LED strip lights - fluorescent replacements

[puffernutter]

Happy Christmas all. Thank you for all your help and support through 2020. Here's to a brighter and better 2021!

The fluorescent strip lights in the kitchen and utility room get quite a hammering. Tubes are replaced frequently, whole units less often and I recently replaced the choke in one of the units (I am such a tight wad :-) )

So, I am looking to replace them with LED equivalents. What is best, just the LED "tube" and keep the rest of the fitting (removing the starter?) or complete fittings?

I use TLC direct as they are local and have always given good service, their tubes are £8.55 and a complete fitting is £11.10 but then the tube is extra, so roughly £20.

What is your experience with just tube replacements - does not having a dedicated LED fitting degrade the life or makes no difference?

Cheers

Peter

 

[frank horton]

I tried the LED replacement tube on a 4 footer....just as a try out.....
it was left on 24/7/365.....after about 2 years we moved so snaffled it...
suprisingly better light....and no trouble.....
Wanted to change the rest in the workshop but at the time a 4' double (couldnt buy 5's) was about €45 each....
Have read on other forums u have to buy named brands if you want em to last....
I'm sure someone will be along with the right answer.....
My next barn/workshop will be around 200m2, so it will get 50w LED spotlights high up for general use and dedicated
LED strips over and around the machines....

 

[8ob]

I have bought a fair few now, they are not all wired in the same way. Some are wired opposite ends and some the one end. Not a problem but I now have to be careful replacing tubes, my advice is stick with one type from a supplier. There was a fair bit of swearing and breaker popping before I realised my mistake.

Bob

 

[KimB]

I have been using some from here. Go to the bottom, Bright Source ive used quite a few and the light output is excellent. I have another load to fit soon and I’ll be using the same ones

 

[Barlidge]

I think Pete fitted and recommended some a year or so ago, might be worth searching for the post.

 

[RWD3M]

Happy Christmas all. Thank you for all your help and support through 2020. Here's to a brighter and better 2021!

The fluorescent strip lights in the kitchen and utility room get quite a hammering. Tubes are replaced frequently, whole units less often and I recently replaced the choke in one of the units (I am such a tight wad :-) )

So, I am looking to replace them with LED equivalents. What is best, just the LED "tube" and keep the rest of the fitting (removing the starter?) or complete fittings?

I use TLC direct as they are local and have always given good service, their tubes are £8.55 and a complete fitting is £11.10 but then the tube is extra, so roughly £20.

What is your experience with just tube replacements - does not having a dedicated LED fitting degrade the life or makes no difference?

Cheers

Peter

Hi Peter,

I have no experience of the separate tubes but have about 20 odd 5ft LED battens in my shed and swear by them. I got them from TLC in Swindon (probably the one you referred to) to replace the flourescent ones in my old shed.

Richard.

 

[RonA]

I’ve replaced quite a few fluorescent tubes in my garage with LED tubes, mainly as the originals wore out.
Replacement is a piece of cake, LED tubes fit just like the old ones & then fit LED “choke”, simples.
Can testify to comments about LED’s being brighter.
Some people seem to prefer going the LED battens route, same difference but seems a pfaff to mess about with wiring when all you need to do is change the tube.
RonA

 

[RWD3M]

I’ve replaced quite a few fluorescent tubes in my garage with LED tubes, mainly as the originals wore out.
Replacement is a piece of cake, LED tubes fit just like the old ones & then fit LED “choke”, simples.
Can testify to comments about LED’s being brighter.
Some people seem to prefer going the LED battens route, same difference but seems a pfaff to mess about with wiring when all you need to do is change the tube.
RonA

Agreed, I may have gone that route if I was just replacing the lights but I replaced the whole shed!

 

[armalites]

I've tried the LED replacement tubes and they work ok but they aren't as good as modern LED battens.

I can thoroughly recommend Ansell Tornado PRO, I've got 3 6' twin units in my workshop and they are amazing.

 

[bricol]

I got replacement tubes to fit my garage units - they came with an "LED Choke" - ignored and removed the ballasts completely - but also marked the fittings to indicate I done it. Work well, and robust - as i found out when I knocked one clean out and it bounced