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I did similar but didn't buy a kit, just the tubes. There was more than enough wire in the existing fixture, I reused the tombstones. I did have to be a little careful to get LED tubes that have the power all on one end. The only function of the other end is to support the tube, no power or wires. Some do have both ends powered and I didn't want to mix them. Also, some LED tubes require ballasts so buyer beware. Those would be a simple swap with existing fluorescent tubes but still require a ballast. AFAIK most LEDs run on 12 volt DC though I have seen some 24 volt tape LEDs. There's some circuitry that converts 120 volt AC to 12 volt DC. That circuitry can be the weak point and if it runs hot that may make them even weaker.
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Thanks Doug. My fluorescent lights are 24 yo. I'm going to start stacking up on the conversion kits and use as needed. I have 8 light fixtures.
Jim
Jim
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I just purchased and installed these lights the other day. 4 dual tube LEDs w/all the electronics, no conversion needed. I did install one directly to an overhead joist, the other three I simply took out the guts of my flourescent fixtures (which were starting to go bad) and attached them to those and rehung them. I think I only paid less than $50 for the set of 4. So far they're amazing how bright they made the garage shop now. Super happy.
4-pack of LED tube lights
Kevin
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(01-24-2022, 09:54 PM)Tapper Wrote: The conversion kit from HD is
$19+ which includes two LED 4' tubes and 4 new tombstones with wires attached, and wire nuts for hookup. There are 4 different hues to choose from as far as brightness is concerned. Brightest is 6500 Lumens, very bright.
Hi Doug -
Will have to check these out. Being a pack rat, I haven't thrown away some older 2-bulb fluorescent housings in anticipation of replacing the worn-out ballasts with new ones and also opting for LED bulbs. I've only been aware of the "ballast-free" bulbs recently which facilitates the use of these older housings.
Apologies if it was answered earlier in the thread, but why can't one just remove or bypass the existing ballast in their T8 housing and then install the new "ballast-free" bulbs? Why the need for a retro-fit kit?
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(02-08-2022, 05:21 PM)Cian Wrote: Hi Doug -
Apologies if it was answered earlier in the thread, but why can't one just remove or bypass the existing ballast in their T8 housing and then install the new "ballast-free" bulbs? Why the need for a retro-fit kit?
For some reason they have 2 pinout options on the LED bulbs, I had 24 T8 fluorescents in my garage and replaced all with T8 LED units w/o ballast and did not change/replace the tombstones (purchased on Amazon). But either way works and the LED's are way better than even the electronic ballast + fluorescents. Even those supposedly long lasting fluorescent T8's did not last veery long and disposal is a royal pain.
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Hi Cian,
When I first bought what turned out to be the kit at HD I thought I was getting the bulbs only. Opened the package and the new tombstones with the attached pigtails and wire nuts were included. Don't know if HD sells the bulbs only. For $19 and change for two bulbs and the accessories I thought it was a bargain.
Doug
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(02-08-2022, 10:47 PM)Tapper Wrote: Hi Cian,
When I first bought what turned out to be the kit at HD I thought I was getting the bulbs only. Opened the package and the new tombstones with the attached pigtails and wire nuts were included. Don't know if HD sells the bulbs only. For $19 and change for two bulbs and the accessories I thought it was a bargain.
Doug
Thanks, Doug. I'll note that as a baseline for comparison.