I've watched all the conversion videos on RU-vid and you win the award!!! I wish I could send it to all the other guys who tried to show us how to do this. They need to learn how simple the job should be! Thank you! Thank you!!
I appreciate your excellent video. A new ballast was more expensive than the LED upgrade. I got two nice 4 foot T8 bulbs at Lowes for $17 and they are 3 position adjustable which I really like. I followed your plan and everything was very simple. Now I have some much nicer and more efficient lighting for my wood shop. The little connectors are awesome and so much more convenient than wire nuts. The next time another light ballast goes out, I now know just what to do. Thanks again !!
Outstanding instructions! Thanks for taking your time to help an otherwise helpless non-electrician. The directions that came with the LED lamps are simply ridiculous, so your video was crucial. Everything worked exactly as you stated.
Thank you so much for your help. I fixed four tubes (two fixtures in less than ten minutes). Very helpfu! This is a big part of what RU-vid is made for.
@@Totallightingsupply I am replacing a ballast with battries one with four pins tube for two tube-AC. How can the wiring for done for four pins two tubes? Share if possible , thank you.
@@democracyforall Here is a video that includes the most popular retrofit methods and a LED T8 tube that will work in all three. It may help 👉ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xPOu-jSTrPc.html
I watched 4 or 5 videos on how to convert fluorescent to Led. Each one was a bit different, in fact, one had me connecting each of the 4 end wires to the other ends wire. I tried one which had me removing all wires from one end totally and doing all connections for the other end. That one didn't work at all. Your simple method worked the first time. Thank you for the clear and simple instructions.
I wish I would have gotten my LED lights from you guys. You take all the guess work out of buying the right stuff and doing the job right. THANK YOU for this great video.
Thank you for pointing out at 1:05 that the same tombstone can be used for both T12 and T8 sizes. The employee at the box store where I asked about this didn't know this, and told me I needed to buy a whole new fixture. Also good job explaining about the hot side vs. neutral side. 4:50 I think you meant "probably about 3/4 *inch* of the wire".
This was the Video I needed - thank you - simplest conversion ever... Did mine in 15 min for the first one and 5 min there after... - All make sure you are wiring for Dual end Powered - that's probably the only gotcha. Some tubes are single end powered and are wired differently.
Thank you for sharing! We are glad to hear that our video has helped give you the confidence to convert from Fluorescent to LED! Check out our complete kits that use the same components in the video to make the retrofit process even easier here www.totalbulklighting.com/retrofit-kits/ez-t8-led-4-foot-kits.html - Let us know if you have any questions 🙂
Great video. All I do differently is to put the warning sticker where it can be seen without having to remove the belly pan, usually on the outside of the pan. That is rarely removed when just replacing lamps.
Thank you for sharing! Glad you enjoyed the video. The label should be placed in an area highly visible on the outside of the fixture. This was our bad and we didn't catch the mistake to later 🙂
By far the easiest and straightforward DIY video to convert fluorescent to led. Thank you! Completed 7 fixtures so far waiting on one 8' fluorescent fixture bulbs to give up the ghost then upgrade to led-)
I wished in the video you would have discussed the types of bulbs. Ie type A, A+B & B. I did not realize there were different types so after converting per your instructions I inserted the type A , which I had on hand, and guess what, it lasted about 15 min. That is when I did more research and discovered the different types. Inserted the type B and success.
Glad you were able to troubleshoot it and resolve the problem 😃 At the making of this video there was talk of an A+B led lamp, which makes installation so much less confusing, but we were unable to get our hands on it. Now the A+B are more common. We did release a video last year discussing the differences between the A, A+B and B type LED lamps. You can see it here and it may help other future projects of yours, family members and friends doing a retrofit conversion to LED ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xPOu-jSTrPc.html - Have a blessed day!
I just bought a vintage, mid century gooseneck desk lamp that I'm looking to convert to an LED as a small project. This was very helpful to let me know what I'm getting into.
Electricians quoted me couple thousand to do this job few years back for one of my property. I paid a couple hundred for him to do maybe 4 of the fixtures, I watched and realized how ridiculously easy it was and then I did the rest myself. Contractors in the US are such scammers.
T.q of yr sweet explaination, i try do it for my working table. My son out station is electrician but this info us good for me to try the installation job....safety first . Take out or off switch the power suply
Glad you found the process easy 😊 Using the right type of bulbs is very important when doing these type of retrofits 🙂 Thankfully the newer Type A+B tubes work with all three popular conversions!
Finally a good explanation. Put more emphases on the replace bulb.. You are replacing T-12 or T8 with a T8 LED Double Ended? There is the confusion I replaced with P&P because they were up 14 ft in garage,
We are using our EZ LED T8 Kit you can find a link in the video description to or here ➡www.totalbulklighting.com/retrofit-kits/ez-t8-led-4-foot-kits.html 🙂
Thank you for your video explaining how easy it is to convert light fixtures to LED. I would like to convert the light fixtures under the kinchen cabinets to LED.
