I've watched all the conversion videos on TH-cam and you win the award!!! I wish I could send it to all the other guys who tried to show us how to do this. They need to learn how simple the job should be! Thank you! Thank you!!
I appreciate your excellent video. A new ballast was more expensive than the LED upgrade. I got two nice 4 foot T8 bulbs at Lowes for $17 and they are 3 position adjustable which I really like. I followed your plan and everything was very simple. Now I have some much nicer and more efficient lighting for my wood shop. The little connectors are awesome and so much more convenient than wire nuts. The next time another light ballast goes out, I now know just what to do. Thanks again !!
I watched 4 or 5 videos on how to convert fluorescent to Led. Each one was a bit different, in fact, one had me connecting each of the 4 end wires to the other ends wire. I tried one which had me removing all wires from one end totally and doing all connections for the other end. That one didn't work at all. Your simple method worked the first time. Thank you for the clear and simple instructions.
Outstanding instructions! Thanks for taking your time to help an otherwise helpless non-electrician. The directions that came with the LED lamps are simply ridiculous, so your video was crucial. Everything worked exactly as you stated.
Thank you so much for your help. I fixed four tubes (two fixtures in less than ten minutes). Very helpfu! This is a big part of what TH-cam is made for.
@@Totallightingsupply I am replacing a ballast with battries one with four pins tube for two tube-AC. How can the wiring for done for four pins two tubes? Share if possible , thank you.
@@Dailymailnewz Here is a video that includes the most popular retrofit methods and a LED T8 tube that will work in all three. It may help 👉th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html
This was the Video I needed - thank you - simplest conversion ever... Did mine in 15 min for the first one and 5 min there after... - All make sure you are wiring for Dual end Powered - that's probably the only gotcha. Some tubes are single end powered and are wired differently.
By far the easiest and straightforward DIY video to convert fluorescent to led. Thank you! Completed 7 fixtures so far waiting on one 8' fluorescent fixture bulbs to give up the ghost then upgrade to led-)
Thank you for sharing! We are glad to hear that our video has helped give you the confidence to convert from Fluorescent to LED! Check out our complete kits that use the same components in the video to make the retrofit process even easier here www.totalbulklighting.com/retrofit-kits/ez-t8-led-4-foot-kits.html - Let us know if you have any questions 🙂
I wish I would have gotten my LED lights from you guys. You take all the guess work out of buying the right stuff and doing the job right. THANK YOU for this great video.
Great video. All I do differently is to put the warning sticker where it can be seen without having to remove the belly pan, usually on the outside of the pan. That is rarely removed when just replacing lamps.
Thank you for sharing! Glad you enjoyed the video. The label should be placed in an area highly visible on the outside of the fixture. This was our bad and we didn't catch the mistake to later 🙂
I just bought a vintage, mid century gooseneck desk lamp that I'm looking to convert to an LED as a small project. This was very helpful to let me know what I'm getting into.
Thank you for pointing out at 1:05 that the same tombstone can be used for both T12 and T8 sizes. The employee at the box store where I asked about this didn't know this, and told me I needed to buy a whole new fixture. Also good job explaining about the hot side vs. neutral side. 4:50 I think you meant "probably about 3/4 *inch* of the wire".
Of course, you needed a whole new fixture. More profit for them. More expense for you. Did you really think the employee was working for you? Yes, there were several wording errors in the video but most were respoken and corrected.
I wished in the video you would have discussed the types of bulbs. Ie type A, A+B & B. I did not realize there were different types so after converting per your instructions I inserted the type A , which I had on hand, and guess what, it lasted about 15 min. That is when I did more research and discovered the different types. Inserted the type B and success.
Glad you were able to troubleshoot it and resolve the problem 😃 At the making of this video there was talk of an A+B led lamp, which makes installation so much less confusing, but we were unable to get our hands on it. Now the A+B are more common. We did release a video last year discussing the differences between the A, A+B and B type LED lamps. You can see it here and it may help other future projects of yours, family members and friends doing a retrofit conversion to LED th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html - Have a blessed day!
Finally a good explanation. Put more emphases on the replace bulb.. You are replacing T-12 or T8 with a T8 LED Double Ended? There is the confusion I replaced with P&P because they were up 14 ft in garage,
We are using our EZ LED T8 Kit you can find a link in the video description to or here ➡www.totalbulklighting.com/retrofit-kits/ez-t8-led-4-foot-kits.html 🙂
6:04 'Be sure to put in your label'. That is a great point but why on the inside of the box. I would never open that part when replacing a bulb to see a warning label. Might I suggest on the outside of the cover?
Thank you for your video explaining how easy it is to convert light fixtures to LED. I would like to convert the light fixtures under the kinchen cabinets to LED.
Unfortunately we do not offer a kit that retrofits fluorescent under cabinet lights to LED. We do offer LED under cabinet light fixtures that can be found here if that helps www.totalrecessedlighting.com/under-cabinet-lighting/led-under-cabinet.html 😊
Glad you found the process easy 😊 Using the right type of bulbs is very important when doing these type of retrofits 🙂 Thankfully the newer Type A+B tubes work with all three popular conversions!
It would have been better to show these smaller daylight bulbs, installed in a fixture, in a garage of workshop and turn them on. I can not speak for others, but I would like to see what the illumination appears in a real work situation. Thanks for the info.
Electricians quoted me couple thousand to do this job few years back for one of my property. I paid a couple hundred for him to do maybe 4 of the fixtures, I watched and realized how ridiculously easy it was and then I did the rest myself. Contractors in the US are such scammers.
