Technology is becoming very much famous these days when retrofitting existing lighting fixtures as well as for new construction projects. T8 tubes are considerably trending in commercial and residential lighting due to the longer life, efficient efficiency and smart controls.
A retrofit LED tube is looks like a traditional fluorescent tube that can be separated and replaced to the fitting. This differs to the dedicated LED linear luminaires where the LED chip plays are an integral part of the fitting. There are currently no retrofit LED standards in place and as such the design of LED tubes vary. They can be broken down into two categories: those with external drivers and those with internal drivers. Immediate cost savings from purchasing a retrofit LED tube T8 compared to a dedicated LED luminaire is providing a false economy when considering installation costs. Retrofit Led tube t8 required the fixture to be modified for tube installation. The fixture will need to be rewired to bypass the redundant fluorescent control gear so that it is suitable for the retrofit LED tube. Cost, effort and knowledge are required to rewire the fixture, often through employing an electrician. It is also likely to void the original manufacturer’s warrantyT8 LED tubes are improving in efficiency as well as in pricing if we compare the past 5 years. In the past it has questionable reputation but these days customers have enough and awareness regarding the products and they are getting informed, learning regarding the benefits as well as concerns associated with LED tube retrofits that’s why they switch to the LED.
The significant feature of the LED is saving energy. Replacing a standard F32T8 linear fluorescent with a T8 LED tube can be saved 30-40% of the energy usage associated with the lighting. Maintenance savings means life of 50,000 hours or more of long lamp. Beside this, when performing less frequent re-lamping. LEDs do not emit UV and will not fade fabrics or artwork, or degrade food or beverage quality with ultraviolet radiation. LED lamps contain no mercury. T8 LED tubes can be replaced with the T8 linear fluorescent lamps in a variety of fixture types including troffers, wraps, channel strip lighting, high bay, and vapor-tight – interior and exterior. The most common lengths are 2ft tube and 4ft’tube for compatibility with fixtures designed for linear fluorescent of the same lengths. Four-foot T8 fluorescent lamps are the most commonly used type today. They are 48 inches in length, and have a 1 inch lamp diameter.
Furthermore, should somebody without full knowledge of the replacement decide to put a fluorescent tube back into the luminaire at a later date, it could be dangerous due to not having the control gear fitted within it.
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