T12 LED Fluorescent Tube Replacement
Are you looking to retrofit your aging T12 Fluorescent fixtures to LED tubes? This buyer's guide will help navigate through the endless options of available LED tubes on the market. Most new T8 LED tubes are designed to also work with T12 linear fixtures.
There are two options to consider when looking into T12 Fluorescent Tube replacements.
Hybrid LED Tubes
The Hybrid T8 LED Tubes are the newest and most simple tubes to choose from. This is a more viable option because these tubes can be configured to either bypass the ballast or plug into your current T12 fixtures with the magnetic ballast in place.
Although you have the option to run these LED tubes with the ballast, we highly recommend that you remove the ballast. Keep in mind that the ballast is responsible for consuming an additional 20% per fixture and puts additional stress on your new LED tubes, shortening its lifespan.
Direct Wire or Ballast Bypass LED Tubes
The ballast bypass LED tubes are designed to connect directly to the line voltage. You must remove the ballast for them to work.
Tombstones
Tombstones are the two sockets wherein the light tubes connect. The beauty of tombstones is that both types of LED tubes are designed to be compatible with non-shunted tombstones, and so are T12 fluorescent tubes.
So, your last question may be what do you do with your current tombstone? The answer in short, is nothing!
As of 11/14/2014, the Department of Energy has prohibited all manufacturers from making magnetic ballasts. Since all T12 linear fixtures are typically paired with magnetic ballasts they will become more and more difficult to replace.
If you are still unsure about whether or not to upgrade to LED tubes, take a look at our LED Fluorescent Tube Replacement Guide.
Are you ready to reduce your lighting power consumption and carbon footprint? Let's chat about it!
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