Sounds like you installed Type-A LED T8 tubes that don't require any rewiring or socket replacement. We now offer a universal T8 LED tube that works in all three retrofit applications with or without a ballast. Check it out here 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/t8-led-lamps/universal-compatible-led-t8-tubes-type-a-b.html
They now make LED lamps that use the ballast. No rewire necessary. Occasionally an older ballast will need to be replaced if they don't come back on when the switch is cycled or after power goes out.
You are right and it makes it super easy. However, not every project is the same and a direct replacement won't work. That is why we offer the universal Type A+B bulb that works without wiring and with retrofitting. It's a great way to convert to LED and when the ballast fails you can still use the tube with rewiring like shown in this video. We did a video on this a few months back. You can see how that tube works here 👉 th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html 🙂
Is that for a "double ended" conversion? How do we know which one it is when we look at the innards (ballast and wiring) of the florescent tube before converting to LED? It would be very helpful to us "newbies" if you explained that first.
This video is for a double ended conversion. The best thing is to familiarize yourself with the wiring diagram and match the fixture wiring to the diagram. You can find wiring the diagram here www.totalbulklighting.com/ez-led-t8-installation.html 🙂
T.q of yr sweet explaination, i try do it for my working table. My son out station is electrician but this info us good for me to try the installation job....safety first . Take out or off switch the power suply
I agree Jerry. Some videos show using one-sided LED tubes and state how the one-sided are safer than dual-sided. Then there's the shunted, non-shunted tombstone issue, using an ohm meter. The difference in approaches to these conversions has given me a headache.
Seems to be three types. One is the single-ended bulb where al, the power connections are at one end and use the non-shunted tombstones. Another is the double-ended bulb as shown in this video. Third is the type you just simply install without changing anything. The third one doesn't make sense unless you're totally freaked out by electricity and don't want to mess with wiring; the ballast is still there sucking power and prone to failure. If you watched right to the end of the video, he mentioned all three types being available for purchase in the store (last 10-20 seconds). The only caution I never see them mention is you probably should stick with one type of conversion and clearly mark it on the outside of the fixture. Putting a single end bulb in a double end conversion after a bulb failure (or vice versa) could cause some problems. They all seem to believe the 50,000 hour bulb life guarantee is real. They may not all fail, but some certainly will, and LED's degrade over time. Might not fail, but probably change color and brightness down the road.
There is a lot of confusion out there. You are correct, there are three ways to convert a fluorescent T8 or T12 fixture at this time as you have mentioned. With our kits, we include a label you a-fix to the fixture to help convey to anyone doing maintenance that the fixture has been retrofitted to LED. Our Double End Powered Kits label indicates the type of retrofit applied. If you compare the wiring of the LED T8 fixture with our our wiring diagrams you will quickly see which type is being used. If you are unsure, knowing electrically based on the wiring is the best approach as things can be easily mislabeled. We made this FAQ recently to help mitigate the confusion out there 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/blog/2020/01/10/converting-fluorescent-t8-or-t12-to-led-t8-tubelight-faq/
Absolute question is the question is removing the ballast making it led or removing the ballast and replacing the LED bulb looks awesome I would like to try this thanks for the uploads
If you remove the ballast you can no longer use florescent tubes with the fixture. I just brought some LED tubes that can work with or without a ballast. When I do my next conversion I might just take the ballast out this time. Less noise and I am sure the ballast also uses and in the case of the LED tubes wastes energy.
Love the instructions on conversion. However, my light fixture has these Starters how do you eliminate the starters? Can my fixture still be converted to led?
This ballast bypass install on liner led lamp is dangerous due to the sockets not being rated for it. I checked with Leviton and talked to an engineer and he confirmed that the sockets are not rated for it.. Bi pin lamps make limited contact in the socket which overheats and melts, out here in California I've see 5 fires do to this install one burnt half a Bed,Bath,and Beyond down. On liner led lamp alway have an led driver or fluorescent compatible ballast to protect the sockets. You can do a ballast bypass on CFL lamps as the pins are making a 360 degree contact. A little background I'm a 25 year electrician working for one of the largest electrical contractors in Sacramento.
Interesting point. The lamps are UL approved to be used in this manner. The question I would have in those 5 cases you mention is were the fixtures wired correctly and were the lamps rated for the application? Thanks for sharing your concern 🙂
That's great to hear! Sounds like you purchased Type-A tubes which simply work with the existing ballast. Very easy indeed 🙂 The only draw back to Type-A is when the ballast fails you will have to either replace with a new ballast or utilize a retrofit method like the one we demonstrate in this video to get the lights back on. However, if you plan on any future conversions we have a Type-A+B tube that works with an existing ballast and in the retrofit application shown in this video. You can find those tubes here 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/t8-led-lamps/universal-compatible-led-t8-tubes-type-a-b.html - Have a blessed day!
Very cool. I need to convert my kitchen florescent ceiling tube lights to LEDs but some of the clips that connect the done of the tubes are cracked/ broken so... what then? Replace the entire housing? I'd rather just put in an LED panel if that's the case as i hate the design of the double ended tubes and trying to align them and locked in place always drives me crazy.
If the sockets are cracked or broken replacing them is the best thing to do. As for an LED panel vs tubes that's a more personal decision. I like the ability to easily replace the tubes if for some reason the tube fails prematurely or I want a higher lumen light or different color temperature 🙂
Hi... Nice Video EXCEPT at the end you rush thru "single-ended" Double-ended" and one more that you flashed by so quickly I did not catch. What's the story please with the different "ends"
Glad our video could help 🙂 If you need additional wiring help you can find our wiring diagram here www.totalbulklighting.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1215/product/8700/led_t8_double_end_power_wire_diagram.pdf - Have a Happy New Year 🎉
You're very welcome 🙂 As long as the wiring diagram is followed correctly you can use both but typically the double end tubes are used with shunted tombstones.
