Convert 8 ft 2 lamp T-12 to T8 or LED

[tom baker]

I have 5 each, 8 ft 2 lamp T-12s I want to convert to T8 or LED. My labor is free, its for a kids play room, so breakage would be a concern. Cost is as always an issue

Convert to T-8 I can leave the housing in place and get an EPCO retrofit kit, 14050, that converts the 8 ft to 2 ft lamps, I would need new ballast covers, plus new lamps, ballast cover is $10.00 each, retrofit kit is $15, ballast $20.00, or $55.00
The retro fit kit has shunted sockets, will those work with a new T-8 ballast and T-8 lamps?

Convert to LED EPCO Retrofit Kit 14050, new ballast covers, plus LED lamps, use direct wire LED lamps, remove the ballast, what type of LED lamp?
$15 kit, 2 covers, $20, lamps $48.00, or about $85.00

A new 2 lamp 4ft LED luminare is $44.98 at a big box, to replace the 5 8 footers, it would be $440.
A new 8 ft 4 lamp strip is $39.98, lamps are $2.00 each or $48.00 complete, x 5 = $240
4 ft new T-8 wrap $32.98
4 ft new LED wrap $90.00
LED lamps are about $12
McGill protecto sleeve $5.00 for 4 ft
I am thinking a new 8 ft 4 ft lamp t-8 would be affordable and less expensive than a retrofit but of course the LED has much lower energy costs. I would use the McGill protecto sleeves

The advantage of the LED is no lamp breakage issues.

 

[LarryFine]

I'd go with the least expensive direct-wire LED retrofit method.

Definitely remove the ballasts from the wiring, even if you leave them in place.

 

[ActionDave]

I would convert to 4' led.

 

[tom baker]

Yep, 8ft 4 lamp LED strip. Hard to find non LED anymore. But I still like the two lamp 4ft T8. Lamps are $2-3, and the fixture itself is $25.

 

[tom baker]

I'd go with the least expensive direct-wire LED retrofit method.

Definitely remove the ballasts from the wiring, even if you leave them in place.

LED direct wire lamps are $10, I didn't notice until today these are 8ft Bi-pins, I really dislike 8 ft lamps.

 

[Little Bill]

They do make a kit that converts 8' to tandem 4'. It basically adds a plate in the middle with tombstones back-to-back. You can then put 4' tubes on each side of the plate. But by the time you add the kit you may as well just convert the 8' fluo. tubes to 8' LED. Disconnect the ballast and direct wire to the sockets, hot on one end & neutral to the other. You may have to add some wire to reach the end(s).

 

[ptonsparky]

i had a spare T5 HO washdown fixture in my Shop for years. On a slow day my help hung it in my garage between two vehicles. Two weeks later I screwewd in a couple corncob lights at existing. Keyless fixtures. I would have been money ahead throughing out the T5.

 

[Open Neutral]

I've been looking at the topic myself this week. A friend's garage has a slew of 4 & 8 ft open fixtures; some actually illuminate. I'd planned to remove the ballasts even before I found out that the "plug & play" option required electronic ballasts.

I started reading the Hyperikon pages. Unfortunately, I found them quite aggravating in that various pages answer 80% of the questions, and ignore the rest.

I've been warned that many of the tombstones may be brittle.

One question I have is LED output degradation over time. Has this been an issue?

 

[kwired]

I've been looking at the topic myself this week. A friend's garage has a slew of 4 & 8 ft open fixtures; some actually illuminate. I'd planned to remove the ballasts even before I found out that the "plug & play" option required electronic ballasts.

I started reading the Hyperikon pages. Unfortunately, I found them quite aggravating in that various pages answer 80% of the questions, and ignore the rest.

I've been warned that many of the tombstones may be brittle.

One question I have is LED output degradation over time. Has this been an issue?

AFAIK the rated lifetime of LED's is when a minimum light output will happen and not when it stops working at all.

 

[hillbilly1]

LED direct wire lamps are $10, I didn't notice until today these are 8ft Bi-pins, I really dislike 8 ft lamps.

If they are 8’ bi pins, they are HO’s, should be single pin, or are you saying the LED retro is bi-pin?

 

[kwired]

If they are 8’ bi pins, they are HO’s, should be single pin, or are you saying the LED retro is bi-pin?

I agree if 8' long and not single pin then they were HO replacements

 

[Open Neutral]

LED direct wire lamps are $10, I didn't notice until today these are 8ft Bi-pins, I really dislike 8 ft lamps.

The 8 ft one I am looking at are FA8 single pin. Which has me wondering, did 8 ft lamps exist before the filament-less rapid/instant start schemes arrived?

 

[Open Neutral]

I got deeper into this and found something unusual.

The existing FA8 tombstones are dual contact, with separate wires.
When a tube is inserted, it shorts the two contacts together.

What was this functionality used to accomplish? My guess was somehow it kept the ballast powered off if there's no tubes in place.

 

[MTW]

We installed a case of slimline Phillips 8' LED lamps at a customer's plant at 15' mounting height. The customer felt that they were bright enough to just use one lamp per fixture, except in locations where they had presses for operators to load.

I can't speak to the life span, but the customer was pleased after several months of operation. They were self ballasted models, and we reused the existing landholders, with minor rewiring.

 

[kwired]

I got deeper into this and found something unusual.

The existing FA8 tombstones are dual contact, with separate wires.
When a tube is inserted, it shorts the two contacts together.

What was this functionality used to accomplish? My guess was somehow it kept the ballast powered off if there's no tubes in place.

I heard them called cutout lampholders, and yes powering off the ballast when tube is removed is exactly why AFAIK.

 

[tkb]

How about new fixtures?

 

[brantmacga]

Go LED. You can get an 8’ LED lamp from Satco.

I stopped replacing fluorescent lamps about 2 years ago and convert to LED every time.

I have one single customer I replace fluorescent lamps for, and it’s because he bought several cases of T8 lamps a few years ago (it’s an office) and asked me to use them until they run out. We’re down to about a single case of lamps now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Open Neutral]

I heard them called cutout lampholders, and yes powering off the ballast when tube is removed is exactly why AFAIK.

Which implies that one side of the lamp was at line voltage; I find that interesting. I should have taken down the dead Instant-Start ballast but didn't have a nutdriver with me.

 

[kwired]

Which implies that one side of the lamp was at line voltage; I find that interesting. I should have taken down the dead Instant-Start ballast but didn't have a nutdriver with me.

Yes line volts is sort of applied to the lamps. This only was when connected to a 120 volt supply, if you had a 277 volt ballast supply went to the ballast first, but you probably did have 120 volts between lamps at one end of the fixture I would guess.

 

[zbang]

All interesting, I noticed yesterday that one of the 8' T-12's in my garage was out and I don't fancy getting a single tube to replace it (OTOH, that's a lot cheaper than any retrofit).