The LED T8 tubes have gained a wider market acceptance due to its high energy efficiency at 100 lumen-per-watt and matured industry standards on safety and performance. On a lamp-to-lamp change-out, a 4-ft LED T8 lamp at 18W saves 44% on electricity comparing to a linear fluorescent tube at 32W. Additional savings can be achieved through occupancy sensors and lighting control.
LED T8 lamps with internal driver, i.e. self-ballasted, are more popular than the ones with external drivers since the user doesn’t have to worry about the problem of external driver failure. The self-ballasted LED T8 can be either single-end or double-end. To retrofit a single-end LED T8 into existing linear fixture, both hot and neutral wires of the electricity are re-routed to one lampholder (or tombstone) of the fixture and this lampholder must be non-shunted, or not bridged. In comparison, retrofitting a double-end LED T8 is much simpler since the rewiring involves only bypassing the ballast.
When a fluorescent fixture is converted to LED T8, Facilities Manager often asks the same question: what will happen if a facilities maintenance people mistakenly replace an LED tube with a fluorescent tube? The results are dramatically different depending on whether the fixture has been converted for single-end or double-end LED T8.
When inserting a linear fluorescent lamp into a fixture converted for double-end LED T8, nothing happens because the line voltage alone, even at 277V, is not sufficient to excite the fluorescent lamp without ballast or create arcing across the pins. Inserting a fluorescent lamp into a fixture converted for single-end LED T8 can short at the bi-pins of the lamp when power is supplied. This will trigger the circuit breaker to open, damage the lamp, and in worst case cause the fluorescent lamp to terminate with authority. (All manufacturers in compliance with UL 1598c provide a sticker with wiring instructions that is applied to the fixture warning that the fixture has been modified to accept LED T-8 only, preventing any potential mix-up.)
Aleddra EasiRetrofit® tube is UL 1598C classified double-end LED T8. Nothing will happen when a maintenance person mistakenly replacing an EasiRetrofit tube with a fluorescent tube. Additionally, EasiRetrofit tube’s patented dual-safety switch design protects the maintenance crew from electric shock hazard during installation and enables a quick installation, saving 50-70% installation costs. This makes EasiRetrofit tube the leading choice for T8/T12 fluorescent lamp replacement.
Aleddra LED Lighting is headquartered in Seattle and has sales agents and distribution partners throughout US. We are ready to assist you implement energy efficient T8/T12 replacement with safe and cost effective solutions.