@@Totallightingsupply I have never had very good luck with LED lights, and I guess it is just me, but I cannot be in a room lit by them because i get a headache in like 10 minutes. so all of my shops are lit by fluorescent lights, but the newer ones with the electronic ballast seem to not last very long and always burn up in less than 3 years. so I use old lights that are from the 1950s that i got from an old shop that was closing and they still have the original preheat magnetic ballasts and they still work great and never give me any issues.
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I have a question. When you wire the light like this with all hot on one side and all neutral on the other, it does not matter whether the tombstones are shunted or non-shunted?
As along as you follow the wiring diagram making sure power is flowing properly to the tube it should not matter the type of tombstone you are using. Keep in mind shunted tombstones are electrically separated and may require jumping so that both tabs that contact the tube pins are providing power. We always recommend consulting a local licensed electrician to make sure local code is followed and connections and wring are done correctly. Hope that helps 🙂
@@ligayaen01 Agapito Flores was a brilliant man. It's arguable that he invented it, but definitely contributed greatly. m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1932359870145922&id=1068783669836884
Hi total lighting guy's :-). OMG what an Awesome tutorial. Straight to the point :-)! I was in the process of deciding whether to convert my fluorescent to an LED. My issue is that I just recently purchased several 8 watt 12 inch T5 fluorescent bulbs and need to know if I change the fixture over, will I be able to use those bulbs, or does your company carry this size in LED? Also, is the LED brighter than the fluorescent? I need brightness under my kitchen cabinets and cost effective options....Please advise...Thanks
Unfortunately we do not carry a 12 inch t5 LED tube for retrofit applications. We do provide LED under cabinet lights which you can find here: www.totalrecessedlighting.com/under-cabinet-lighting.html We find LED is typically brighter but you have to look at the lumens of the LED and fluorescent to know if you will have a brighter LED.
I have a neutral wire running between two tombstones one the one end does this make a difference on weather I make that end my hot end or neutral end? Great video by the way!!!
Is there a way to rewire a fixture to accept both single *and* double-ended tubes? I would think that if tube manufacturers followed some simple standards, this would be very easy to accomplish. After all, a double-ended tube only needs to use one pin on each end. An industry standard would be needed to determine which one. This "should" be sooo easy!
No need for special retrofit wiring if you go with the double end method and Type A+B tubes. With the newer more advanced Type A+B LED tubes that are both single end and dual end powered in one tube you just need to wire for the double end retrofit method and your done. See our video on that here th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps 🙂
If someone leaves the ballast wired in the fixture and simply swaps the fluorescent lamps for the LED lamps and they do light up, is the fixture drawing more power than it would if you removed the ballast?
Depends on what power the ballast is putting out but it sounds like if the LED lamps came on then the lamps are not Type-B dual end powered LED T8 Tubes. Sounds like Type-A which are designed to be used with the ballast still electrically connected and powered. Since our LED T8 Tubes are Type-B they are designed for use with 120-277VAC and leaving the ballast electrically connected and powering our tubes will probably cause unforeseen damage voiding any warranty and most likely shortening the lifespan of the lamp. Hope that helps 🙂
Enjoy you video and am about to convert 2 shop lights for my garage but a question first because I want to get it right. When I opened up the lights, there are 3 bulbs. All are 48 inch T8 bulbs with G13 pin bases. Is the conversion the same for a 3 light fixture and if not would the light work with just 2 bulbs? I don't want to get it wrong and have fireworks! I intend to use ballast bypass bulbs as well.
As long as you follow the wiring diagram and are using Double End Powered LED T8 tubes there shouldn't be any issues converting a 3 tube T12 or T8 fluorescent fixture to LED. You can find the wiring diagram in the video description or click on it here 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1215/led_t8_double_end_power_wire_diagram.pdf
Yes that is correct, this video is for double / dual end powered tubes or our new universal LED t8 tubes found here 👉 th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html
This seems to be the method our tube supplier recommends, i.e. remove the ballast, retain the shunted tombstones. Ballast manufacturers can't be happy about the LED tubes being rolled out.
4:10 Does it matter which end you pick to be neutral and which end is hot? Or do you have to put the tube in so that the end marked "L" is at the hot end?
Please see our video here that explains the different retrofit methods as it may help clear up confusion for you 👉 th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html
sara wood I watched another conversion video where the gentleman retrofit from shunted to non shunted on single ended bulbs. First thing I was thinking when I started this and he didn’t change the tombstones! lol
Great Video! My light fixture, the ballast has 2 wires on one side and 4 on the other. The neutral side termination will have 5 wires, the hot side will have 3 wires. Will this be acceptable?
As long as the electrical follows the wire diagram shown here www.totalbulklighting.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1215/led_t8_double_end_power_wire_diagram.pdf then it should work just fine :)
Please see our website that better explains the difference between Double End Powered Tubes as shown in this video and Single End Powered tubes that require non-shunted sockets here 👉www.totalbulklighting.com/led-t8-double-end-powered-tubes-vs-single-end.html
Before I found this video, I went ahead and replace 2-tube (48")T8 fluorescent lights with 2 LED tubes that I got at home depot that said for T8. I didn't have to do any of this conversion. Why is that? Do I need to be concerned about anything done wrong?
I have a fixture using F48T12-CW-HO BULBS. These have a different base . I would like to change the bases to tombstone type and replace with LED ‘s. I don’t ned high output devices. Is there a kit for this?
I am sorry we do not have a retrofit kit for those type of fluorescent fixtures. However, an electrician might be able to rewire your fixture to accept LED version of the F48T12-CW-HO bulbs.
I have a question. 8 have some old 8' fixtures with the single pin connectors. I kinda want to keep them using 8'bulbs but want to convert them to led since the old fluorescent bulbs that size are hard to find. Got any products like this?
