LED Retrofits

[jap]

With all of the new LED Lamps coming out I've come across more than one instance where somebody
before me has retrofitted a ballasted fixture to LED. Meaning they took out the ballast and wired the line
voltage directly to the lamp socket.
This is deceiving at first seeing as how the old markings on the fixture and stickers may still indicate
the original configuration.

Is there any code requirements to relabel an existing fixture that has been retrofitted to indicate the
ballast has been removed and is now not what it may seem?

I've even run across standard edison base fixtures that have been retrofitted, with 277v at the socket that
you wouldnt expect.

 

[tom baker]

In washington we have some rulings that address this. Its a new area, it falls back to 110.3(B), UL has probably addressed this, not sure.

 

[GoldDigger]

In washington we have some rulings that address this. Its a new area, it falls back to 110.3(B), UL has probably addressed this, not sure.

Some of the inspectors on the forum have indicated that they would fail this if inspected because the listing conditions of the fixture have been violated.
If the retrofit kit is supplied by the fixture manufacturer, I would hope that supplementary labeling would be part of the kit!

 

[jap]

There's not a kit per say. Only a dual voltage LED Lamp with a standard base.

 

[GoldDigger]

There's not a kit per say. Only a dual voltage LED Lamp with a standard base.

And in that case, since it requires that the fixture it is installed into be modified but the same base is still used, I agree with your reservations 100%.

I can foresee somebody who is not aware of the difference either trying to install LEDs into an unmodified fixture or a regular fluorescent into a modified fixture. Or working on the fixture in an unsafe way (but it should be disconnected anyway!) For me the bottom line is that that the fixture has been field modified in a manner which is inconsistent with its UL listing. A fixture designed initially to take tubular LEDs is another question, and a label stating what type of lamp is required should take care of that case.