How to decide which type of LED T8 retrofit tube is right for you. Ballasts last between 30,000 and 80,000 hours, depending on ballast type and usage characteristics. In general, ballasts will last at least as long as the LED tubes so ballast lifetime may not be a major consideration. One Response to How to decide which type of LED T8. I was at lowes today and found this Utilitech 70w hps dusk to dawn light #293612 Anyway they are only 40 bucks and come with the bulb. Thing is it's not connected to a plug so I'd have to make one myself.
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I was research about this topic, I am not an electrical engineer student.
According to this website:
No, removing the ballast does not make your LED conversion consume less electricity. The ballast is an essential component which converts and regulates power delivered to a fluorescent tube. LEDs also require this power conversion and regulation; it can not be avoided. While it is true that the ballast is not 100% efficient (nothing is), the LED Tube Lights which require removing the ballast have, simply put, a ballast inside the tube itself. As a result, those products suffer from the exact same inefficiencies as the existing ballast.
Do you all agree about this? How true is it? It is because I am thinking to switch from fluorescent tube to LED Tube. Want to get more information in this area.Thanks!
Dave Tweed♦
ShiroShiro
$endgroup$4 Answers
$begingroup$Summarey:
- You MUST use a ballast with an EverLED TR tube.
- You should not use a ballast with tubes where the manufacturer says that you should not use a ballast.
- If the manufacturer does not make it clear whether you should or should not use a ballast then you should buy another brand of tube. This is such a fundamental issue that all competent manufacturers will address it.
You need to carefully read what EverLED, who you are quoting, say
It is clear from what they say that they are claiming that:
- THEIR LED tubes MUST use an external (existing) electromagnetic ballast.
- Most other LED tubes that require the external ballast to be removed still need a ballast BUT have it internally.
In fact, they are speaking rubbish in the second case above. LED tubes can be designed so that they do NOT need have to have a ballast, either external or internal. They do not need a ballast because they work entirely differently to how fluro tubes work.
BUT - just because they are talking rubbish about other people's products, it does not mean that you can ignore what they say about using their product. It does not matter whetrher the external ballast 'wastes' energy - they say you MUST use one with their tubes - leaving it in place may waste energy, but removing it will probably waste the complete $s that you paid for their tube.
Their FAQ says:
- Do you have to remove the ballast when installing the EverLED TR?No. Unlike other LED replacements for linear fluorescent tubes, the EverLED TR LED Tube Light is the worlds first ballast compatible LED product.
The EverLED-TR is designed to function with both T8 and T12 standard electronic and magnetic ballasts.
This unique feature makes the EverLED-TR a true 'drop-in' solution and saves the considerable expense of hiring electricians to rewire the fixture and remove the existing ballast.
and
- Is it more energy efficient to remove the ballast?No, removing the ballast does not make your LED conversion consume less electricity. The ballast is an essential component which converts and regulates power delivered to a fluorescent tube. LEDs also require this power conversion and regulation; it can not be avoided. While it is true that the ballast is not 100% efficient (nothing is), the LED Tube Lights which require removing the ballast have, simply put, a ballast inside the tube itself. As a result, those products suffer from the exact same inefficiencies as the existing ballast.
Proper use of information:
(1) For most LED fluorescent tube replacements, the manufacturer's instructions probably REQUIRE you to remove the ballast.
(2) For the example you have given they are DESIGNED to work with the ballast in place.
SO
(3) You have two examples that are identifiably different, and you cannot extend what it says to the other without taking note of what the manufacturer says in each case.
From what I read on the page that you cited, they are designed to work WITH the ballast BUT I did not see if they say that they NEED the ballast or if it is optional. It is quite possible, but not certain, that removing the ballast in this case would damage the new 'tube'.
![Ballast for utilitech Ballast for utilitech](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124859210/986082736.jpg)
If the page you had found was about replacing mercury lights, or metal halide lights, or low or high pressure sodium lights, or Xenon arc lights,... with some different sort of lights there would be no reason to think that the advice for one type necessarily applied to all the others. And similarly there is no reason to think so here when there are two types of replacement being talked about.
Russell McMahonRussell McMahon
$endgroup$$begingroup$I wish they would remove make the tubes so that the ballast is removed. despite what some are saying a large magnaetic ballst does waste power. How? Because it creates an impedence it causes the power factor to reduce.That is why capacitors are needed in fluros. So leaving the cap in corrects it but having done years of maintenece i can tell you one of the biggest and time consuming problems in lighting is replacing burnt out ballasts that have also melted the wiring. I would love it if we could do away with them. The reduced maintenece costs would be an equally important consideration in my buying these. As it is the extra cost in purchasing them for now is a turn off given they are not eliminating those magnetic ballasts
SteveSteve
$endgroup$$begingroup$I am currently installing direct replacement T8 LEDs; replacing T12 fluo. In theory, and by the instructions, this is a plug and play product. Take out the T12 fluo - replace with the T8 LED. Ballasts in. In short, it did not work. The majority did come on but it was obvious there was a problem. One tube was dull, the other brighter, but not clear, some flickered, some came on, then when the ballasts heated they shut off completely, then came on when the ballast cooled. The ballast actually heated to extreme temps, one catching fire! I tried bypassing the ballasts; as suggested. It did not work at all. I ended up replacing the T12 ballast with T8 ballast and solved the problem. So, not only do you have to consider the initial costs of the LED tubes, but if you have T12's the cost of replacing the ballast to T8's. In my case if I'm changing the ballast to T8 anyhow, the extra cost of an LED is not worth it. Our hotel will be a crumpled pile by the time any savings are realized.
GeorgeGeorge
$endgroup$$begingroup$You should remove the ballast for replacing the traditional tube to New LED tube.Ballast also use power, so it will also waste your energy cost.
tForceledtForceled
$endgroup$protected by Community♦Dec 15 '15 at 7:11
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