We do offer a 8-foot option here but it is not compatible with all 8' fixtures so make sure yours is compatible 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/retrofit-kits/t8-led-8-foot-kits.html
That is definitely one way to convert to LED. Not all LED retrofit applications are the same and have different requirements where Type-A / DRL tubes can not be used. We simply offer a convenient solution for Type-B retrofit applications. Have a blessed day!
Can I mix match LED with Regular Tube Florescent light fixtures? In my kitchen ceiling lights, I have a total of 3 DUAL T12 Florescent Tubes. Can I replace only ONE set with LED and the remaining TWO DUAL T12 Florescent tubes will stay active. All 3 DUAL Tubes used only ONE POWER ON/OFF Switch. Will there be a long term effect on the LED lights? Please advise
The tubes used in this video you will not be able to mix and match fluorescent and LED tubes. We offer a universal Type A+B LED T8 Tube that works with many existing T8 electronic ballasts but not T12. Best thing is to start here as it will help you find the right LED tube for your application www.totalbulklighting.com/fast-fluorescent-to-led-t8-conversion-tool.html 🙂
Only a superior mind could have produced such an outstandingly clear and concise instructional video about this confusing topic.
Thank you for the kind words! Sounds like our video was very helpful for you 🙂
I've watched all the conversion videos on TH-cam and you win the award!!! I wish I could send it to all the other guys who tried to show us how to do this. They need to learn how simple the job should be! Thank you! Thank you!!
Awh, thank you for the 🏆 and you're very welcome 🙂
I recently converted a 36 year old fixture to LED lighting with this same conversion. Your video was much easier to follow than the one I utilized!
We are so glad our video was easier to follow 😃 We try to keep it simple 🙂
@@Totallightingsupply llllllll
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@@Totallightingsupply KISS method.......keep it simple, folks...
I appreciate your excellent video. A new ballast was more expensive than the LED upgrade. I got two nice 4 foot T8 bulbs at Lowes for $17 and they are 3 position adjustable which I really like. I followed your plan and everything was very simple. Now I have some much nicer and more efficient lighting for my wood shop. The little connectors are awesome and so much more convenient than wire nuts. The next time another light ballast goes out, I now know just what to do. Thanks again !!
Glad to hear our video was helpful 🙂
I watched 4 or 5 videos on how to convert fluorescent to Led. Each one was a bit different, in fact, one had me connecting each of the 4 end wires to the other ends wire. I tried one which had me removing all wires from one end totally and doing all connections for the other end. That one didn't work at all. Your simple method worked the first time. Thank you for the clear and simple instructions.
You're very welcome! So glad to hear you found our video helpful 🙂
Outstanding instructions! Thanks for taking your time to help an otherwise helpless non-electrician. The directions that came with the LED lamps are simply ridiculous, so your video was crucial. Everything worked exactly as you stated.
Glad to hear you found our video helpful 🙂
Thank you so much for your help. I fixed four tubes (two fixtures in less than ten minutes). Very helpfu! This is a big part of what TH-cam is made for.
We are so glad our video helped! We agree, TH-cam is a great resource for projects like this 👍
Enriching Exchanges originally it was, now it’s made for ads.. lol
@@Totallightingsupply I am replacing a ballast with battries one with four pins tube for two tube-AC. How can the wiring for done for four pins two tubes? Share if possible , thank you.
@@Dailymailnewz Here is a video that includes the most popular retrofit methods and a LED T8 tube that will work in all three. It may help 👉th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html
All I can say is, WOW. I thought the Conversion to LED would be Expensive and Complicated. Thank You for the Great Video.
Glad you found our video helpful!
This was the Video I needed - thank you - simplest conversion ever... Did mine in 15 min for the first one and 5 min there after... - All make sure you are wiring for Dual end Powered - that's probably the only gotcha. Some tubes are single end powered and are wired differently.
Glad our video could help 🙂
Best instruction out there. Didn’t over complicate it (coming from a guy who tends to over complicate / analyze things). 👍👍👍
Glad you enjoyed our video 🙂
By far the easiest and straightforward DIY video to convert fluorescent to led. Thank you! Completed 7 fixtures so far waiting on one 8' fluorescent fixture bulbs to give up the ghost then upgrade to led-)
You're very welcome! So glad our video helped 😊
The first video that I watched got me confused. But your video was so clear and easy that it got me motivated to do the conversion.
Thank you for sharing! We are glad to hear that our video has helped give you the confidence to convert from Fluorescent to LED! Check out our complete kits that use the same components in the video to make the retrofit process even easier here www.totalbulklighting.com/retrofit-kits/ez-t8-led-4-foot-kits.html - Let us know if you have any questions 🙂
I wish I would have gotten my LED lights from you guys. You take all the guess work out of buying the right stuff and doing the job right. THANK YOU for this great video.
You are very welcome! Glad our video was helpful 🙂
Great video. All I do differently is to put the warning sticker where it can be seen without having to remove the belly pan, usually on the outside of the pan. That is rarely removed when just replacing lamps.
Thank you for sharing! Glad you enjoyed the video. The label should be placed in an area highly visible on the outside of the fixture. This was our bad and we didn't catch the mistake to later 🙂
Thank you! This is so helpful! It's just me and my mom in the house, and this was simple enough for us to follow!
You're very welcome! So glad to hear our video helped with your project 🙂
I just bought a vintage, mid century gooseneck desk lamp that I'm looking to convert to an LED as a small project. This was very helpful to let me know what I'm getting into.
Glad our video was helpful to you 🙂
Thank you for pointing out at 1:05 that the same tombstone can be used for both T12 and T8 sizes. The employee at the box store where I asked about this didn't know this, and told me I needed to buy a whole new fixture. Also good job explaining about the hot side vs. neutral side. 4:50 I think you meant "probably about 3/4 *inch* of the wire".
