On Thu, 25 Oct 2018 17:43:39 -0700 (PDT), TimR
wrote:

The ballast in my basement kitchen fixture went bad.

I replaced it with an LED tube. I wired it direct. You can buy either kind - the tube you use with a ballast, or the tube you wire directly.

The advantage of the ballast type is that you can always swap in a regular tube if you don't like the LED. But I didn't have that option. The disadvantage is you might have to change out the coffins (the sockets that hold the tube.) That may or may not be an issue.

Mine has run fine for a couple of years. It starts slower than the regular fluorescent did, but seems immune to the cold. I don't heat the basement and in the winter the lights would warm up a bit slow. The LED takes a moment to come on but then it's full brightnest.

It uses less electricity. And, it is less bright. But not enough to be a problem. Replacement is going to be a problem, the big box stores no longer carry that type around here.


They will soon be deader than a dodo bird. They do not meet ANY real
safety certifications. They have already been "outlawed" in Canada.
The USA won't be far behind.

I find my "direct replacement" LED tubes significantly brighter than
my Deluxe Warm White 34 watt tubes. Not sure about the old 40 watt
units.