Wiring to Convert to LED Shop Lights


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Old 09-28-18, 12:55 PM
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Lightbulb Wiring to Convert to LED Shop Lights

Hello, I have read and read and watched youtube videos and I cant seem to grasp what to do to convert my shop lights to LED lights and bypass my bad ballast. The shop light has a hot and neutral wire going into the tombstones on one side and a hot and neutral wire coming from them to the ballast, the ballast has a red and blue wire going to the tombstones on the other end of the light. I'd like to rewire the fixture to bypass the ballast and replace the bulbs with LEDs. I also need to make sure I buy the correct LED lights if anyone has any suggestions on those as well. Thanks for your help!
 
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Old 09-28-18, 06:03 PM
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From what you describe it sounds like you have 8' single pin T12 lamps/fixture. You can retrofit these fixtures to use 4' T8 LEDs using a kit like this: https://www.amazon.com/Retrofit-Chan.../dp/B0758F4KQW and then using 4 - 4' T8 4 pin LEDs like this: https://www.amazon.com/Sunco-Lightin...4%27+led+bulbs Or you can just buy 8' single pin LED lamps like this" https://www.amazon.com/JESLED-Daylig...pin%2Bled&th=1

*** Note: the above links are for example only. ***

The big things you want to look for is that they say "ballast bypass" (or similar) and that they are the color you want. 5000K will me more blue/whiteish while 3000/3500K will be more yellowish. Incandescent is about 2700K

With the 4 pin lamps you have to make sure how they are designed. Some you feed the hot and neutral on the same side, while others you feed the hot on one side and neutral on the other. Same side ones will need non-shunted sockets while the each end ones use shunted sockets.
 
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Old 10-01-18, 07:18 AM
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Thanks for the reply, is there an advantage to using the retro kit and 4' bulbs over 8' bulbs? I'm inclined to use an 8' single pin LED so I dont have to purchase additional materials and can use the current tombstones.

I have attached a picture of how the light is wired. Any tips for how I should wire up the 8' LEDs, I'm puzzled as to what to do.

Hot and neutral coming in and going to the tombstones on the right and hot and neutral coming from them to the ballast. One red and blue wire coming from other side of the ballast to the other two tombstones.
 
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Old 10-01-18, 05:40 PM
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is there an advantage to using the retro kit and 4' bulbs over 8' bulbs?
You will have to check the price, availability, and performance of each to see if there is any difference between the two. I have not tried any of the 8' LED lamps as they are not widely available locally.

Any tips for how I should wire up the 8' LEDs
You will need to wire them as shown when you get the lamps. They should have a diagram. But likely you will need to cut the existing wires from the ballast and then connect one set of sockets to the hot wire and the other set to the neutral wire. I find it easiest to remove the existing wires from the incoming wires and start fresh on the first fixture so you can fixture which wire goes where.
 
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Old 10-02-18, 04:47 AM
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I view retrofitting 4' bulbs into a 8' fixture as not really an option. Plain fluorescent fixtures were pretty cheap. By the time you buy the kit and put in the labor to modify the fixture it would be better to just buy new LED fixtures.

First, are you using bulbs powered by 120 VAC or do they require a fluorescent ballast? If using 8' single pin bulbs that are 120 VAC powered you have to provide hot to one end of the bulbs and neutral to the other end. The wire colors inside the fixture don't matter.
 
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Old 10-04-18, 05:52 AM
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Ok, that makes sense, hot wire on one end of each bulb and a neutral wire on the other end of each bulb, thats pretty simple.

Now I just need to figure out where to order the correct LED bulbs that run off 120 VAC that dont require a ballast. I'd be looking for the same color as a normal fluorescent bulb. Any recommendations?

Thank you guys for all of the advice!
 
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Old 10-04-18, 09:32 AM
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I installed 14 of these in my warehouse nine months ago and all are still working. They have had no trouble lighting when it was cold.
 
 

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