Quote:
Originally Posted by Merc Cruzer
I went to Home Depot today and bought just the 8' Double Ended Ballast Bypass bulbs, they come two to a pack. It is a new item for them. Eliminated the ballast, then the black wire from the wall switch was wire-nutted to the two wires on the left end of the light and the white wire from the wall switch was wire-nutted to the two wires on the right end of the light. Re installed the covers on the light. Then installed the two bulbs and all can say is WOW, what a difference! The two bulbs cost $43 and a new 8' LED strip unit cost $92. Wonder if I can find these on e-bay for less. Total time to do the project, around 20 minutes. One light down and two more to go for that stall. The Utube video (not mine) below shows how to do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRZdN5KtG8k |
I went through Amazon. I've updated 33 8ft fixtures, and a bunch of 4ft, and a couple 2 ft. Since the LED bulbs are so much brighter, some replace the two fluorescent bulbs with only one LED, and get similar light output.
Hyperikon is one of the premier brands of bulbs. I like the color of the 5k bulbs. They are very white, with no sign of blue. Higher than that, and they start to get a little bluish. You can get much better pricing going through Amazon. If the bulbs are spread out, or are high in the air... the bulbs with two rows of LED's are nice. That's what I used at dad's garage. When I put fluorescents in my garage, I went overkill... and after upgrading to LED, it's like a sunny day! lol
SUPER easy to convert, as was stated above. Black wire from the 120V source to one side, white to the other... and you're DONE. Never have to mess with ballasts again, and never have to worry about them coming on in cold weather. Uses less power, and puts off less heat. (about half on both counts)
I've been VERY happy going through Amazon. Also recommend frosted covers if they will be in your line of sight. If they are up high or out of view, either frosted or clear will be fine. The more bulbs you buy, the better deal you can get.
They also make clips that attach at the center of the fixture to hold the bulb and keep it from sagging. Those are nice additions.
Good Luck!