# I See The Light!  Fluorescent Tube Bulbs to LED



## SeaBreeze (Oct 1, 2016)

We have a finished basement, don't spend much time there, but that's where our fireplace is and laundry room, etc.  The main 'family room' has two fluorescent light fixtures recessed in the drop ceiling.

For months now, one of the fixtures gave very dim light.  We replaced the bulbs, but it still didn't work right.  Some days it would light normally, but most days just a dim glow.  My husband was going to work on it this winter when he had time.

He saw some LED bulbs in our Costco ad, that replaced the old fluorescent tubes.  He went out and bought some and replaced all the old fluorescent tubes in that room.  It's so nice now, instant light and amazingly bright.  Told him I'd have to get down there and do some cleaning. 

They're Feit Electric LED tubes 4', 1700 lumens, cool white, 50,000 hours.  $14 for two bulbs was the sale price.  Every time I went downstairs today and flicked on the light, I instantly smiled.  Nice to get such happiness from the little things!  :sunglass:


----------



## Carla (Oct 1, 2016)

I'll have to look for them. I have one of them in my basement that will be needing replacement soon. I cannot put them in myself, my son will have to do it for me. He doesn't have to stand on a ladder and can see better than me! Yes, I agree, sometimes the small things in life make us smile!


----------



## SeaBreeze (Oct 1, 2016)

The two bulbs in the one fixture worked fine, but we switched them out with the new ones anyway.  It's a whole different feel down there, not so gloomy.  We have some books on bookcases and photo albums, etc. down there.  I told my husband we can actually sit down there now if we wanted and read a book.  I'm glad I had my husband to do it.  I probably could have, but I'd have to be on a ladder, he just used a step stool, and it's tricky to get both sides in and replace the plastic cover afterwards.  Glad you have your son to help out.


----------



## Don M. (Oct 1, 2016)

If you had one of the fluorescent fixtures that wouldn't fire the fluorescent tubes, the "Ballast" in that fixture is probably going bad, and not supplying enough voltage to fire the gas in the tube.  The LED bulbs probably don't require as much voltage to work properly.  But...If you start to have problems with the LED's in that fixture, replacing the Ballast should fix it right up....and that's a lot easier than replacing the entire fixture.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Oct 1, 2016)

I think that's what my husband intended to do initially Don, but I'm so glad we found these bulbs instead, hopefully we won't have any issues but if we do he'll get on it.  I never loved fluorescents anyway.


----------



## Don M. (Oct 1, 2016)

SeaBreeze said:


> I think that's what my husband intended to do initially Don, but I'm so glad we found these bulbs instead, hopefully we won't have any issues but if we do he'll get on it.  I never loved fluorescents anyway.



I had a "intermittent" fluorescent fixture in the kitchen, and it appeared to be the ballast....so I bought one, and intended to replace it...but the thing appeared to "heal itself" before I got a chance to replace it....so I have a new ballast sitting in the basement....and that was about 5 years ago.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Oct 1, 2016)

Nice when they heal themselves huh Don?   Never hurts to have a spare I guess.  We have the round fluorescent bulbs in our kitchen fixture, the small and large.  So far so good, for around 35 yrs. now, only had to replace the bulbs. :apple:


----------



## WheatenLover (Oct 1, 2016)

I had no idea that fluorescent tubes could be replaced with LED lights.  My basement is gloomy, and with 100-year old stone walls, it looks like a dungeon. I'm going to get some of the LED fixtures.  I've already started replacing the bulbs in the rest of the house with LED -- my kitchen looks like bright daylight is in there now, and I can see everything clearly.

Thank you, SeaBreeze, for posting about this!


----------



## Don M. (Oct 2, 2016)

SeaBreeze said:


> Nice when they heal themselves huh Don?   Never hurts to have a spare I guess.  We have the round fluorescent bulbs in our kitchen fixture, the small and large.  So far so good, for around 35 yrs. now, only had to replace the bulbs. :apple:



That seems to be the way my luck runs....if I have a spare part, I seldom need it.  I have several CFL bulbs on hand, and when one of the old incandescents burn out, I put a CFL in its place.  Now the move is towards LED, so I guess I'll start watching for sales on LED bulbs.


