replace the old fluorescent tube with an LED tube?
Or do you need to rewire the fitting? Remove the starter?
Or add a driver?
Only if you wish to blow up the LED tube.
Yes - but it will not be difficult.
Yes and the ballast
No
gives more info.
I have not done LED replacement tubes but I have done quite a few 2D LED replacement fittings
I got some led tubes from aldi, drop in replacement but you had to use the starter supplied, which was not really a starter just a shorted out empty case.
There are different designs of LED replacement tubes. Some are direct plug-in replacements (sometimes with a replacement starter to use), some can be done that way but are more efficient if you remove the old control gear, and some require the fitting to be rewired with the mains supply just fed directly to one end only and the gear and starter disconnected/removed.
You need to check the spec of the tubes you are buying (and make sure any replacements are the same).
The ones I have seen, you chuck away all the old fluorescent control gear. It just connected to the 230V mains.
The cost was about ?10/foot back then. ie 2'/600mm tube was ?20. Came to the conclusion they weren't cost effective at that time.
This is the confusing bit. These claim 'Quick, simple and safe replacement without rewiring'.
Whereas that says 'Remove the ballast and starter if it has. Note that: The LED tube can not directly replace the fluorescent tube before remove the ballast and starter'.
The gear in a HF electronic fitting needs some rewiring. I looked at LEDs for the 14W T5 fittings I have - cost about £30 each and lower output for about the same wattage.
14W T5 are the shortest member of the most efficient fluorescent tube family available today (T5HE). That's a comparison where LED will struggle hardest to match, unless some other factor such as more directed light pattern brings a significant benefit in a particular situation.
Our local Sainsbury's has some interesting luminairs that have replaced fluorescents. They appear to be rectanvles of edge lit perspex with some light diffusing from the face of the perspex.
They're LEDs (but not retrofit tubes). They used to be regularly advertised in the trade press, but I just checked two most recent ones I have, and they're not in there at the moment, or I would point you to their website.
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