Lowes - GE 2 Pack 32W Equivalent Daylight 6500k T8 LED Tube Light Bulb $3.28

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01-17-2021 at 06:10 PM #2

Ballast required?

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01-17-2021 at 06:15 PM #3

Quote from though :

Ballast required?

fluorescent bulbs using the existing fixture and electronic ballast

It is just ridiculous to buy an LED bulb that requires a ballast. Best case is that your ballast is compatible and never fails. Just rewire it and ditch the ballast.

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01-17-2021 at 06:15 PM #4

Thanks! $.29 near me. Got 12 packs for less than $4!

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01-17-2021 at 06:21 PM #5

Quote from 69ragtop :

fluorescent bulbs using the existing fixture and electronic ballast

It is just ridiculous to buy an LED bulb that requires a ballast. Best case is that your ballast is compatible and never fails. Just rewire it and ditch the ballast.

Are you saying that these can somehow work by bypassing the ballast? Like send the hot wire to one side tombstones and the neutral to the other side? And it will work with lED lights?

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01-17-2021 at 06:26 PM #6

Quote from RUsum1 :

Are you saying that these can somehow work by bypassing the ballast? Like send the hot wire to one side tombstones and the neutral to the other side? And it will work with lED lights?

Bypassing the ballast will NOT work for these unless I missed that in the description. I have seen some LED bulbs that work with or without a ballast. I personally don't want the liability nor extra power of a ballast. When I transition a fixture to LED, the ballast goes away.

EDIT - There are a lot of 4 ft led bulbs that do not require a ballast and are one-sided. As long as you have a non-shunted tombstone, you are good. Non-shunted tombstones are cheap in case you need them as well (for the hot side only).

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01-17-2021 at 06:31 PM #7

Quote from 69ragtop :

Bypassing the ballast will NOT work for these unless I missed that in the description. I have seen some LED bulbs that work with or without a ballast. I personally don't want the liability nor extra power of a ballast. When I transition a fixture to LED, the ballast goes away.

EDIT - There are a lot of 4 ft led bulbs that do not require a ballast and are one-sided. As long as you have a non-shunted tombstone, you are good. Non-shunted tombstones are cheap in case you need them as well (for the hot side only).

Thanks. That's something I'll be sure to look for.

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01-17-2021 at 06:32 PM #8

Quote from RUsum1 :

Are you saying that these can somehow work by bypassing the ballast? Like send the hot wire to one side tombstones and the neutral to the other side? And it will work with lED lights?

An answer in the Q&A says no, it cannot be direct wired

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01-17-2021 at 06:34 PM #9

Quote from 69ragtop :

Bypassing the ballast will NOT work for these unless I missed that in the description. I have seen some LED bulbs that work with or without a ballast. I personally don't want the liability nor extra power of a ballast. When I transition a fixture to LED, the ballast goes away.

EDIT - There are a lot of 4 ft led bulbs that do not require a ballast and are one-sided. As long as you have a non-shunted tombstone, you are good. Non-shunted tombstones are cheap in case you need them as well (for the hot side only).

And some people have the cheap shop lights that dont have a real ballast.
I have a couple of those. The ballast over heats and the light shuts down

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01-17-2021 at 06:49 PM #10

Quote from jimates :

And some people have the cheap shop lights that dont have a real ballast.
I have a couple of those. The ballast over heats and the light shuts down

It not about "real" sometimes either, old T12 lamps have older style "rapid start" ballasts which are magnetic type instead of newer electronic type ones.
One reason you would want LEDs that feed off ballasts is so you can still use both types of bulbs without worrying to have spare LED ones on hand (assuming you have electronic ballast already so you don't have to replace it)
Lowe's sells both types actually (at least in GE brand boxes of 10 packs), box has clearly labeled each so it's easier to find. I personally prefer 5K temp ones since they're not too bluish in color but GE recommends in line fuse to be installed on 120V ones (I guess in case there's a short and it starts drawing more than it should).
It's easier to use ones without ballast though since wiring is simplified and eliminates need to buy electrical ballast if fixture still has magnetic type still.

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Last edited by AlexS2465 January 17, 2021 at 06:52 PM.

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01-17-2021 at 09:26 PM #11

Quote from AlexS2465 :

It not about "real" sometimes either, old T12 lamps have older style "rapid start" ballasts which are magnetic type instead of newer electronic type ones.
One reason you would want LEDs that feed off ballasts is so you can still use both types of bulbs without worrying to have spare LED ones on hand (assuming you have electronic ballast already so you don't have to replace it)
Lowe's sells both types actually (at least in GE brand boxes of 10 packs), box has clearly labeled each so it's easier to find. I personally prefer 5K temp ones since they're not too bluish in color but GE recommends in line fuse to be installed on 120V ones (I guess in case there's a short and it starts drawing more than it should).
It's easier to use ones without ballast though since wiring is simplified and eliminates need to buy electrical ballast if fixture still has magnetic type still.

Yes, I did order 10 of these but only because they are 29 cents a pack.
For all others I buy the bypss type. It s easy to find old fixtures without worrying whether the ballast is good or not.

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01-17-2021 at 10:45 PM #12

Quote from RUsum1 :

Are you saying that these can somehow work by bypassing the ballast? Like send the hot wire to one side tombstones and the neutral to the other side? And it will work with lED lights?

Some require a ballast (electronic ballast) such as these, some can run without a ballast and are directly wired, others are hybrid meaning they can run direct or with a ballast, and there are some that work with LED Drivers. Having done a ton of research on this topic for a project your best bet if at all possible is to go with direct wire bulbs. The ballast factor makes LED bulbs use more power than would a traditional fluorescent. For example a traditional philips alto 32 watt t8 will use 28.18 watts but when an led rated at 14 watts is put into a ballast it will use 16 watts. Removing the ballast also reduces the risk of that failing so better energy savings and less hassle down the line. The only downside is that the labor associated with removing the ballasts can be costly if you don't intent on replacing all the wires yourself

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