----------



## HazyDavey (Oct 2, 2016)

WheatenLover said:


> I had no idea that fluorescent tubes could be replaced with LED lights.  My basement is gloomy, and with 100-year old stone walls, it looks like a dungeon. I'm going to get some of the LED fixtures.  I've already started replacing the bulbs in the rest of the house with LED -- my kitchen looks like bright daylight is in there now, and I can see everything clearly.
> 
> Thank you, SeaBreeze, for posting about this!



I didn't know that either and I have a couple of places in the house that I'd love to swap out the fluorescent tubes. Cool Beans ..

Thank You !!


----------



## SeaBreeze (Oct 2, 2016)

WheatenLover said:


> I had no idea that fluorescent tubes could be replaced with LED lights.  My basement is gloomy, and with 100-year old stone walls, it looks like a dungeon. I'm going to get some of the LED fixtures.  I've already started replacing the bulbs in the rest of the house with LED -- my kitchen looks like bright daylight is in there now, and I can see everything clearly.
> 
> Thank you, SeaBreeze, for posting about this!



That's how mine was, the nice thing is you don't have to replace the fixtures, the bulbs fit in the old fluorescent fixtures as is.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Oct 2, 2016)




----------



## Capt Lightning (Oct 2, 2016)

I haven't seen these in the UK, but I expect they'll come along. Initially, you couldn't just change to LED, but I see no reason why it couldn't be done with modern electronics.   I'd prefer a 'Warm white'- 'cool white' can look a bit harsh.

I have a camper van and the question often arises about changing the flourescent lights  to LEDs.  The case for 12V lights is rather different as
the light fittings contain a small high frequency inverter.  Most people either remove the innards of the light fitting and put in LED bulbs, or replace the entire fitting.


----------



## BlondieBoomer (Oct 26, 2016)

We had three 4 foot fluorescent fixtures on top of a soffit in our kitchen and two in each bathroom in soffits. They were always a problem with bulbs that burned out, sometimes made a low buzzing sound or flickered. Each 2 bulb fixture had a ballast. I purchased some LED lights to replace the fluorescent and rewired the fixtures to bypass the ballasts and removed them. It's more economical to run them without ballasts and the bulbs last for something like 20 years. Instructions came with the bulbs for rewiring, but I watched several YouTube videos showing how to do it. I never attempted anything like this before but it was easy after the first one. It took about 10 minutes or less once I did one. I bought warm colored lights that are 3500 K and they're brighter than the old fluorescents, don't flicker or make any sounds and are instant on. We are replacing the rest of the bathroom lights this weekend. I purchased them from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YVGUZVS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## Buckeye (Oct 26, 2016)

I'm going to the Costco in Kona (Hawaii) tomorrow - I gotta look for these!  Laundry room and Garage.


----------



## AprilT (Oct 26, 2016)

My utility company asked if I wanted free bulbs, I said sure.  Just received my sixteen 9W output equivalent 60W bulbs this week.  The amount of light they are putting out in comparison to the old lights is remarkable.  I have to say, I didn't like them as a replacement of the big round bulbs in my bathroom, but I think that's more due to the type of fixture.  But, I imaging the life expectancy and overall savings for all my other fixtures will be pretty good, especially considering I received the bulbs complimentary.


----------



## debbie in seattle (Oct 29, 2016)

SeaBreeze said:


> We have a finished basement, don't spend much time there, but that's where our fireplace is and laundry room, etc.  The main 'family room' has two fluorescent light fixtures recessed in the drop ceiling.
> 
> For months now, one of the fixtures gave very dim light.  We replaced the bulbs, but it still didn't work right.  Some days it would light normally, but most days just a dim glow.  My husband was going to work on it this winter when he had time.
> 
> ...




My husband was at Costco and bought some and replaced our fluorescent lights yesterday and it's amazing!    I see the (bright) light!    Instant on, no flickering!    They're going to last longer than my husband and I!


----------



## BlondieBoomer (Oct 29, 2016)

You're right, there's a big difference. We've got 3 more doubl fixtures that we'll do this weekend. Amazon has them in a warm white color, similar to an incandescent. We got those because they're in bathrooms and in the kitchen and wanted a warmer glow.