Unfortunately we do not offer a kit that retrofits fluorescent under cabinet lights to LED. We do offer LED under cabinet light fixtures that can be found here if that helps www.totalrecessedlighting.com/under-cabinet-lighting/led-under-cabinet.html 😊
Sounds like you installed Type-A LED T8 tubes that don't require any rewiring or socket replacement. We now offer a universal T8 LED tube that works in all three retrofit applications with or without a ballast. Check it out here 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/t8-led-lamps/universal-compatible-led-t8-tubes-type-a-b.html
They now make LED lamps that use the ballast. No rewire necessary. Occasionally an older ballast will need to be replaced if they don't come back on when the switch is cycled or after power goes out.
You are right and it makes it super easy. However, not every project is the same and a direct replacement won't work. That is why we offer the universal Type A+B bulb that works without wiring and with retrofitting. It's a great way to convert to LED and when the ballast fails you can still use the tube with rewiring like shown in this video. We did a video on this a few months back. You can see how that tube works here 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xPOu-jSTrPc.html 🙂
This ballast bypass install on liner led lamp is dangerous due to the sockets not being rated for it. I checked with Leviton and talked to an engineer and he confirmed that the sockets are not rated for it.. Bi pin lamps make limited contact in the socket which overheats and melts, out here in California I've see 5 fires do to this install one burnt half a Bed,Bath,and Beyond down. On liner led lamp alway have an led driver or fluorescent compatible ballast to protect the sockets. You can do a ballast bypass on CFL lamps as the pins are making a 360 degree contact. A little background I'm a 25 year electrician working for one of the largest electrical contractors in Sacramento.
Interesting point. The lamps are UL approved to be used in this manner. The question I would have in those 5 cases you mention is were the fixtures wired correctly and were the lamps rated for the application? Thanks for sharing your concern 🙂
I agree Jerry. Some videos show using one-sided LED tubes and state how the one-sided are safer than dual-sided. Then there's the shunted, non-shunted tombstone issue, using an ohm meter. The difference in approaches to these conversions has given me a headache.
Seems to be three types. One is the single-ended bulb where al, the power connections are at one end and use the non-shunted tombstones. Another is the double-ended bulb as shown in this video. Third is the type you just simply install without changing anything. The third one doesn't make sense unless you're totally freaked out by electricity and don't want to mess with wiring; the ballast is still there sucking power and prone to failure. If you watched right to the end of the video, he mentioned all three types being available for purchase in the store (last 10-20 seconds). The only caution I never see them mention is you probably should stick with one type of conversion and clearly mark it on the outside of the fixture. Putting a single end bulb in a double end conversion after a bulb failure (or vice versa) could cause some problems. They all seem to believe the 50,000 hour bulb life guarantee is real. They may not all fail, but some certainly will, and LED's degrade over time. Might not fail, but probably change color and brightness down the road.
There is a lot of confusion out there. You are correct, there are three ways to convert a fluorescent T8 or T12 fixture at this time as you have mentioned. With our kits, we include a label you a-fix to the fixture to help convey to anyone doing maintenance that the fixture has been retrofitted to LED. Our Double End Powered Kits label indicates the type of retrofit applied. If you compare the wiring of the LED T8 fixture with our our wiring diagrams you will quickly see which type is being used. If you are unsure, knowing electrically based on the wiring is the best approach as things can be easily mislabeled. We made this FAQ recently to help mitigate the confusion out there 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/blog/2020/01/10/converting-fluorescent-t8-or-t12-to-led-t8-tubelight-faq/
Glad our video could help 🙂 If you need additional wiring help you can find our wiring diagram here www.totalbulklighting.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1215/product/8700/led_t8_double_end_power_wire_diagram.pdf - Have a Happy New Year 🎉
Is that for a "double ended" conversion? How do we know which one it is when we look at the innards (ballast and wiring) of the florescent tube before converting to LED? It would be very helpful to us "newbies" if you explained that first.
This video is for a double ended conversion. The best thing is to familiarize yourself with the wiring diagram and match the fixture wiring to the diagram. You can find wiring the diagram here www.totalbulklighting.com/ez-led-t8-installation.html 🙂
It would have been better to show these smaller daylight bulbs, installed in a fixture, in a garage of workshop and turn them on. I can not speak for others, but I would like to see what the illumination appears in a real work situation. Thanks for the info.