So glad our video was helpful 🙂
Of course, you needed a whole new fixture. More profit for them. More expense for you. Did you really think the employee was working for you? Yes, there were several wording errors in the video but most were respoken and corrected.
I wished in the video you would have discussed the types of bulbs. Ie type A, A+B & B. I did not realize there were different types so after converting per your instructions I inserted the type A , which I had on hand, and guess what, it lasted about 15 min. That is when I did more research and discovered the different types. Inserted the type B and success.
Glad you were able to troubleshoot it and resolve the problem 😃 At the making of this video there was talk of an A+B led lamp, which makes installation so much less confusing, but we were unable to get our hands on it. Now the A+B are more common. We did release a video last year discussing the differences between the A, A+B and B type LED lamps. You can see it here and it may help other future projects of yours, family members and friends doing a retrofit conversion to LED th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html - Have a blessed day!
Wow, after 8 video’s, this is the easiest explanation
So glad our video was easy to follow 🙂
Thanks. I was a little confused about the T sizes and you clear that up!
So glad that our video could be of some help 🙂 If you haven't done so already please like and share the video so others too can benefit 😊 Blessings!
Your video was the easiest to follow of them all. Direct to the point and brief, what more can you ask for?!
Glad you found our video helpful and informative 🙂
Kit is as easy to use as seen in the video. The light is so much brighter in my garage. Thank you for a great product.
Thank you for sharing your experience! We are glad to hear it was easy to install and brings brighter light to your garage 😃
Ordered twice - these work great and so easy to install.
So glad to hear! Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
Couldn't be easier, super satisfied with the kit, and it only took a few minutes :) Thanks
Glad to hear our kit and video helped make it an easy install! Have a blessed day 🙂
Best video I’ve seen. Easy to understand and simple instructions. Thanks a million
So glad to hear our video was helpful! Have a blessed week 🙂
Removing the ballast also makes it easier to hold the fixture to re-mount to the ceiling.
TYYYYY Fond this video when searching for why the brand new LED T8 bulbs I just bought were not working. Figured they were just plug and play.
You're very welcome 🙂
Finally a good wiring explanation.
Glad you found it informative 🙂
T-8 or T-12 Tube Ends = the Same Size 👍 woooooo
wow this is stupid simple. i just ordered enough for 4 bulb replacement. thanks!
You're welcome! Glad you found our video helpful 🙂
Finally a good explanation. Put more emphases on the replace bulb.. You are replacing T-12 or T8 with a T8 LED Double Ended? There is the confusion I replaced with P&P because they were up 14 ft in garage,
We are using our EZ LED T8 Kit you can find a link in the video description to or here ➡www.totalbulklighting.com/retrofit-kits/ez-t8-led-4-foot-kits.html 🙂
Excellent! Short and concise. Thanks for posting this video.
You're very welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video 🙂
6:04 'Be sure to put in your label'. That is a great point but why on the inside of the box. I would never open that part when replacing a bulb to see a warning label. Might I suggest on the outside of the cover?
Yes, this was our mistake. It should go on the outside of the ballast cover 😊
Thank you for your video explaining how easy it is to convert light fixtures to LED. I would like to convert the light fixtures under the kinchen cabinets to LED.
Unfortunately we do not offer a kit that retrofits fluorescent under cabinet lights to LED. We do offer LED under cabinet light fixtures that can be found here if that helps www.totalrecessedlighting.com/under-cabinet-lighting/led-under-cabinet.html 😊
@@Totallightingsupply Thank you. That is what I need. I will measure and I will be contacting you tomorrow if you are open for business or Monday.
You could just gang them together and use a spin tight connector. Possibly yellow or red.
I really like this double ended T8 bulbs. Makes installation just a snap
We couldn't agree more with you Electronics61 👍
U explained it sooo freakin awesome. Have a great day night whatever hoss. Thank you!!!!!
You're very welcome! Glad you liked the video. Have a blessed day 🙂
Just what I needed, Thank you.
You're very welcome!
Great Video! very easy to follow .. You guys do a wonderful job! Actually makes me want to try an electrical project.. !!
Thank you! Glad our video helps build your confidence 😃
Great job very helpful, but it took more then 5 minutes 👍
Glad you found our video helpful! Once you get the swing of things this type of retrofit can happen very fast compered to the single end method 🙂
Just an FYI, you don't remove the spring clip, you just turn it 90 degrees to remove the panel.
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Very easy. Just make sure you have the right type bulbs.
Glad you found the process easy 😊 Using the right type of bulbs is very important when doing these type of retrofits 🙂 Thankfully the newer Type A+B tubes work with all three popular conversions!
It would have been better to show these smaller daylight bulbs, installed in a fixture, in a garage of workshop and turn them on. I can not speak for others, but I would like to see what the illumination appears in a real work situation. Thanks for the info.
Electricians quoted me couple thousand to do this job few years back for one of my property. I paid a couple hundred for him to do maybe 4 of the fixtures, I watched and realized how ridiculously easy it was and then I did the rest myself. Contractors in the US are such scammers.
😨
Isn't that what people do?
Very useful video, clearly explained, thanks.
You're very welcome! Glad you found our video helpful 🙂
I used led ready tubes and just put them in not removed or rewiring anything works just fine.
Sounds like you installed Type-A LED T8 tubes that don't require any rewiring or socket replacement. We now offer a universal T8 LED tube that works in all three retrofit applications with or without a ballast. Check it out here 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/t8-led-lamps/universal-compatible-led-t8-tubes-type-a-b.html
They now make LED lamps that use the ballast. No rewire necessary. Occasionally an older ballast will need to be replaced if they don't come back on when the switch is cycled or after power goes out.
