Replace fluorescent tubelight with LED tubelight

How to replace a fluorescent tube with an ETL approved LED tube in an inductive-ballast-based fixture

Basically, a LED tubelight  is designed to replace a fluorescent tube with a similar size and shape. But in theory, they work in quite different ways. A fluorescent tube must be driven by an inductive ballast or an electronic ballast, while a LED tube do not need these kinds of ballasts. It means that they do not have a same wiring. According to the prototype of a LED tube, it has to rewire the fixture when we want to replace a fluorescent tube with a LED tube tube light. That will be a large cost on it. Fortunately, a LED tube light is able to compatible with an inductive ballast, despite it do not need a ballast.

According to the safety requirement, most of ETL approved LED tubes set their input at the two pins of one end-cap, like our LED tubelight oval do. With a LED shorter, these ETL approved LED tubes can be able to replace fluorescent tubes in inductive-ballast-based fixtures without rewiring.

In this section, we introduce instructions to replace a fluorescent tube with an ETL approved LED tube light in an inductive-ballast-based fixture.

Warning

The replacement must be done by a professional electrician.Risk of fire - Users must determine wether the LED tube light is suitable for the fixture or not. Any mis-uses may cause abnormal risk, like a fire hazard.Risk of electric shock - Be care to risk of electric shock during replacement, because the input rating of LED tube lights are usually 100~240Vac. Keep the power off when you need to touch any parts of the LED tube light.

Tools you may need

Safety gogglesSafety glovesScrewdrivers

Preparation

Read the installation guide before replacement.Put on safety goggles and gloves for protection purpose.Make sure the fluorescent tube you are going to replace works in an inductive-ballast-based fixture. A simple method to identify the type of ballast is to check if there is a starter in the wiring of the fixture. If there is a starter, it probably be an inductive-ballast-based fixture. Otherwise, it probably be an electronic-ballast-based one, in that case, do not follow the instructions below. The following wiring diagram helps to understand how a fluorescent tube connects to input power in a fixture.

Instructions

1Switch off power and make sure there is no risk of electric shock.
2Remove applicable diffuser or cover and fluorescent tube from the fixture.

3Replace the starter with the affiliated LED shorter.

4Install the LED tube light, and the correct wiring diagram in the fixture will be:

5Switch on power to ensure the success of replacement.

6If the LED tube light does not work, switch off power and inspect the wiring of the fixture carefully. Call for technical support if necessary.