That's great to hear! Sounds like you purchased Type-A tubes which simply work with the existing ballast. Very easy indeed 🙂 The only draw back to Type-A is when the ballast fails you will have to either replace with a new ballast or utilize a retrofit method like the one we demonstrate in this video to get the lights back on. However, if you plan on any future conversions we have a Type-A+B tube that works with an existing ballast and in the retrofit application shown in this video. You can find those tubes here 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/t8-led-lamps/universal-compatible-led-t8-tubes-type-a-b.html - Have a blessed day!
6:04 'Be sure to put in your label'. That is a great point but why on the inside of the box. I would never open that part when replacing a bulb to see a warning label. Might I suggest on the outside of the cover?
@@Totallightingsupply I have never had very good luck with LED lights, and I guess it is just me, but I cannot be in a room lit by them because i get a headache in like 10 minutes. so all of my shops are lit by fluorescent lights, but the newer ones with the electronic ballast seem to not last very long and always burn up in less than 3 years. so I use old lights that are from the 1950s that i got from an old shop that was closing and they still have the original preheat magnetic ballasts and they still work great and never give me any issues.
Hi... Nice Video EXCEPT at the end you rush thru "single-ended" Double-ended" and one more that you flashed by so quickly I did not catch. What's the story please with the different "ends"
Yes that is correct, this video is for double / dual end powered tubes or our new universal LED t8 tubes found here 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xPOu-jSTrPc.html
This seems to be the method our tube supplier recommends, i.e. remove the ballast, retain the shunted tombstones. Ballast manufacturers can't be happy about the LED tubes being rolled out.
This Video needs to begin with the WARNING that there are two different types of LED tubes being sold. I discovered after I had cut out the ballast and rewired my fixture that the LED tubes I bought were specifically designed to be used in an existing florescent fixture with NO modifications. Fortunately, I had left just enough wire at the end of the ballast to reconnect the wiring. I would expect more from a commercial lighting supply company than to miss this important detail.
I am sorry to hear you had performed the wrong retrofit method for the tubes you purchased. We do have another video that goes into greater detail of the most popular retrofit methods. Glad you were able to correct the issue. Please keep in mind that this video was made almost 4 years ago and includes the type of LED tubes being used, links to the tubes being used and a link to the wiring diagram that provides greater clarification at no charge. As we aim to always improve on what we do your feedback is valuable and has been passed on for consideration in future videos :) Thank you for sharing!
Absolute question is the question is removing the ballast making it led or removing the ballast and replacing the LED bulb looks awesome I would like to try this thanks for the uploads
If you remove the ballast you can no longer use florescent tubes with the fixture. I just brought some LED tubes that can work with or without a ballast. When I do my next conversion I might just take the ballast out this time. Less noise and I am sure the ballast also uses and in the case of the LED tubes wastes energy.
That is definitely one way to convert to LED. Not all LED retrofit applications are the same and have different requirements where Type-A / DRL tubes can not be used. We simply offer a convenient solution for Type-B retrofit applications. Have a blessed day!
Is there a way to rewire a fixture to accept both single *and* double-ended tubes? I would think that if tube manufacturers followed some simple standards, this would be very easy to accomplish. After all, a double-ended tube only needs to use one pin on each end. An industry standard would be needed to determine which one. This "should" be sooo easy!
No need for special retrofit wiring if you go with the double end method and Type A+B tubes. With the newer more advanced Type A+B LED tubes that are both single end and dual end powered in one tube you just need to wire for the double end retrofit method and your done. See our video on that here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xPOu-jSTrPc.html Hope that helps 🙂
Very cool. I need to convert my kitchen florescent ceiling tube lights to LEDs but some of the clips that connect the done of the tubes are cracked/ broken so... what then? Replace the entire housing? I'd rather just put in an LED panel if that's the case as i hate the design of the double ended tubes and trying to align them and locked in place always drives me crazy.
If the sockets are cracked or broken replacing them is the best thing to do. As for an LED panel vs tubes that's a more personal decision. I like the ability to easily replace the tubes if for some reason the tube fails prematurely or I want a higher lumen light or different color temperature 🙂
Love the instructions on conversion. However, my light fixture has these Starters how do you eliminate the starters? Can my fixture still be converted to led?
Please see our video here that explains the different retrofit methods as it may help clear up confusion for you 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xPOu-jSTrPc.html
The LED T8 Tubes in this video require power to enter from both ends of the tube. See the wiring diagram here www.totalbulklighting.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1215/led_t8_double_end_power_wire_diagram.pdf 🙂
Before I found this video, I went ahead and replace 2-tube (48")T8 fluorescent lights with 2 LED tubes that I got at home depot that said for T8. I didn't have to do any of this conversion. Why is that? Do I need to be concerned about anything done wrong?
Simple instructions; I have GE single pole 8 ft led light follow your steps, change the sockets, still no light, tested the wires coming in the fixture and it works, what I'm doing wrong?