You are right and it makes it super easy. However, not every project is the same and a direct replacement won't work. That is why we offer the universal Type A+B bulb that works without wiring and with retrofitting. It's a great way to convert to LED and when the ballast fails you can still use the tube with rewiring like shown in this video. We did a video on this a few months back. You can see how that tube works here 👉 th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html 🙂
I bought a 4 foot led fixture and converted it to T12 fluorescent.
Curious, why would you do that?
Good teaching , Thank you
Thank you for the feedback and glad you enjoyed the video 🙂
Is that for a "double ended" conversion?
How do we know which one it is when we look at the innards (ballast and wiring) of the florescent tube before converting to LED?
It would be very helpful to us "newbies" if you explained that first.
This video is for a double ended conversion. The best thing is to familiarize yourself with the wiring diagram and match the fixture wiring to the diagram. You can find wiring the diagram here www.totalbulklighting.com/ez-led-t8-installation.html 🙂
T.q of yr sweet explaination, i try do it for my working table. My son out station is electrician but this info us good for me to try the installation job....safety first . Take out or off switch the power suply
Glad you found our video informative 🙂
i've watched at least 7 different fluorescent to led conversion videos and they all do it differently
I agree Jerry. Some videos show using one-sided LED tubes and state how the one-sided are safer than dual-sided. Then there's the shunted, non-shunted tombstone issue, using an ohm meter. The difference in approaches to these conversions has given me a headache.
@
Jerry, true, just when you think you've nailed the conversion, there's a new video with a different approach.
Seems to be three types. One is the single-ended bulb where al, the power connections are at one end and use the non-shunted tombstones. Another is the double-ended bulb as shown in this video. Third is the type you just simply install without changing anything. The third one doesn't make sense unless you're totally freaked out by electricity and don't want to mess with wiring; the ballast is still there sucking power and prone to failure.
If you watched right to the end of the video, he mentioned all three types being available for purchase in the store (last 10-20 seconds).
The only caution I never see them mention is you probably should stick with one type of conversion and clearly mark it on the outside of the fixture. Putting a single end bulb in a double end conversion after a bulb failure (or vice versa) could cause some problems.
They all seem to believe the 50,000 hour bulb life guarantee is real. They may not all fail, but some certainly will, and LED's degrade over time. Might not fail, but probably change color and brightness down the road.
There is a lot of confusion out there. You are correct, there are three ways to convert a fluorescent T8 or T12 fixture at this time as you have mentioned. With our kits, we include a label you a-fix to the fixture to help convey to anyone doing maintenance that the fixture has been retrofitted to LED. Our Double End Powered Kits label indicates the type of retrofit applied. If you compare the wiring of the LED T8 fixture with our our wiring diagrams you will quickly see which type is being used. If you are unsure, knowing electrically based on the wiring is the best approach as things can be easily mislabeled. We made this FAQ recently to help mitigate the confusion out there 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/blog/2020/01/10/converting-fluorescent-t8-or-t12-to-led-t8-tubelight-faq/
I put that sticker on the reflector outside so people could see it
Absolute question is the question is removing the ballast making it led or removing the ballast and replacing the LED bulb looks awesome I would like to try this thanks for the uploads
If you remove the ballast you can no longer use florescent tubes with the fixture. I just brought some LED tubes that can work with or without a ballast. When I do my next conversion I might just take the ballast out this time. Less noise and I am sure the ballast also uses and in the case of the LED tubes wastes energy.
Love the instructions on conversion. However, my light fixture has these Starters how do you eliminate the starters? Can my fixture still be converted to led?
This ballast bypass install on liner led lamp is dangerous due to the sockets not being rated for it. I checked with Leviton and talked to an engineer and he confirmed that the sockets are not rated for it.. Bi pin lamps make limited contact in the socket which overheats and melts, out here in California I've see 5 fires do to this install one burnt half a Bed,Bath,and Beyond down. On liner led lamp alway have an led driver or fluorescent compatible ballast to protect the sockets. You can do a ballast bypass on CFL lamps as the pins are making a 360 degree contact. A little background I'm a 25 year electrician working for one of the largest electrical contractors in Sacramento.
Interesting point. The lamps are UL approved to be used in this manner. The question I would have in those 5 cases you mention is were the fixtures wired correctly and were the lamps rated for the application? Thanks for sharing your concern 🙂
Great video, thank you.
You're very welcome! We're glad you found it helpful 🙂
- Good video. I like the 'plug in' connectors.
Glad you liked the video 🙂
Well...the led bulbs I got , you just change the bulbs. nothing else and they work GREAT and 100% brighter than the fluorescent tubes.
That's great to hear! Sounds like you purchased Type-A tubes which simply work with the existing ballast. Very easy indeed 🙂 The only draw back to Type-A is when the ballast fails you will have to either replace with a new ballast or utilize a retrofit method like the one we demonstrate in this video to get the lights back on. However, if you plan on any future conversions we have a Type-A+B tube that works with an existing ballast and in the retrofit application shown in this video. You can find those tubes here 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/t8-led-lamps/universal-compatible-led-t8-tubes-type-a-b.html - Have a blessed day!
This video is so simple and easy to follow. In this video, the LED tubes are Single End or Double End?
Sorry, just found you have mentioned that your are using double ended tubes. Thank you.
@@charlesyue3891 No worries! Glad you found it 🙂
Very cool. I need to convert my kitchen florescent ceiling tube lights to LEDs but some of the clips that connect the done of the tubes are cracked/ broken so... what then? Replace the entire housing? I'd rather just put in an LED panel if that's the case as i hate the design of the double ended tubes and trying to align them and locked in place always drives me crazy.
