Installing LED tube lights is a great way to save money on
electricity and get potentially hazardous fluorescent lights out of your
home or office. However, most LED tube lights on the market today can
not just be directly installed in an existing fluorescent fixture. You
will have to make some simple modifications to the fixture to properly
install the bulbs. The good news is that installing an LED tube light in
an existing fluorescent fixture is relatively simple. In addition, you
should be able to buy fixtures especially designed for LED tube lights
in the near future, and they should actually be cheaper than the
equivalent fluorescent fixtures. This article will provide a brief
overview explaining what you need to know in order to install the new
energy-saving fluorescent tube lights in an existing fluorescent
lighting fixture.
Fluorescent fixtures are designed to support a
specific types and size of fluorescent tube. A fluorescent tube is
incorporated into a fluorescent lighting system which consists of two or
three main components: (1) the fluorescent lamp (fluorescent bulb or
tube), (2) the ballast, and (3) the starter system. In addition, the
system for a tube lamp includes a lamp holder and a switch. Depending on
the particular fluorescent lighting system, the starter may be a
replaceable component, a starter may not be required, or the starter
function may be integrated into the ballast. The starting function may
also rely on the physical design of the fixture. To retrofit a
fluorescent light fixture to support an LED tube light, the ballast (and
the starter if a separate one is present) must be disconnected.
Make
sure that the LED replacement tube lights are the correct size for the
fixture. Also, always remember that when servicing a fluorescent fixture
or lamp for any reason, electrical power to the entire fixture should
be disconnected. This is not always practical in situations where a
large number of fixtures are controlled from the same power control
(such as in open office areas). In these cases, insulating gloves and a
nonmetallic ladder should be used if the fixtures must be serviced when
power is present.
You will need a few simple tools, including a
wire cutter and wire stripper (often incorporated into the same tool), a
pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and a few wire nuts for reconnecting the
wires once you have removed the ballast.
Once the old bulbs are
removed from the lamp holders and the electricity to the fixture is
turned off, you will probably have to remove the reflector that is
located behind the bulbs and provides a housing for the wiring and
ballast that lie behind it. Typically, it is fairly simple to remove the
reflector or cover, but if it is not clear how to do this, you should
consult the documentation from the fixture manufacturer.
If the
fixture has an electronic ballast, you only need to remove that and then
wire the power directly to the lamp holders, completing one circuit for
each bulb. This is fairly simple, and typically you can use the
existing wire in the fixture and then just add some wire nuts. If you
have an older fixture with a magnetic ballast and starter, you will have
to remove or open the starter and remove or short the magnetic ballast.
Depending
on how much wire you have to work with, it is a good idea to leave long
enough wires leading out of the ballast to be able to reconnect the
ballast with wire nuts, if you should ever want to convert the fixture
back to use for fluorescent bulbs or want to use the ballast somewhere
else. Typically, the ballast will have two screws or bolts holding it in
place in the fixture, and these can be removed using a screwdriver or
pair of pliers, as appropriate. The ballast should be disposed of in
accordance with local regulations as should the old fluorescent bulbs.
Because the fluorescent bulbs contain a small amount of highly-toxic
mercury, they should be treated as hazardous waste and disposed of
accordingly.
Once the ballast (and starter, if one was present)
have been removed and the wires reconnected to complete a circuit for
each bulb, replace the reflector or cover over the wiring and the area
where the ballast was located, and the LED tube lights can be inserted
in the end sockets. Unlike fluorescent bulbs which do not have a top or
bottom, an LED tube light will have an obvious top and bottom, with
metallic heatsink located on the backside of the tube and the LEDs
visible under a lens on the side that will be aimed towards the area to
be illuminated. Place the cover back on the fixture (if there was one)
and turn on the electricity. Turn on the switch and if you have done
everything properly, you should have as good or better lighting using
approximately half the electricity and lasting as long as 50,000 hours
or more.
.
Related reading:LED Tube Light
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