Make sure your LED Tubes are Type-B and receive power from both ends. See this video on popular LED Tube types and retrofit methods. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xPOu-jSTrPc.html maybe it will help shed some light on your situation 🙂
I have a T12 fluorescent 1tube light. I followed the directions to convert to a T8 LED. After the connections, I have power to the wires but my light does not work. ????
There are lots of variables but make sure the LED tube is a Type-B not a Type-A. We see this common mistake often. Type-B bypasses the ballast where as Type-A can only be used with the existing ballast. When in doubt contact the business you purchased the tube from for more information on the tube Hopefully that helps 🙂
Why would you put the conversion sticker in the fixture? People don't remove the cover when they change a bulb. The next person may try and install a fluorescent when the LED burns out.
Those push in connectors should be outlawed!!! They fail every time over time and will drive you nuts working sometime and not others. Change in vibration of roof or wall can make them work one day and not another. Although these are low amp which wont hurt them near as fast, i always throw them away and use wire nuts. Do it once, do it right. Ive had them fail on wall switches for dishwashers, trailer wiring, motor home wiring. Never had a wire nut wrapped with tape fail.
I agree, Licensed electrician and I get calls that they are the stem of all the time. Lucky enough the new inspector ranks them with using a 12 volt crimp connector and fails anything new he sees them in.
@@ligayaen01 Agapito Flores was a brilliant man. It's arguable that he invented it, but definitely contributed greatly. m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1932359870145922&id=1068783669836884
In this video the tombstones are shunted with the hot being connected to one side of the fixture's tombstone and the neutral to the opposite side. But a fixture with non-shunted tombstones can be wired the same as it would be electrically the same. It is always best to follow the wiring diagram supplied and when in doubt we recommend using a licensed electrician 🙂
Hi total lighting guy's :-). OMG what an Awesome tutorial. Straight to the point :-)! I was in the process of deciding whether to convert my fluorescent to an LED. My issue is that I just recently purchased several 8 watt 12 inch T5 fluorescent bulbs and need to know if I change the fixture over, will I be able to use those bulbs, or does your company carry this size in LED? Also, is the LED brighter than the fluorescent? I need brightness under my kitchen cabinets and cost effective options....Please advise...Thanks
Unfortunately we do not carry a 12 inch t5 LED tube for retrofit applications. We do provide LED under cabinet lights which you can find here: www.totalrecessedlighting.com/under-cabinet-lighting.html We find LED is typically brighter but you have to look at the lumens of the LED and fluorescent to know if you will have a brighter LED.
sara wood I watched another conversion video where the gentleman retrofit from shunted to non shunted on single ended bulbs. First thing I was thinking when I started this and he didn’t change the tombstones! lol
I have what I believe is a important question ??? Can I use an off the shelf double ended t8 LED ??? The reason I ask is because the package says ballest dependent ?
Any Type-B (ballast bypass) double end powered LED T8 lamp will work with the retrofit method in this video. Sounds like you have a Type-A LED tube that requires the t8 ballast to be electrically connected to the fluorescent fixture. Type-A will not work with the retrofit method shown in this video. I hope that helps clarify 🙂
In some cases yes. Some cases no. Not every retrofit application is the same. We have had customers retrofitting 100s of these fixtures in office complexes and the cost both in time and money of a new fixture verses retrofitting the old was significantly less. Just depends on the job 🙂
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I have a question. When you wire the light like this with all hot on one side and all neutral on the other, it does not matter whether the tombstones are shunted or non-shunted?
As along as you follow the wiring diagram making sure power is flowing properly to the tube it should not matter the type of tombstone you are using. Keep in mind shunted tombstones are electrically separated and may require jumping so that both tabs that contact the tube pins are providing power. We always recommend consulting a local licensed electrician to make sure local code is followed and connections and wring are done correctly. Hope that helps 🙂
I bought a pack of 2 LED at Walmart but it only works with the ballast ,The moment I delete the ballast it won't work.Can you tell me why?I did the wiring right and checked the voltage it is 125 volts so must be the LED is made for ballast to work.
The retrofit method shown in this video is strictly for Type-B LED T8 tubes which require the ballast to be removed. If the tubes you purchased require the ballast it sounds like you have Type-A tubes that are designed to work with a ballast. Hope that helps 🙂
I have a fixture using F48T12-CW-HO BULBS. These have a different base . I would like to change the bases to tombstone type and replace with LED ‘s. I don’t ned high output devices. Is there a kit for this?
I am sorry we do not have a retrofit kit for those type of fluorescent fixtures. However, an electrician might be able to rewire your fixture to accept LED version of the F48T12-CW-HO bulbs.
It depends on the LED Tube you are using. If it is Type-B that brings power into both ends then this retrofit method concept would work. You just need to know what type of LED T8 Tube you are using. Best thing is to contact the place you purchased from 🙂
