Fluorescent to LED

[JHurt]

Here's a website that sells LEDs and has instructions on how to convert your fixtures eliminating the ballasts. Using this website, and going for the 2900 lumen bulbs it would cost me $281.60 to convert my shop. No labor costs. Now my question would be, how many hours of operation before I recoup that cost. Assuming I remove my current bulbs which are working fine.

Industrial LED Solution, LLC Marion NC, Quality LED tubes

Well we would have to know how many watts your current 8 fixtures use per hour, versus what the new LED would use per hour, and then how much the electric company charges per hour. If I get bored at work today, I'll see "watt" I can come up with.

 

[lostcreekranch]

My shop lights are 8’ fluorescent T12 fixtures, hanging 16’ above shop floor, on chains connected to beams about 22’ above floor. Replacing the 8’ tubes is a big PIA trying to hold fixture with one hand while trying to stab tube with other hand. Plus they’re slow to turn on when shop is cold. I bought below replacement fixtures from Home Depot.

EnviroLite 8 ft. 4-Light T8 Industrial LED White Strip Light with 18 Lumen DLC Flex Tubes 4K-ST74T184 - The Home Depot

 

[KennyG]

You just have to do a specific calculation based on the usage, cost of LEDs, cost of electricity, etc. At our church we converted some fixtures that are on 12 to 14 hours per day. The calculated payback was between 1 and 2 years using relatively expensive LED fixtures and the results have confirmed that. We have other lights that are on 10 to 30 hours per week. When a ballast fails in those, I bypass it and replace with 4 foot LEDs ($8 each from Amazon) because it doesn't make sense to replace them until the ballast fails.

 

[Rustyiron]

I just put some of Northern Tool's LED lights in the shop that have a reflector built in and just screw in to a cheapo "porcelain" fixture. Being cautious I only experimented with one "bay" of the shop with 3 of the $30 4400 lumen bulbs and 2 of the $20 1500 lumen bulbs. They circle two 2x4 bulb T 8 fixtures that are centered in the bay. All 5 of these bulbs are on one switch and light the bay very nicely and at a cheap price vs some of the alternatives. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...MI_P-32Om-2AIVTVx-Ch3KKAlGEAQYAiABEgIGNvD_BwE

 

[lostcreekranch]

I just put some of Northern Tool's LED lights in the shop that have a reflector built in and just screw in to a cheapo "porcelain" fixture. Being cautious I only experimented with one "bay" of the shop with 3 of the $30 4400 lumen bulbs and 2 of the $20 1500 lumen bulbs. They circle two 2x4 bulb T 8 fixtures that are centered in the bay. All 5 of these bulbs are on one switch and light the bay very nicely and at a cheap price vs some of the alternatives. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...MI_P-32Om-2AIVTVx-Ch3KKAlGEAQYAiABEgIGNvD_BwEView attachment 534489

I could use these in side bays of my workshop. I’m curious if you noice any radio frequency interference with radio in your shop? Power supplies on some LEDs are really noisy.

When I found the 8’ fixtures, that I noted above, I ordered one to check brightness and RFI. They are much brighter than the lights I’m replacing and no noticeable RFI even on AM Radio.

Thanks!

 

[plowhog]

I bought the LED bulbs at Costco that are plug compatible with the old tubes. No change to the ballast. Works great. I don't know the difference in power consumption-- but I don't use those bulbs enough to justify monkeying with the ballasts. Remove the old, install the new.

I also recently purchased dual LED 4 foot shop lights at Costco for $20/fixture. They had a limit of 10. So I visited twice!

 

[Rustyiron]

I’m curious if you noice any radio frequency interference with radio in your shop? Power supplies on some LEDs are really noisy.

They do with FM, so do my fluorescent lights.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I just bought new 4 footer LED's, at $16 and change ea. from Menards, 3300 ? lumens...

They are plug n play and are working out very nicely...

Buy them, plug them in and enjoy....seemed like the best way to go to me.

SR

 

[Ford850]

I swapped out some of my incandescent and compact florescent bulbs in my barn/shop with splitters (double sockets) and LED bulbs. My plan was to replace the old with 2 new '60 watt equivalent' LED bulbs at each fixture as the old bulbs died. I'll warn you all right now, once you have LED lights in part of your shop, you will upgrade the rest of it immediately like I did. The 'instant on' at 100% brightness puts a smile on my face every time I flip that switch.

 

[ovrszd]

Well we would have to know how many watts your current 8 fixtures use per hour, versus what the new LED would use per hour, and then how much the electric company charges per hour. If I get bored at work today, I'll see "watt" I can come up with.

Good one!!!!

I don't know watt what my bulbs are.... If I get bored in the shop I'll crawl up on a ladder and look.