Why and how do you change fluorescent tubes to LED tubes?
- The main reason is energy saving, an LED tube saves 50-70% of energy.
It means that in the electricity bill for a 10-pipe target with a daily burning time of 10 hours, the saving is about €150 per year, and for a 100-pipe target, €1500 per year, and further for a 1000-pipe target, €15,000 per year.
- When the LED tube is selected correctly for the target, a nice change in light output is obtained.
The old fluorescent tubes are worn out in several places and the light output has already dropped to a very low level. This already reduced light output can easily be replaced with LED tubes of almost any power. When you want the same light output as with new fluorescent tubes according to the original lighting plan, you need a high-quality and light-efficient Sylvania ToLEDo Superia UO.
- The lifespan of LED tubes is more than twice as long as the most common fluorescent tubes.
For example, an LED tube with a lifetime of 50,000 hours lasts 14 years with a daily burning time of 10 hours. After this, it is easy to upgrade the LED tube to a new energy-efficient model.
The most common fluorescent tubes are T8 and T5 fluorescent tubes, for both of which you can find efficient ones from Sylvania LED tube option .
Installation of a T8 LED tube in a fluorescent lamp
There are two types of old T8 fluorescent lamps, equipped with a choke and an electronic ballast. It is easy to tell these apart by the fact that in the choke version the lighter or lighters have to be replaced and the installation takes place directly in place of the fluorescent tubes without major modifications. T8 fluorescent lamps equipped with an electronic ballast do not have a separate igniter, and in this case the ToLEDo Superia T8 Universal LED tube can be installed in the lamp, which is suitable for the most common ballasts. Most of the lamps on the market are equipped with a traditional magnetic choke.
If the lamp has a compensating capacitor connected parallel to phase and neutral, then it is removed and an LED lighter is installed instead of the lighters, after which the LED tube can be installed. There is no need to remove or bypass the choke, but if you want to maximize energy savings, you get 1-2W additional energy savings per LED tube. After the modification work, a sticker is installed on the lamp, which tells about the modification work. The following LED tubes can be used in such an object:
- ToLEDo Superia T8 UO
- ToLEDo Avant T8 HO
- ToLEDo Neos T8
ToLEDo Superia, Avant, and Neos T8 tubes are all suitable for both traditional magnetic choke and direct mains voltage. An LED lighter is supplied with the tubes.
An old T8 fluorescent lamp equipped with an electronic ballast requires an LED tube suitable for ballasts. It is suitable for the most common ballasts. The reflector or base plate is removed from the luminaire to see the type of ballast and check compatibility. If there is no compatibility, the ballast can be bypassed by the electrician according to the instructions. Installation takes about 10–15 min per lamp. In this case, ToLEDo Superia T8 UO and ToLEDo Avant T8 HO tubes can be used, all of which are also suitable for direct 230V control. Whenever old electronic components are removed from use, the most reliable solution is obtained.
T8 electronic ballast
A suffocating lamp
T5 fluorescent lamps always have an electronic ballast
The connecting device can be bypassed by the electrician according to the instructions when installing the ToLEDo Superia T5 AC UO tube. Installation takes about 10–15 min per lamp. This provides the most reliable solution when old electronic components are decommissioned.
T5 electronic ballast
We help you choose the right LED lamp
Replacing old lamps with LED tubes instead of fluorescent tubes reduces the load on the lamps considerably. Heat load is not generated much compared to a fluorescent tube, when the electric current passing through an old iron choke is reduced by 50-70% compared to a traditional fluorescent tube. The heat load produced by the pipe also decreases in the same proportion. If the LED tube breaks prematurely, it can be easily replaced by a maintenance person and the appearance of the lamp will not change.
We are happy to advise on LED tube replacement projects and help you choose the right type of tube and installation method.