PDA

View Full Version : Kitchen Light Replacement



Petrol & Powder
02-12-2019, 06:56 PM
The two tube 48" T8 fixture over my kitchen sink died. The ballast went bad and the cost of a new ballast is about 3/4 the cost of a new fixture, plus more work to swap out the ballast. So, I'm not keen on replacing the ballast. (I checked the ballast - no output and bulbs work in another fixture)

My options seem to be: Just get another 48" twin tube T8 fixture for about $25.00
OR
An equivalent LED fixture than puts out a little more light but costs $125.00

I don't want any less light output than I currently have and I don't want the heat from an incandescent fixture.

The existing fixture lasted 17 years, so that's a pretty good lifespan for a utility light that gets used a lot.


Am I missing another option?

Hickory
02-12-2019, 07:16 PM
I would replace it with what you have.
The LED bulbs will begin to dim in a year or less and will get dimmer with each passing year. But, they are cheap to operate.

crappie-hunter
02-12-2019, 07:16 PM
Not sure where you priced the $125.00 fixture ,but check amazon they have numerous two tube 48" led fixtures for way less than half that figure.

rockrat
02-12-2019, 07:18 PM
I think walmart has them for around $25-$30

Petrol & Powder
02-12-2019, 07:19 PM
Not sure where you priced the $125.00 fixture ,but check amazon they have numerous two tube 48" led fixtures for way less than half that figure.

/\ Lowes /\

smoked turkey
02-12-2019, 07:26 PM
I can't speak with specifics on kitchen lighting but will make a general observation or two. First of all the existing lighting footprint (can light, incandescent, 4' florescent, etc) will be tons easier to retrofit than switching to another type of fixture. With that in mind it would seem that going back with a two tube 48" fixture would be the more economical, quickest, & easiest thing to do. It does seem logical in view of the current LED market that replacing the older, outdated T8 tubes with LED tubes would be beneficial. You have the option of going with a lamp that requires a ballast and possibly rewiring your existing fixture to work with the new LED tubes. New LED tubes without ballasts are also a possibility. It is likely that the end sockets (tombstones) will work with the new LEDs. Or you could rewire the fixture for LED tubes that do require a ballast. I also assume you can purchase a whole new fixture set up for LEDs. Your cost of $125 seems a like too much based on what I have seen at the Menards in our area. If it were me I'd go to Menards and look at their selection and also look at the fixtures they have hooked up and see for yourself if the light color/output would work for you.

Petrol & Powder
02-12-2019, 07:36 PM
Smoked Turkey, thanks for the observations.
No such thing as a Menards in this part of the world.
I could order something from Amazon or some other on-line source but I'd sort of like to get this project knocked out in the next day or two.

The easiest solution is to just buy another two tube 48" fixture and swap them out. I have considered attempting to repair/retrofit the old fixture after I remove it so that I have a spare.
I currently have a large halogen fixture over my loading bench which makes wonderful light but also a lot of heat. Not to mention the power it consumes. So, maybe what I should do is to take some time and repair the old kitchen fixture and keep it on hand for when the loading bench light fails.

gbrown
02-12-2019, 07:57 PM
You could replace it with a normal bulb socket fixture and then use an LED floodlight there. They put off a lot of light and are not that expensive at Lowe's or Home Depot. Of course, since you already have the hardware for hanging a similar T8 fixture, your first option seems most logical to me. I've replaced plenty of ballasts and never had a problem with the task. Not hard at all with the fixture on the bench. Again, I've gotten them from Lowe's or Home Depot. Amazon has a good selection of them. If you are a Prime member, free shipping.

Alstep
02-12-2019, 08:09 PM
I've got a couple of old 4" florescent fixtures that I just replaced the bulbs with. New bulbs are marked "T8 LED Tube Light ". Totally bypassed the ballast, wired the black wire to one end, and the white to the other. Straight 110 volts going through the bulbs. These new bulbs give twice the light at half the power. Unbelievable how bright everything is. Easy fix for your situation.

Houndog
02-12-2019, 08:10 PM
I just replaced a two bulb florescent fixture like yours with a 48 inch LED fixture for less than $40 from Wholesale Electric, a local electrical supplier. It is brighter and the light is whiter. I'm WELL pleased with it!

Hossfly
02-12-2019, 08:24 PM
Sunco lighting amazon 4 pack LED shop light 4500 lumens day light white. $100.00

starbits
02-12-2019, 08:26 PM
I also replaced my 48" lights with LED tubes. Minor rewiring to cut out the ballast and the wife thought we would need sunscreen because of how much brighter the new lights were. As I recall I got the tubes from Home Depot for about $18 each.

Plate plinker
02-12-2019, 08:29 PM
If your fixture looks okay just change to a new solid state ballast or look at converting it to LED internals. Otherwise find something nice and go for it.

NyFirefighter357
02-12-2019, 08:36 PM
I just converted a 4ft florescent light to direct wire LED, cut out the ballast and wire as directed from the bulb manufacturer. Some wire one on either side some wire both to one side but one to each tab. 15 min. job and you can do it in place.

rcslotcar
02-12-2019, 08:42 PM
When I remodeled my brothers house we used a LED fixture. The improvement in bright light is great. Lowes!!!

pworley1
02-12-2019, 08:43 PM
Our church is in the process of changing over from 4' florescent lighting to LED as the ballasts die. We have been able to use the old fixture and just re-wire them without the ballast. The LED bulbs fit in the old sockets. We were given the wiring instructions from our power company.

DougGuy
02-12-2019, 09:28 PM
I switched my entire house over to LED when I moved here, I can definitely tell it when the bill comes and it's surprisingly affordable.

lefty o
02-12-2019, 10:07 PM
definately go LED. cheaper to run, less heat, and they lose brightness/color wayyyy slower than flourescent bulbs do. flourescents start losing brightness and start yellowing from the first second you turn one on.

