Eiko t8 led typeB

[Mparn]

We are in the process of replacing approximately 7000 lamps throughout our school district. The current lamps range from T8 to T12, all sorts of ballast magnetic, instastart, electronic. I am looking to go with an Eiko,17 Watt, ballast bypass, direct wire,dual ended lamp. Most of the district's lighting is 277 volt, and most of the rooms run off of two switches, with a shared neutral. I'm not really sure if we have a lot of voltage spikes, but I can say during a heavy lightning storm our power will dim briefly, without going out completely. Any ideas or suggestions to be aware of before starting this project? Such as surge protectors on panels, is eiko a good brand, is type B the way to go?

[LarryFine]

I believe the LED internal power supply does an adequate job of protecting itself, but I'm not brand savvy. What is Type B?

[Mparn]

Type B means you remove the ballast and direct wire it. The lamp has a built in driver.

[LarryFine]

Type B means you remove the ballast and direct wire it. The lamp has a built in driver.

In that case, I ALWAYS prefer Type B.

[Dennis Alwon]

We use those all the time for 120V. I believe the LED bulbs can take a wide variety of voltages so surges may not be an issue. We usually leave the ballast in and just disconnect it otherwise you have to put it in hazardous waste

[JFletcher]

You're going to want to play around with the Kelvin rating of the replacement bulbs, and get an ideal color before committing to buying 7000 of them. 3000 to 3500 k are yellow ish, 4000 or 4100k are brighter and more white. you may find the existing diffusers inadequate, or that 4-lamp fixtures only need two bulbs. There may also be a ton of busted or broken tombstones that need to be replaced. As far as the brand, I don't have any experience with them, but type B, the ballast bypass, are definitely the way to go.

As far as the dimming , it maybe the lightning is kicking out loads like air conditioning, and when they restart the inrush causes a voltage drop systemwide. you're going to be reducing the load on the system somewhere between 90 and 140 kilowatts by going to LED lights over fluorescent, that should help with brown out issues

[Mparn]

You're going to want to play around with the Kelvin rating of the replacement bulbs, and get an ideal color before committing to buying 7000 of them. 3000 to 3500 k are yellow ish, 4000 or 4100k are brighter and more white. you may find the existing diffusers inadequate, or that 4-lamp fixtures only need two bulbs. There may also be a ton of busted or broken tombstones that need to be replaced. As far as the brand, I don't have any experience with them, but type B, the ballast bypass, are definitely the way to go.

As far as the dimming , it maybe the lightning is kicking out loads like air conditioning, and when they restart the inrush causes a voltage drop systemwide. you're going to be reducing the load on the system somewhere between 90 and 140 kilowatts by going to LED lights over fluorescent, that should help with brown out issues

Thanks, I did some lux testing on a few classrooms. I decided to go 2-bulb 4k lighting. This is going from a 3-bulb t8 and 4-bulb T-12. We have a wide variety of colors now. I would also guess that 20% of the districts current lamps are not working.

[chris kennedy]

Your existing T8's have shunted tombstones that may need to be replaced with non-shunted. Also the tombstones need to be listed for direct connection to a branch circuit.

[Mparn]

Your existing T8's have shunted tombstones that may need to be replaced with non-shunted. Also the tombstones need to be listed for direct connection to a branch circuit.

The lights im using are a dual end. Hot goes to one end, neutral to the other. They also require each pin to be wired to. I am using shunted tombstones so each pin is energized.

[Mparn]

I completed 5 rooms today. I get a random flicker on a lamp when I turn the other switch on in the same room. It doesn't happen all the time and when it does it's not the same lamp. There are 2 series of lights in the room, each on its own switch leg, with a shared neutral. Could this be because of the shared neutral? This didn't happen before. Did the ballast prevent this before?

[Sierrasparky]

I have a issue with the fact that the lamp sockets are now exposed to 277v. To untrained people this is could be a hazard.

[Mparn]

I have a issue with the fact that the lamp sockets are now exposed to 277v. To untrained people this is could be a hazard.

Good point, I plan on having a meeting with maintenance and custodial staff about this. I have also placed new warning stickers inside each fixture

[Russs57]

I wouldn’t use the dual ended lamp. It isn’t the standard and may be discontinued or cost way more in the future.

I would buy a retrofit kit from respected name that would keep the fixtures UL rating. I’d assume they will come with new tombstones for live end of fixture. Be advised tubes are heavier so you want a good tombstone, not to mention one rated for line voltage. You want a solution with paperwork to cover everyone’s rear end. Small extra price to pay IMHO.

Personally I like the 5K color better. Seems a little much at first but is a much cleaner/ brighter look. Lot more POP than 4100 lamps. You want people to see your retrofit and notice a profound difference in lighting quality. On the other hand I hate the 6500 color.

PS, pay attention to angle of dispersion. Also going to have a little dark area near live end of tube that might be a deal breaker for some. Make sure building ownership signs off on sample room.

[Mparn]

Thanks Russ.

All my sockets say they are rated for 600v. I can't seem to find anything saying UL doesn't approve of a consent 277 going to the socket. Can someone help me out on this? I would defiantly be replacing any worn or broken socket

[Ragin Cajun]

Just out of curiosity, what do the new LED lamps go for?

What's the warranty period? All the new fixtures come with a 5 year warranty.
Published lifetime at P-80?
CRI?

Thanks,

RC