LED Light bulbs

[David2011]

Not a replacement, I put 8 foot LED lights in the new construction workshop and reloading room. The reloading room got two of them and the shop got four rows of two on two separate switches. They’re BRIGHT. I flinch if I turn on all four rows at once.

[Fishman]

I bought 4-foot LED replacement bulbs for the fluorescent tube lights in my shop, they are 30 yr or older fixtures and the 4-ft led kept going on and on, the store where I bought the 4ft LEDs had no idea why.
Then I was at another store and was asking questions about the 4ft LEDs and was told the older magnetic balist would not work with LEDs, of course they had replacement balist for the LEDs at $20.00 ea. I bought some and the lights are working fine but it would have been cheaper to have bought new 4ft fixtures to start with.

The ones I used were designed to work without bypassing the ballast but my fixtures are 24 years old so they may be different than yours. You can also buy cheaper 4' led replacements that require you to remove the ballast.

[Keyman]

I have run into 3 different types of replacement led tubes for old fluorescent fixtures. #1 Take out old ballast and rewire the tombstones. Power in and return at one end of bulb. This bulb is marked. #2 Take out old ballast and leave power in one end of lamp and return is at other end of lamp. You do not have to change wires at tombstones. #3 Buy new led lamps and install in fixture, and leave the ballast in. This only works if the correct ballast is in fixture. I like the total replacement fixture, but they can be very hard to mount tight in a row, and many times the extra wire will show.

[lightman]

LEDs were just coming in when I retired so I'm not an expert on them. But personally I have mixed feelings. I have experienced short bulb live with 3 different brands of screw in bulbs. When we remodeled the kitchen a couple of years ago I rewired the 3 fluorescent fixtures for LED and they are still working fine. The last fixture in the string will blink when you turn them off. A weird but normal thing for some types of LEDs.

[GregLaROCHE]

Heat is a killer for them, many outdoor fixtures are sealed... and you get what you pay for with LED light bulbs. Sure you may get lucky and those cheap ones may last, or you may replace them within a year... I pay $5+ each for 60 watt equivalent bulbs. And they last.

The ones I fixed were complete bulbs, so I had t do some dismantling. Two of the three, all in one fixtures I installed a year ag, are starting to go on the fritz now. They were from a top line store and cost $30 a piece 20 Watts I think. Another all in one in the laundry room blinks like a strobe light half the time. I need to do something to fix that one next.

[MaryB]

Strobing is often a sign the LED chip is going bad, no fix other than replace... one of my kitchen lights is starting to flicker on one LED string so it is headed to failure.

[GregLaROCHE]

Strobing is often a sign the LED chip is going bad, no fix other than replace... one of my kitchen lights is starting to flicker on one LED string so it is headed to failure.

The light works half the time. It’s another ceiling fixture and I’m not excited about changing it, one because it’s difficult, but most of all, I don’t have confidence in how long a new one will last. When I do change it, I think I will look for one with an independent bulb. That will be a lot easier to change than having to get into the wiring and screws holding it to the ceiling.