5ft 65w Fluorescent light fixture replacement

Andy From Sligo · 25-08-2021 3:31pm #1

How are we fixed these days in Ireland of getting Replacement fluorescent strip lights or has stock been depleted and gone over to LED now these days? - absolutely hate LED , even when they state 'Warm White' on the box the light is too white and glary and does not light up the shadows like a fluorescent tube light does and regardless of when they say 'equivalent to' wattage or lumens still seem not as bright as the light your replacing. the rest of the lights in my kitchen (under the cupboards and cooker hood light are warm white) so a LED ceiling strip light will definately not match colours.

So, the existing light is T12 (fat) with magnetic ballast & starter 5ft 65w.

can T12 65w electronic ballasts still be got hold of?

can 5ft fluorescent strip lights still be got hold of (fitted with electronic ballast) still ?

Can T12 5ft 65w warm white tubes still be bought in Ireland?

I was in homebase other week, they are not to be had there - just LED units now or LED 'tubes' that look like they will fit in conventional 4ft fitting but daylight colour so thats no good. - Do you reckon electrical trade counters be better to try?

25-08-2021 3:52pm

Fluorescent lights are history! Don't waste your time with them. LED fittings are far superior in terms of light quality, simplicity, reliability and running costs.

Homebase is not the place I would buy any electrical accessories. In my opinion they sell generally low quality over priced kit and have very limited selection.

Go to a proper electrical wholesaler to buy high quality LED light fittings.

10-10-20 · 25-08-2021 8:53pm

If it's for a non-residential setting or perhaps a man-shed, how about a recessed LED panel?

https://www.eurosales.ie/products/philips-ledinaire-600x600-recessed-led-panel-rc065b-46-watt-ip20-3-year-warranty-ledinairepanel.html

These have replaced all of the FL fittings in many buildings where the lighting quality matters.

Andy From Sligo · 25-08-2021 9:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117802542#Comment_117802542

light quality? - No, I prefer the quality of fluorescent , less glary and when a tube says 'warm white' it is at near enough 2700k - when LED light says warm white its like 3500k - and Fluorescent tubes handle shadows in the room and spread light much better

Simplicity? a Fluorescent with electronic ballast most simple, not even a starter to go wrong.

Reliability look how many years a tube lasts and how many cycles of switching on and off.

Running costs? 65w compared to amount of light it puts out compared to wattage - very efficient .

Only thing they are not good for (the tube part) is the environment when disposing

sometimes I think things that replace older things are not always necessarily equal to or best

Andy From Sligo · 25-08-2021 9:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117803625#Comment_117803625

they would be OK them one for offices, shops and commercial settings but no good for my home's kitchen ceiling

26-08-2021 7:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117803771#Comment_117803771

From this post I conclude that you have only experienced low quality LED fittings.

A quick google of each of the statments you made in this post will show you that you are mistaken. LED's are have a higher light output per Watt (efficacy), survive far more on/off cycles, have a far longer overall lifespan and can produce a far higher quality light with superior colour rendering.

If you would like a simple example of a high quality LED lamp have a look at the light from a Philips Hue E27 lamp in Harvey Norman / Currys World.

Installing fluorescent lights is a thing of the past, see links:

https://www.stouchlighting.com/blog/fluorescent-vs-led-vs-cfl

https://www.warehouse-lighting.com/blogs/lighting-blog/led-vs-fluorescent-tubes

https://www.energyfocus.com/blog/led-tube-lighting-vs-fluorescent/

Andy From Sligo · 26-08-2021 3:02pm

Here is the make / one I got - from a trade electric shop in sligo: - see the obviously blinding info ? - 4000k is not warm white!

26-08-2021 3:55pm

It has a higher efficacy to fluorescents though!

However it is simple, if the wholesaler you went to doesn’t have what you want then shop elsewhere.

I work exclusively in the industrial sector, we are not permitted to install any fluorescent lighting. This applies across a range of industries including pharmaceutical plants, data centers, food manufacturing facilities etc.

Andy From Sligo · 26-08-2021 6:37pm

Trouble is though its the technology , every place is just going to stock now LED and what i am saying is that the technology (colour rendering) and getting rid of shadows (that fluorescent tubes get rid of) are out of the window now . Most of the outlets will be selling LED and I find LED horrible for home use - too cool most of the time , glary and hard harsh on the eyes and gives me headaches- great for commercial applications less so for homes . Of course I could be in the minority thinking all that.

If (when they were available ) 5ft fluorescent light fittings were around 30eur (including a tube and a tube that can be replaced when worn out and starts flickering for about 8euro) why would anyone be spending much much more on a good quality on a LED replacement costing much more and not as nice light - that's just replacing something you like which was really good at serving a purpose with something modern thats not as good as the thing its replacing ...

jumbone · 26-08-2021 6:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117806363#Comment_117806363

https://www.belllighting.co.uk/products/lamps/led/led-tubular/led-tubes/led-t8-tubes/led-t8-tubes/24w-led-t8-tube-g13%2C-2700k%2C-1500mm/

They are out there

jumbone · 26-08-2021 6:52pm

https://www.belllighting.co.uk/products/lamps/led/led-tubular/led-tubes/led-t8-tubes/led-t8-tubes/24w-led-t8-tube-g13%2C-2700k%2C-1500mm/

They are out there - that was a random result from Google. The bell site says they have Irish stockists, you could contact and ask for details

Andy From Sligo · 26-08-2021 7:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117807468#Comment_117807468

Thank you will check it out. Ideally I want to find out if it possible to still get a 5ft fluorescent strip light in Ireland but with a electric ballast in and that 65w warm white tubes can still be got hold of . If not I might go down this way and see what these LED tubes are like . - I see you can get 'plug n play' ones where you dont have to cancel out the wiring of the ballast and just twist them in as a replacement

26-08-2021 9:19pm

The ballast has to go. It has an entirely different principle of operation.

Fluorescents are like VHS recorders ….

Risteard81 · 27-08-2021 8:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117807468#Comment_117807468

CEF stock BELL. (British Electric Lighting Ltd.)

5ft 65w Fluorescent light fixture replacement

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