Fluorescent lights replace fixure or just ballast

[kossuth]

Just got done replacing the ballast in the majority of my garage lights. Just a typical T8 dual bulb fixure, nothing special. Ballast was $20 each for my size/type of bulbs. New fixture is about the same as just the ballast. I got new ballasts given that the $20.ish lights generally have a junk electronic ballast.
Ballasts I got are better ballasts than the originals. Other lights I've replaced with have been going 10+ years AOK. I'm not a pro but have had good luck with the Phillips Advance units our local ACE stocks. I figure the rest of the fixture is good so just replace the bad part and get on with life.

So what do you guys do?

 

[wayne55]

All mine are T12 and so far I have just replaced ballasts.

I have been reading about the LED direct replacement bulbs though.

 

[RossABQ]

I did what OP did, replaced magnetic ballasts with electronic for T8's. No way I can justify LEDs for the garage, it will take me 20 yrs to recover the costs. There was actually no way to justify the T12 to T8 conversion, but the T12's were a problem in the winter. (Unheated garage)

All that said, replacing the ballasts wasn't straightforward on some of my lights. The new ballasts wouldn't fit behind the plate between the bulbs and the ballast, so I had to cut the plate to leave the ballast exposed.

BTW if you get your ballasts at a commercial/industrial electrical supply house, they are cheaper and better.

 

[racinfarmer]

Replace with LED.

 

[PhysicsDude]

Direct wire LED. You don't need no stinkin' ballasts.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Would have been the same cost and labor to replace with the LED bulbs on page 1 of the Best Light Fixture thread. End result = quite a bit more usable light delivered per fixture and significant energy savings:

Fluorescent 2-Lamp = 56W, ~3000 delivered lumens = 54 Lumens/Watt
(2 x 2400 lumen fluorescent bulbs x 0.89 ballast factor x 0.70 fixture efficiency)

LED 2-Lamp = 36W, 5328 delivered lumens = 148 Lumens/Watt
(2 x 2664 lumen LED bulbs with 120° beam spread)

No vote on the poll as the best option isn't shown.

 

[cybrdyke]

The solution depends on the situation. The biggest factor is hours of operation. Second biggest factor is the condition of the existing fixtures and ballasts. There are more than just two upgrade solutions from fluorescent to LED:
LED tubes running on the ballast
LED tubes with ballast bypassed
LED tubes with new driver replacing ballast
LED boards on an insert or new ballast cover
New fixtures
Each solution has it's place in the world and are used commonly.

CD

 

[asp125]

Same dilemma here. I have 8 2xT8/T12 fixtures yet to be mounted. At the very least I would convert to electronic ballast, but I haven't been able to justify going LED since a box of T8's are so cheap.

 

[MattT]

Same dilemma here. I have 8 2xT8/T12 fixtures yet to be mounted. At the very least I would convert to electronic ballast, but I haven't been able to justify going LED since a box of T8's are so cheap.

For a two tube fixture direct wire LED lamps will cost less than an electronic ballast plus "cheap" T8s. And use about half the power. And put out more usable light.

 

[ard]

Two direct wire hyperikon 2200 lumen LEDs are under $20 delivered Amazon prime

4400lumens. Full brightness on cold mornings too.

Crazy to replace ballasts, IMO

 

[mrramsey]

^^ THIS ^^
I have 8 of these in my garage and they are great. Direct wire. takes 5 minutes to rewire the fixture. Super simple to do.

 

[mmb617]

Another vote for the direct wire LED conversion. I did my whole garage last year and it was definitely a good investment.

 

[DieselNut88]

I do commercial building maintenance. I would just replace the ballast and run T8 bulbs. The Phillips advance ballasts are the only ones I use. I have tried various leds. Direct wire and ones that keep the ballast. I have been having mixed results on life. Most were installed about a year ago and some have stopped working in just a few months. The commercial led fixtures are great quality, but quiet pricey. Also ballast can be bought a lot cheaper online than in the box stores. I get T8 ballasts for about $10 from a supplier.

 

[Bert_]

I do commercial building maintenance. I would just replace the ballast and run T8 bulbs. The Phillips advance ballasts are the only ones I use. I have tried various leds. Direct wire and ones that keep the ballast. I have been having mixed results on life. Most were installed about a year ago and some have stopped working in just a few months. The commercial led fixtures are great quality, but quiet pricey. Also ballast can be bought a lot cheaper online than in the box stores. I get T8 ballasts for about $10 from a supplier.

Great advice.

I've seen people start doing spot replacements with cheap LED tubes. It gets funny when the LED tubes start failing before the other existing, used, fluorescent's.

Cheap LED's are not good, Good LED's are not cheap...

 

[Platonic Solid]

I do commercial building maintenance. I would just replace the ballast and run T8 bulbs. The Phillips advance ballasts are the only ones I use. I have tried various leds. Direct wire and ones that keep the ballast. I have been having mixed results on life. Most were installed about a year ago and some have stopped working in just a few months. The commercial led fixtures are great quality, but quiet pricey. Also ballast can be bought a lot cheaper online than in the box stores. I get T8 ballasts for about $10 from a supplier.

Sylvania makes quality ballasts also. Do you have more detailed info on specific brands and wiring type of LED tubes that have issues? So far I've only personally experienced issues with ballast compatible LED tubes when powered by fluorescent ballasts. I've stopped testing new tubes. Of all the various brands of direct wire bypass tubes we installed 2 years ago around the plant for testing purposes, none have failed.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I replaced my T8s with Sylvania LED bulbs, simply nothing more than a bulb swap.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Anytime I need to replace a ballast on a T8 or T12 fixture, I update to LED.

 

[DieselNut88]

The bulbs were sylvania from HD. They were the ones that work with the ballast. We tried them because they were cheap. I think $10 a bulb. There are better options, but they run $20-$30 a bulb and we replaced 150 bulbs.