Can Philips InstantFit be used without ballast?
Philips LED T8 InstantFit lamps will operate properly with or without a ballast. However, if a ballast is used, then it must be of a compatible, instant-start type.
Can I directly replace fluorescent tubes with LED?
Yes, you can replace fluorescent tubes with LED tubes or LED-integrated fixtures. If you just want to replace the bulbs, you can use plug-and-play, direct-wire, or hybrid LED tubes. Plug-and-play tubes are the easiest to install as they do not require any rewiring to the fixture.
How do I know if my LED ballast is compatible?
Simply turn the light on, then take a photo of the fixture using your smartphone or digital camera. If there are no dark bands on the resulting image, you have an electronic ballast that is likely to work with direct drop-in LED tubes (with caveats: see the next section below).
Can I bypass ballast for a plug and play LED?
Some LED bulbs may require you to remove the ballasts. However, a high-quality plug and play LED tube – like Warehouse Lighting’s Triple-Fit 4′ T8 LED – can be used in direct wire fixtures as well as traditional fluorescent fixtures with ballasts.
Do I need to change the ballast for LED lights?
What is this? Essentially, LED bulbs do not require ballasts in them to work. Unlike fluorescent lights, it is not a ballast that controls the LED’s current and voltage regulation. Those are regulated with a component called a driver inside an LED that serves a similar function to a ballast.
How do I know if my ballast is T8 or T12?
UNDERSTANDING fluorescent lights t5 t8 t12 electronic magnetic ballast
Is it worth replacing fluorescent lights with LED?
LED Lighting Technology is More Efficient
LED replacement lamps are on average 30% more efficient than their fluorescent light counterparts. That means if you are spending $10,000 on your lighting energy costs per year, your bill will be reduced by $3,000 or more every year that you use the LED bulbs.
Can you bypass ballast for LED lights?
Ballast-bypass, line voltage, or direct wire linear LED (UL type B) Bypass the ballast linear LEDs – also known as line voltage or direct-wire linear LEDs – work straight off the line voltage flowing directly to the sockets, requiring you to remove the original fluorescent ballast. Jump ahead to pros and cons.
Will ballast compatible LED work without ballast?
The T8 LED tube won’t work without the ballast, so you are forced to continue buying and replacing ballasts as long as you have an LED tube that is ONLY ballast dependent.
How do I know if it’s the ballast or bulb?
Take out your current bulbs and replace them with the new bulbs. If the bulbs fail to light up, then 9 out of 10 times the ballast is culprit. You could also try using a multimeter set to measure resistance.
Can you put LED bulbs in old fluorescent fixtures?
You have fluorescent troffers or strip fixtures already, and you’re wondering if you can just pop LED tubes in them or if you’ll need to change out the fixtures for something designed for LED. Good news: You can absolutely use LED tubes in your existing fixtures!
What happens if you use a T8 bulb in a T12 fixture?
T8 LED tubes won’t fall out if you try to install them in a T12 fixture—they’ll fit just fine.
Can you replace a T12 ballast with a T8 ballast?
The easiest and lowest price option to replace a T12 is a T8 linear fluorescent. They have become the go-to option for pre-existing T12s. If you still have magnetic ballasts, switching to a T8 will require a ballast swap. Another option is to move forward with an LED retrofit.
Which is brighter T8 or LED?
A T8 fluorescent that uses 32 watts of energy typically produces 2500 lumens of light. It’s LED equivalent, while using only 17 watts, produces 2200 lumens. Additionally, T8 LED light bulbs have a lifetime rating of 50,000 hours, more than 3 times longer than 15,000 hour average lifespan of T8 fluorescent lights.
How do you rewire a fluorescent light to a LED?
Convert, Rewire Fluorescent to Led Lights – Double-Ended Tubes
Can I bypass the ballast for LED lights?
Since LED lights work on low DC voltage, they need a driver. Most T8 LED tubes do not need a ballast. So, if you are going to install a T8 LED tube light, it will require a ballast bypass unless you choose a ballast compatible T8 LED tube.
How long do ballasts last?
A typical ballast will generally last about 20 years, but cold environments and bad bulbs can decrease this lifespan significantly. You can get a new ballast at a hardware store or home center and install it in about 10 minutes.
Are fluorescent lights being phased out?
The next cut-off date for traditional bulbs is 1 September 2023. From this date onwards, some popular bulbs will no longer be available on the market. For example, the production of T8 fluorescent tubes with lengths of 600 mm, 1,200 mm as well as 1,500 mm will be discontinued.
Are T12 bulbs being discontinued?
As a result, in 2009, the department announced the eventual phase out of the 1.5-inch-diameter fluorescent T12 tubes. The mandate said production of the tubes would have to cease after July 14, 2012. Big-name manufacturers like Philips and Sylvania were granted two-year extensions on the deadline.
How do you tell if I have t8 or T12?
The main difference between T8 and T12 tubes is the tube’s diameter. T12 tubes are 1.5″ in diameter while T8s are just one inch. All other things—socket sizes, lengths, distance between pins—are the same. T8 LED tubes won’t fall out if you try to install them in a T12 fixture—they’ll fit just fine.
Are T8 LED bulbs worth it?
T8 LED light bulbs allow for less energy use, greater energy savings, longer lamp life, and less maintenance. They are manufactured to make the switch both seamless, and well worth it in the long run.
Do you need to change ballast for LED?
What happens if you don’t use a ballast?
Without a ballast, a lamp or a bulb will rapidly increase its current draw and it can become uncontrollable as well. When a ballast is present in a lamp, the power becomes stable, and even if such lamps are connected to high power sources, the ballast will regulate the energy and avoid the current rise.
Can you replace a ballast yourself?
What causes a ballast to fail?
Ballast failure is often caused by the surrounding environment—mainly heat and moisture. When it’s too hot or too cold, a ballast can burn or fail to start your lamps. Heat, along with continuous condensation inside an electronic ballast, can cause corrosion over time.