L.E.D. tube lights??

[Keel]

Hello ,
First post,/thread
I'm setting up my modest 1 car garage and have 4' tube lights.
They never really worked all that well in the winter.. and now the bulbs are banned..
I've been told I can put T-8 bulbs in, but Thinking of going to led.
Wondering if anyone has any feedback on them..
I'm not 100% sure but I think the bulbs in the units now are t-12's
have to move car that is on stands to get to the bulbs..
can t8 bulbs be used in place of t12 or t10??
I do know I have to bypass the ballast that's not an issue..

Thanks for any help on this..
As the bulbs are a tad costly. but I shouldn't have to deal with this again for a long time..

 

[bmxdarcy]

So you are or are not completely replacing the fixtures?

I looked into the LED fixtures they have at Sam's Club; their lumen output is slightly lower than a typical T8 fixture but they use less wattage. Side by side if you're replacing the entire fixtures with bulbs the cost isn't much different except you may need an extra fixture to make up the lower lumens.

Someone can probably chime in on the quality of the light and the longevity of the fixtures, but considering they're LED they should last longer and operate in cold climates better.

 

[Stuart in MN]

First of all, welcome to the site.

If you dig through past posts, you'll discover this is a pretty common topic - there's a lot of good information to be had.

 

[cybrdyke]

Keel,
If you have T12 ballasts, you cant use anything but T12 lamps, so that's a deal breaker.
That leaves you with these options:
Change the ballasts to T8 ballasts and use T8 lamps....pretty easy to do, the cheapest of your options, better cold weather operation than your old T12's and you can actually increase the light pretty easily, especially if you can find some 3100 lumen lamps.
Bypass the ballasts, and use LED tubes.....a little harder to do because the wiring diagram is weird, but not a big deal. You'll have more money invested...figure about $20 per tube. You'll save energy, but unless you're burning the lights 10 hours/day, it's tough to make the cost back. The light is really good and they work great in the cold. Instant on. Long life. Usually plastic, so no breakage issues.
Remove the whole fixture and put up new LED fixtures....Others will disagree, but I'm not a fan and here's why....I dont feel good giving money to no-name brands for products that I know they didn't actually make. That's why I dont support the Costco/Feit LED fixtures, or any of the internet/ebay gizmo's. On the other hand, if you find a brand name LED wrap fixture from Acuity or Metalux in a big box store or at the local electrical supply, then I'd go for it. Long life, good light, low energy....it's all good.
Just my 2c...
Good luck
CD

 

[Keel]

Thanks all

 

[Jackfre]

I used the $35 twin tube LED's from Costco. I just powered them up yesterday and they are providing excellent light. I have 16 fixtures in 960 sq ft set up in banks of 4. As to longevity, I am sure CD is correct. We'll see.

 

[fastjohnny]

I used tubes from this seller and am very happy. This link fits T-8 fixture.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-4ft-L...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item4190057714