If the sockets are cracked or broken replacing them is the best thing to do. As for an LED panel vs tubes that's a more personal decision. I like the ability to easily replace the tubes if for some reason the tube fails prematurely or I want a higher lumen light or different color temperature 🙂
Hi... Nice Video EXCEPT at the end you rush thru "single-ended" Double-ended" and one more that you flashed by so quickly I did not catch. What's the story please with the different "ends"
Maybe this video might help 👉th-cam.com/video/28YBLBNmhKo/w-d-xo.html 🙂
That is good info i didn't know. ..i have t12 and t8 and didnt know i can convert with the same bulb for both
Glad our video could help 🙂 If you need additional wiring help you can find our wiring diagram here www.totalbulklighting.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1215/product/8700/led_t8_double_end_power_wire_diagram.pdf - Have a Happy New Year 🎉
Michael Collins 2
Also you don’t pry the cover locks off , just turn them to remove .
jeremy hill indeed, that was a dumbass way to pull the retainers
Cant be as dumb as this entire idea lol!
Thanks for the video, it's great. One question, the doble ended tube use shunted or none shunted tombstone?
You're very welcome 🙂 As long as the wiring diagram is followed correctly you can use both but typically the double end tubes are used with shunted tombstones.
You have not been talking about the condenser present in old fluorescent circuit. Does it need to be removed?
If you mean starters, yes they need to be removed. You need to re-establish the contact to the pin of the tube.
the LED tube to use are the ones that are not LED but are actually T12 fluorescent lights that are run on a magnetic ballast.
I am not quite following what you mean in regards to retrofitting from fluorescent to LED. Can you help us all here understand better what you mean?
@@Totallightingsupply I have never had very good luck with LED lights, and I guess it is just me, but I cannot be in a room lit by them because i get a headache in like 10 minutes. so all of my shops are lit by fluorescent lights, but the newer ones with the electronic ballast seem to not last very long and always burn up in less than 3 years. so I use old lights that are from the 1950s that i got from an old shop that was closing and they still have the original preheat magnetic ballasts and they still work great and never give me any issues.
@@WalterKnox Gotcha! We can understand 😊
Where are these quick connectors available? Cannot find them here in stores in Canada. Are they not approved by CSA? Do not see them on Amazon either.
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I have a question. When you wire the light like this with all hot on one side and all neutral on the other, it does not matter whether the tombstones are shunted or non-shunted?
As along as you follow the wiring diagram making sure power is flowing properly to the tube it should not matter the type of tombstone you are using. Keep in mind shunted tombstones are electrically separated and may require jumping so that both tabs that contact the tube pins are providing power. We always recommend consulting a local licensed electrician to make sure local code is followed and connections and wring are done correctly. Hope that helps 🙂
Thank you
Why do florescents have to be soooooo complicated?
Because it is invented by filipino.
@@ligayaen01 Agapito Flores was a brilliant man. It's arguable that he invented it, but definitely contributed greatly. m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1932359870145922&id=1068783669836884
Hi total lighting guy's :-). OMG what an Awesome tutorial. Straight to the point :-)! I was in the process of deciding whether to convert my fluorescent to an LED. My issue is that I just recently purchased several 8 watt 12 inch T5 fluorescent bulbs and need to know if I change the fixture over, will I be able to use those bulbs, or does your company carry this size in LED? Also, is the LED brighter than the fluorescent? I need brightness under my kitchen cabinets and cost effective options....Please advise...Thanks
Unfortunately we do not carry a 12 inch t5 LED tube for retrofit applications. We do provide LED under cabinet lights which you can find here: www.totalrecessedlighting.com/under-cabinet-lighting.html We find LED is typically brighter but you have to look at the lumens of the LED and fluorescent to know if you will have a brighter LED.
@@Totallightingsupply I need five 12" WARM white undercounter and one 24", so maybe I can repair the one 12" flouro that quit. Tiny ballast?
I have a neutral wire running between two tombstones one the one end does this make a difference on weather I make that end my hot end or neutral end? Great video by the way!!!
Also I'm using double ended LEDs if that helps
3:31 This works for the two pin 90 degree twist in / out. What about the push pin style? Do they make LED push pin bulbs?
We have not been able to source an LED version like that but doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Sorry we couldn't be of more help 🙂
Was this video for a double powered LED tube or for a single LED?
The video is for double end powered LED tubes 🙂
Is there a way to rewire a fixture to accept both single *and* double-ended tubes? I would think that if tube manufacturers followed some simple standards, this would be very easy to accomplish. After all, a double-ended tube only needs to use one pin on each end. An industry standard would be needed to determine which one. This "should" be sooo easy!
No need for special retrofit wiring if you go with the double end method and Type A+B tubes. With the newer more advanced Type A+B LED tubes that are both single end and dual end powered in one tube you just need to wire for the double end retrofit method and your done.
See our video on that here th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps 🙂
There's usually a strip gauge on the push-in connector box.
If you shut off the circuit breaker, how would a plug-in light work? Just a thought.
That's my problem, one loooong extension cord to the basement.
If someone leaves the ballast wired in the fixture and simply swaps the fluorescent lamps for the LED lamps and they do light up, is the fixture drawing more power than it would if you removed the ballast?
Depends on what power the ballast is putting out but it sounds like if the LED lamps came on then the lamps are not Type-B dual end powered LED T8 Tubes. Sounds like Type-A which are designed to be used with the ballast still electrically connected and powered. Since our LED T8 Tubes are Type-B they are designed for use with 120-277VAC and leaving the ballast electrically connected and powering our tubes will probably cause unforeseen damage voiding any warranty and most likely shortening the lifespan of the lamp. Hope that helps 🙂
Enjoy you video and am about to convert 2 shop lights for my garage but a question first because I want to get it right. When I opened up the lights, there are 3 bulbs. All are 48 inch T8 bulbs with G13 pin bases. Is the conversion the same for a 3 light fixture and if not would the light work with just 2 bulbs? I don't want to get it wrong and have fireworks! I intend to use ballast bypass bulbs as well.
