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LED Household light question

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by cyberpriusII, Jul 23, 2020.

  1. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Gosh, sometimes, I feel really stupid.

    O.K. Lots of times.

    But, I try. And I do have a doctorate, which probably cements the stupid part.:whistle:

    Here's the thing. In and of itself, my LED question is of no real importance, but in the global sphere, it has wide-ranging significance (now am I sounding as if I have a PhD?:ROFLMAO:).

    An under-the-cabinet light went out. It is a typical 8-watt T5 tube of 12". After an earlier issue with a closet light, thought I would replace it with a LED tube. Spent a lot of time looking online and could not seem to find anything LED for the 12" tube.

    I did see a lot of things that looked like little aliens. A small nub, that would probably fit on one end of the fixture, but, of course did not stretch all the way across. So, figured those were not what was needed. Went to the store to buy another tube. And right above the tubes were the little aliens.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Asked a clerk. He just shrugged. So, I bought the same old tube.

    Would the little alien have worked.

    They did have LED tubes, but only in 48" size....
    kris
     
  2. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Don't feel bad.
    LED replacements for Florescent tubes used to be less than straight-forward because of the whole ballast thing.
    Now....drop in replacements are readily available and while they do provide significant energy savings - but we're only talking about something like 2-3 watts for an LED replacement, versus probably 8 watts for the old-school 12" tube that you KNOW works.

    Depending on how much you use the light, it's probably more "carbon friendly" to leave the old tube in and plant a tree, than it would be for Amazon to deliver you a replacement, and we already KNOW which one is more cost effective! ;)

    Good Luck!
     
  3. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    The only LED replacement bulbs I've seen in large supply are those shaped for in ceiling recessed lighting, to replace halogen/incandescent. In those applications the florescent replacement bulbs have the ballast/starter built into the bulb. So from halogen/incandescent to florescent OR LED is straight forward.

    I looked up the bulb yours uses, and this fixture has the ballast/starter built into the actual lamp. Eventually these fail and replacing the bulb no longer works. I also don't see simple LED replacement unless you gut the lamp of said ballast/starter. Might as well just find a complete LED lamp to fit in the location, and completely remove the old one. (The question then becomes what do I do with my huge box of replacement flourescent tubes).

    moto g(7) power ?
     
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  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    As said, plug-and-play replacement LED bulbs were not widely available for ballast equipped fluorescent light fixture, at least that's what I remember from my last search several years ago when I started to replace my mostly CFL light bulbs. But, I did look it up. Alas, I did find some LED replacement bulb for 8-watt T5 tube of 12". There seem to be be either ballast bypass or ballast compatible (plug-and-play) LED in T5 configuration now.

    Satco 4 Watt 12" 4000K T5 LED Bulb, Ballast Bypass | 4W/LED/T5/840/BP | Bulbs.com

    https://www.lightup.com/t5-led-tube-9-watt-ballast-compatible-replaces-f14t5-lumegen.html

    I am not sure if the LED pictured in your comment does work as plug-and-play on T5 ballast fixture. BUT, as already stated, usually replacement of a fluorescent bulb to LED is not a huge energy saver. The biggest jump was when the halogen and other incandescent bulbs are replaced. LED bulbs used to be too expensive to justify the replacement, but they are now much affordable. I know have 70% LED and still have ~30% CFL in my house.
     
    #4 Salamander_King, Jul 27, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2020
  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Nobody makes one in that size because there isn't a big enough market......in addition to the technical problems.

    Next time, shop for a whole new LED fixture.
    Prices are pretty reasonable these days.
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    We've still got a couple of incandescents going.
     
  7. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I found quite a few sites selling exactly what OP was looking for, the T5 tube 12" LED replacement ballast compatible. Some are ballast bypass direct link type that would need to reconfigure existing fixture. See the links in my comment above. There are at least half dozen other sites including Amazon selling this spec LED.
     
    #7 Salamander_King, Jul 27, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2020
  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    If those nub LEDs did work, you would no longer have an even spread of light coming down, but two separate points.

    I'd just keep an eye out for a replacement LED fixture on sale for replacement once the current tube dies. I came across a 24" on on clearance to replace the one above my sink.
     
  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    First the bulb goes out then after you replace the bulb the ballast fails.

    The electricity waste is really in the ballast. It’s got to go. Time for new system!

    And so it begins..wait till you see what 5K light reveals in the kitchen.

    It’s like changing the drapes in the living room......oh now we need new paint.........oh now that couch doesn’t work......oh.......

    And good luck to you.
     
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  10. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    I like the looks of the little aliens that Kris mentions.

    does anyone really know what they are intended to do?
     
  11. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    They look like bulbs for bi-pin base light fixtures. I can't tell how big they are from the picture. If very small, then they maybe are G4 or G5? I use to use for landscape lighting, but there are many other light fixtures that use a bi-pin base.
     
    #11 Salamander_King, Jul 28, 2020
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2020
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