DocSavage
02-12-2019, 10:49 PM
Had the same problem had the ballast removed then had the fixture rewired.
The LED lights are amazingly bright.

lead-1
02-12-2019, 11:18 PM
I've got a couple of old 4" florescent fixtures that I just replaced the bulbs with. New bulbs are marked "T8 LED Tube Light ". Totally bypassed the ballast, wired the black wire to one end, and the white to the other. Straight 110 volts going through the bulbs. These new bulbs give twice the light at half the power. Unbelievable how bright everything is. Easy fix for your situation.

This is what my son just did to his den, the previous owner had two, 2 bulb fluorescents in there and the LEDs are so much better in that room.

lightman
02-12-2019, 11:52 PM
If the lens is in good condition on your existing fixture I would rebuild it. Your options would be a new T-8 ballast and new T-8 bulbs or you could go with LEDs as suggested. Changing a fixture can run into work. It may be screwed to the joist or it may be held up with toggle bolts. The new replacement may not have the same footprint may not cover up whats behind the old one. (faded paint) Its also sure to be built better than most new fixtures. Equipment from wholesale electric places are usually much better quality than Walmart and places like Lowes and Home Depot.

For what its worth, I was a licensed electrician and probably changed thousands of ballast. Next month we are due to start a kitchen remodel on my own house and I will be reusing my 30 year old 4 ft fixtures. That is if I don't break the lens. I'm not sure if I'm going back LED yet.

Petrol & Powder
02-13-2019, 06:44 AM
Thanks to all.

I'll look into LED bulbs and re-wiring the fixture but I think it's going to come down to cost.

Whichever route is the cheapest is probably where I'm headed.

firefly1957
02-13-2019, 03:42 PM
If you go LED replacement get the ones that do not need Ballast i replace my 4 foot bulbs with them and love it! One note sometimes they do throw off a lot of noise on AM radio . I also really like the Braun 5000 lumen 4 foot led shop lights they hang but can be got with coupon as low as $24 and put out a lot of light on 60 watts.

gwpercle
02-13-2019, 03:59 PM
We just replaced some old 24" x 48" lay in fixtures with Metalux Flat Panel LED fixtures....they have no bulbs and are about an inch thick, lots more light. Electrician said they were not expensive , the whole panel lights up . I don't know how long they last

Home Depot has Metalux , 24" x 48" flat panel LED fixture and they cost $65.00 , might want to look at them.

I recently replaced some ancient 2 tube fluorescent shop lights with the new tube type LED's , Much brighter ...$125 is a little high, they should be selling for $50 to $60 at home depot.

The flat panel LED are neat , bright and I like the no bulb feature....just hope they last.
And I also hope these new LED's don't start humming and flickering like the old ones...that stuff was aggravating to me !

Gary

David2011
02-13-2019, 11:58 PM
With LED lights it's important to watch the color temperature of the lamps. The lower the color temperature, the warmer the light. A 3200°K light is the same color as a quartz halogen lamp. By the time you get to 5000°K or higher you're getting to the (IMO) ghastly blue light. It's OK for a garage but not in your house. Just one person's opinion.

I just replaced the lights in my garage with LEDs. I kept the old fixtures for the yet to be built workshop, to be converted to use LED lamps without a ballast.

Ole Joe Clarke
02-14-2019, 09:46 AM
For the reloading room, I have a LED 48" fixture from Lowe's that I just hung at the proper height and plugged it in. Works great and the cost was approximately 40 bucks.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

MT Gianni
02-14-2019, 08:06 PM
Costco no longer has them on sale but a 48" LED for my shop is now $30. No way would I go back to incandescant or flourescent after having all LED. Just make sure you don't put one in you garage door opener unless it's approved.

William Yanda
02-14-2019, 10:28 PM
Costco no longer has them on sale but a 48" LED for my shop is now $30. No way would I go back to incandescant or flourescent after having all LED. Just make sure you don't put one in you garage door opener unless it's approved.

Approved?

Petrol & Powder
02-15-2019, 08:43 AM
If you go LED replacement get the ones that do not need Ballast i replace my 4 foot bulbs with them and love it! One note sometimes they do throw off a lot of noise on AM radio . I also really like the Braun 5000 lumen 4 foot led shop lights they hang but can be got with coupon as low as $24 and put out a lot of light on 60 watts.

RF interference is a concern. This light is near an AM radio that I listen to daily. There's a LED bulb in another nearby fixture that due to its proximity I must switch off when using that radio. Surprisingly the fluorescent fixture didn't interfere with that radio.

Shawlerbrook
02-15-2019, 09:04 AM
If total cost is the main concern, the LED bulbs will save you the most in the long term.

Wayne Smith
02-15-2019, 11:00 AM
We just replaced the kitchen fixture (florescent) with daylight balanced LED. I replaced the whole fixture and wired it just like the florescent that I wired in about 20 years ago. Makes a huge difference, and LOML suffers from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and hasn't used her SAD light since we put this one in.

We got ours via Amazon - the only one they had that had a wooden case.

Petrol & Powder
02-15-2019, 01:48 PM
Ended up with another two tube (T8) 48" fixture from Lowes. The entire fixture was $24.20 total.
Done.

LED would have been nice but even the cheap ones were $40
I have a supply of 48" T8 tubes and other lights that use that tube, so LED would have been nice but it would take a long time before the difference in operating cost exceeded that $15.80 difference in price.

smoked turkey
02-16-2019, 03:48 PM
Petrol & power, thanks for the update on your light replacement. Lots of real good ideas here on this thread. I am glad you brought it up and we had such a good discussion on the various options. Hope your new light gives you long service and works good for you.