As long as you follow the wiring diagram and are using Double End Powered LED T8 tubes there shouldn't be any issues converting a 3 tube T12 or T8 fluorescent fixture to LED. You can find the wiring diagram in the video description or click on it here 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1215/led_t8_double_end_power_wire_diagram.pdf
@@Totallightingsupply Thanks for the info.
@@gregg-wb8yys517 You're very welcome! Have a blessed rest of your week 🙂
What is the brand or model of the wire strippers you are using?
We are using Klein Tools Katapult 11063W in this video 🙂
Notice this conversion is for *double-ended* power tubes (2:40).
Yes that is correct, this video is for double / dual end powered tubes or our new universal LED t8 tubes found here 👉 th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html
This seems to be the method our tube supplier recommends, i.e. remove the ballast, retain the shunted tombstones. Ballast manufacturers can't be happy about the LED tubes being rolled out.
4:10 Does it matter which end you pick to be neutral and which end is hot? Or do you have to put the tube in so that the end marked "L" is at the hot end?
No, for dual end powered tubes or universal LED t8 tubes we sell it does not matter which side is hot or neutral 🙂
Home come you did not replace the tombstone? There is some video show we need to replace the shunted to non-shunted tombstone.
Please see our video here that explains the different retrofit methods as it may help clear up confusion for you 👉 th-cam.com/video/xPOu-jSTrPc/w-d-xo.html
What about the whole shunted versus non-shunted tombstones? Also, is this process the same for the single pin tombstones? Thanks
sara wood I watched another conversion video where the gentleman retrofit from shunted to non shunted on single ended bulbs. First thing I was thinking when I started this and he didn’t change the tombstones! lol
Nice
T-12 is 12 eights = 1-1/2" diameter
T-8 is 8 eights = 1" diameter
Thank you for sharing this info! Have a blessed day 🙂
Great Video! My light fixture, the ballast has 2 wires on one side and 4 on the other. The neutral side termination will have 5 wires, the hot side will have 3 wires. Will this be acceptable?
As long as the electrical follows the wire diagram shown here www.totalbulklighting.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1215/led_t8_double_end_power_wire_diagram.pdf then it should work just fine :)
That’s a very good keystone ballast. Do you still have it? And, do you have a bulb for a 35 watt sox low pressure sodium light?
We recycled the ballast. You can find all our HPS bulbs here 👇
www.totalbulklighting.com/legacy-products/hid-lamps/high-pressure-sodium-hps.html
Are these non shunted sockets? I understand that led ballast bypass use non shunted.
Please see our website that better explains the difference between Double End Powered Tubes as shown in this video and Single End Powered tubes that require non-shunted sockets here 👉www.totalbulklighting.com/led-t8-double-end-powered-tubes-vs-single-end.html
Before I found this video, I went ahead and replace 2-tube (48")T8 fluorescent lights with 2 LED tubes that I got at home depot that said for T8. I didn't have to do any of this conversion. Why is that? Do I need to be concerned about anything done wrong?
Sounds like you purchased Type-A tubes that rely on the ballast for power 🙂
Awesome!!!
Glad you liked our video 🙂
I have a fixture using F48T12-CW-HO BULBS. These have a different base . I would like to change the bases to tombstone type and replace with LED ‘s. I don’t ned high output devices. Is there a kit for this?
I am sorry we do not have a retrofit kit for those type of fluorescent fixtures. However, an electrician might be able to rewire your fixture to accept LED version of the F48T12-CW-HO bulbs.
Can I convert some fixtures in my shop to LED and leave others with the old ballast-type arrangement??
That shouldn't be a problem 🙂
@@Totallightingsupply Thanks!
So, the same tombstones we’re used for fluorescent and LED? Just double checking since I’m not very good with this stuff
That is correct. Just make sure the existing tombstones are in proper working condition 🙂 Have a blessed New Year!
THANK YOU
You're welcome 🙂
Perfect "That's what she said" @ 4:00 🤣
I have a question. 8 have some old 8' fixtures with the single pin connectors. I kinda want to keep them using 8'bulbs but want to convert them to led since the old fluorescent bulbs that size are hard to find. Got any products like this?
We do offer a 8-foot option here but it is not compatible with all 8' fixtures so make sure yours is compatible 👉 www.totalbulklighting.com/retrofit-kits/t8-led-8-foot-kits.html
Home depot has 10 LED tubes for $50 and work with existing ballast
That is definitely one way to convert to LED. Not all LED retrofit applications are the same and have different requirements where Type-A / DRL tubes can not be used. We simply offer a convenient solution for Type-B retrofit applications. Have a blessed day!
Each manufacturer has a different way to wire their bulbs. Follow the directions.
Can I mix match LED with Regular Tube Florescent light fixtures? In my kitchen ceiling lights, I have a total of 3 DUAL T12 Florescent Tubes. Can I replace only ONE set with LED and the remaining TWO DUAL T12 Florescent tubes will stay active. All 3 DUAL Tubes used only ONE POWER ON/OFF Switch. Will there be a long term effect on the LED lights? Please advise
The tubes used in this video you will not be able to mix and match fluorescent and LED tubes. We offer a universal Type A+B LED T8 Tube that works with many existing T8 electronic ballasts but not T12. Best thing is to start here as it will help you find the right LED tube for your application www.totalbulklighting.com/fast-fluorescent-to-led-t8-conversion-tool.html 🙂