Converting T8/T12 u bend flouresant bulbs to LED u bend bulbs

[NYSUPstater]

This has been on my mind for awhile now, so did a lil digging and found a company that offers a "kit" to convert reg flouresant bulbs (which I'll just use T8/T12 for short) to LED's. They say you just cut wires coming into the fixture after removing bulbs/ballast and wire in new socket(s) and screw in here and there and wholla, done. Not being an electrician, can you just cut wires to ballast, remove T8/T12 bulbs, cut wire to one socket for LED bulb, wire in other socket(s) to incoming wire and be done? Do LED and T8/T12 bulbs have same socket base? Kit I saw ran like 60 bucks or so (2 bulbs and sockets/wires/connector). Bulbs were like 35 bucks for 2 and rest of kit made up the diff. Seemed kinda high IMO and thought if same base is used, why not just use what I already have if possible and just switch bulbs and wire nut things together. Have about 8 fixtures in garage all hard wired in together controlled by 2 wall switches. Hopefully I described this right. Your thoughts.

 

[rahewett]

T12 sockets are what is known as non-shunted. T8 sockets are shunted. What this means , simplified, is a T12 socket has two wires, blue, red or yellow, going to it. A T8 socket only has 1 wire, same colors. If the led lamp only runs on 120 volts, you have to have T12 sockets. Only one end of the lamp will require 120 volts. The lamp will have some kind of marking on the correct end. Make sure on the other end NOT to connect the two wires together, just wire nut them separately . DO NOT use T8 sockets.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[danemayer]

For most replacement lamps with LEDs you do have to bypass the ballast, which means cutting some wires. You may need to use a voltmeter to determine which wire is positive and which is ground before connecting to the LED stuff as LEDs are sometimes polarity sensitive. As for sockets, that's something that the catalog info should deal with. I'd think it would go by the fluorescent tube description.

Some LED conversions work with the ballasts, or without. So you might not have to rewire.

Check the lumens and the color temperature. After spending a bunch of money, you don't want DW to tell you she doesn't like the way they look.