----------



## mathjak107 (Oct 29, 2016)

keep in mind the rated hours on led lamps average hours in a lab under controlled conditions .

the 50,000 hour rating mean 1/2 of them already died along the way and 1/2 are still going .

rated hours is also far less once in a fixture because of heat and because of different numbers of  on-off in a day .
be careful too as many led lamps can not be used in enclosed fixtures . led lamps are deceiving because the glass stays cool but they radiate quite a bit of heat from the heat sinks in the base


----------



## SeaBreeze (Oct 29, 2016)

debbie in seattle said:


> My husband was at Costco and bought some and replaced our fluorescent lights yesterday and it's amazing!    I see the (bright) light!    Instant on, no flickering!    They're going to last longer than my husband and I!



Good for you Debbie, I hated the dim light and flickering and hesitation.  Going downstairs now is so much nicer, we already bought some replacement bulbs to have on hand when we need them, but we don't spend much time down there at all.  You and hubby will be around when they need replacing. :love_heart:


----------



## tnthomas (Oct 29, 2016)

Yay!  AT last, usable and affordable LED lamps!   Yuh can't believe how long I've been waiting for the LED consumer line of products to mature.


----------



## BlondieBoomer (Oct 29, 2016)

This is how I removed the ballast from our fixtures and rewired them. We had red and blue wires coming from one side and yellow from the other. There was a jumper between the tombstones on each end. I didn't remove the fixtures to re-wire, just did it with them in place after turning off the power at the circuit breaker. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjpJNLT9xQc  Getting rid of the ballast makes them more energy efficient and we don't have to worry about replacing ballasts when they burn out.


----------



## anodyne (Oct 29, 2016)

Remember when the whole country was guilted into switching out all our lightbulbs for those screw-shaped ones? I don't remember what those are called because I only tried one 2-pack before switching back to regular bulbs, which were a dime-a-dozen by then for the 4-pack. But anyway, now everywhere I look I'm reading that the LED lights are far and away a better thing to all mankind and the environment than the screw-shaped ones. One article said that the screwy ones are actually noxious.

I bought LED lights for my Christmas tree last year and didn't even realize it til I took them out of the package. Brightest Tree Ever!!!


----------



## BlondieBoomer (Oct 29, 2016)

anodyne said:


> Remember when the whole country was guilted into switching out all our lightbulbs for those screw-shaped ones? I don't remember what those are called because I only tried one 2-pack before switching back to regular bulbs, which were a dime-a-dozen by then for the 4-pack. But anyway, now everywhere I look I'm reading that the LED lights are far and away a better thing to all mankind and the environment than the screw-shaped ones. One article said that the screwy ones are actually noxious.
> 
> I bought LED lights for my Christmas tree last year and didn't even realize it til I took them out of the package. Brightest Tree Ever!!!



We switched to those "screw shaped ones" which are the fluorescent or compact fluorescents, several years ago, before LED was perfectected to the point they were bright enough. The early LED's were equivalent to about a 20 watt incandescent (the old bulbs). We still have a few of them in enclosed fixtures. LEDs run cooler than fluorescent or incandescent but all the heat they do produce is at the base in a small area. If there isn't enough air flow the base can get too hot which can shorten their lifespan. 

You may have disliked the fluorescents because some of them produced kind of a green or weird color light. But ther were warmer ones available (2700 - 3000k) that were hard to tell the difference between them and an incandescent. But they and the LED's use about 10 to 20% of the electricity of an incandescent. And they run much cooler, something to think about in the hot summer months. Remember the old EZ Bake Ovens we had as kids? They used a couple incandescent light bulbs to bake the cakes.

We have mostly all LED now. They can last for 20 years or more depending on how much you used them. You're right about the Christmas tree lights. We have a meter that measures the voltage from plug in devices. When I had one of two trees converted to LED with over 1000 lights on each, the LED lit tree took only 10% of the electricity, were much brighter, and were cool to the touch. I love them.


----------



## anodyne (Oct 29, 2016)

I disliked them because when they were first introduced they were about $12 for two. I reasoned their 'lifespan' = same value, but I still disliked it, especially when they didn't last any longer than the incandescent bulbs. So it was a financial issue 

I remember when a few casinos in Las Vegas changed their thousands of bulbs to the 'screwy ones'. The Flamingo was one. That was before the entire main strip was imploded and rebuilt. There are a lot of LED lights along there now, and the strip never looked brighter.


----------



## BlondieBoomer (Oct 29, 2016)

Some of the early fluorescents didn't last as long as they were supposed to. But we have one bulb, mounted in a fixture kind of high up on the outside of our house. We have looked all over and can't find the switch to turn it off. Perhaps someone remodeled and hid the switch? Anyway, it's on 24/7. We have to replace the bulb about once every 3 years. So figure roughly a life of 26,000 hours. An incandescent bulb lasts around 1,200 hours. And they produce less light per watt. So it seems like a good deal to me.

Our electric bill dropped $30 a month after we switched out all the bulbs.


----------



## AprilT (Oct 29, 2016)

I will have to get a ladder to switch out the rest of my batteries, as it's just too difficult trying to climb on a chair as I did for the light in my living room.  I've swithed out about four lights so far, I will wait till I purchase a step ladder to try to do the rest.  I probably could get someone else to do it, but, I still need to have the ladder anyway, so there's that.


----------



## tnthomas (Oct 29, 2016)

anodyne said:


> Remember when the whole country was guilted into switching out all our lightbulbs for those screw-shaped ones? I don't remember what those are called because I only tried one 2-pack before switching back to regular bulbs, which were a dime-a-dozen by then for the 4-pack. But anyway, now everywhere I look I'm reading that the LED lights are far and away a better thing to all mankind and the environment than the screw-shaped ones. One article said that the screwy ones are actually noxious.
> 
> I bought LED lights for my Christmas tree last year and didn't even realize it til I took them out of the package. Brightest Tree Ever!!!



[h=5][/h]California will phase out the use of incandescent bulbs by 2018.    I don't care for the CF (curly fluorescent) bulbs, they don't last as long as they are supposed to.  

  I've been replacing the incandescent bulbs in lamps and fixtures when they burn out, with the CF bulbs.  Interestingly, the fixture in the master BR still has all 3 original incandescent bulbs.


----------



## AprilT (Oct 29, 2016)

tnthomas said:


> California will phase out the use of incandescent bulbs by 2018.    I don't care for the CF (curly fluorescent) bulbs, they don't last as long as they are supposed to.
> 
> I've been replacing the incandescent bulbs in lamps and fixtures when they burn out, with the CF bulbs.  Interestingly, the fixture in the master BR still has all 3 original incandescent bulbs.



I have a few of those curly ones CF bulbs, but, since my light company gave a case (16) of LED bulbs for free, I'm using the LED ones and putting the Florescent on hold.    When the LEDs burn out, I'll make use of the CF ones I have on hand; by then there should be another price drop, maybe.


----------



## Ruth n Jersey (Oct 29, 2016)

I just wish they would have left all the bulbs alone. I know,energy efficient and all that stuff. I bought a couple of quite expensive bulbs and they blew out in a month. My whole new kitchen that my son renovated was ruined. I wanted painted cabinets. The paint color looked fine under the old lighting. We bought a new ceiling fan with the new type of bulbs and it drastically changed the color of the cabinets. So much so that nothing matches. I tried several others,soft white,day light.etc. none work like the good old 75 watt bulbs.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Nov 2, 2016)




----------



## BlondieBoomer (Nov 2, 2016)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> I just wish they would have left all the bulbs alone. I know,energy efficient and all that stuff. I bought a couple of quite expensive bulbs and they blew out in a month. My whole new kitchen that my son renovated was ruined. I wanted painted cabinets. The paint color looked fine under the old lighting. We bought a new ceiling fan with the new type of bulbs and it drastically changed the color of the cabinets. So much so that nothing matches. I tried several others,soft white,day light.etc. none work like the good old 75 watt bulbs.



Ruth, if you bought LED bulbs that burned out in a month it must have been defective. You should have returned it for a refund. We'v had LED bulbs throughput our home and have yet to have one burn out.

Perhaps the color tone on your LED bulbs was wrong for your kitchen. LED bulbs have color designations expressed as Kelvin or "K". The lower the Kelvin rating is, the warmer the light the bulb will emit. A 2700 to 3000 K rating is similar to the light of an incandescent bulb. Almost all of the LED bulbs in our home are in this number range. Numbers from 4000 to 5000 are cool or more like daylight. I think they're too stark for my house but they are great in the garage. 5000 k is almost a blueish color. I hope this helps.


----------

