Garage Lighting revisited

[Anderzander]

I’ve just bought a screwfix 1500mm LED T8 to go into one of my tube lights ... it’s plug and play ... except it doesn’t work.
 

It’s actually a little too long for the 5m’ fitting I have and stretching the end caps to get it in may be part of the problem ...

So - what would people suggest - I can buy a new tube to get back the £15 the LED tube cost - but perhaps I should cut my losses and go for something different.

I would expect prices and products to have moved on since this thread : 

 

So I wondered what people would suggest? 

[Romahomepete]

I bought new LED batten fittingings for my garage from a an electrical wholesaler in Bolton, it was cheaper than buying new tubes.

 

Peter

[ballcock]

Did you replace the starter with a bypass unit?

[Anderzander]

45 minutes ago, ballcock said:

Did you replace the starter with a bypass unit?

Yes - there is one that comes with the kit.

[ThreePointFive]

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the LEDs when/if you do get them working. Prices are now sensible money but it still sounds like the lumen output hasn't caught up to fluorescent just yet.

I want to add an additional two lights in my garage as the half nearest the door is unlit, but don't want to add a whole new feed/switch etc. so just want to extend off the existing wiring. Worried I will run up against issues with the rating of the existing wiring by adding much more load - hence my interest in LED.

it should be ok but this is a new build where everything is the bare minimum spec they can get away with.

[landroversforever]

9 hours ago, ThreePointFive said:

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the LEDs when/if you do get them working. Prices are now sensible money but it still sounds like the lumen output hasn't caught up to fluorescent just yet.

I want to add an additional two lights in my garage as the half nearest the door is unlit, but don't want to add a whole new feed/switch etc. so just want to extend off the existing wiring. Worried I will run up against issues with the rating of the existing wiring by adding much more load - hence my interest in LED.

it should be ok but this is a new build where everything is the bare minimum spec they can get away with.

My best mates new garage is a standard single plus about ~3ft in length and 3-4ft extra width. That’s lit with 4x 4 or 5ft led batons and its almost too bright when you come from outside. 

[pete3000]

have you tried turning the ends of the tube round?, some of the LED tubes only like being fed at one end. I have converted 4 or 5 battens and rewired the mains just to feed the end cap.i.e bypassing the starter and balast/caps. Never had any issues expect ordering the wrong length.

Pete

[Escape]

On 12/27/2020 at 12:35 PM, ThreePointFive said:

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the LEDs when/if you do get them working. Prices are now sensible money but it still sounds like the lumen output hasn't caught up to fluorescent just yet.

I want to add an additional two lights in my garage as the half nearest the door is unlit, but don't want to add a whole new feed/switch etc. so just want to extend off the existing wiring. Worried I will run up against issues with the rating of the existing wiring by adding much more load - hence my interest in LED.

it should be ok but this is a new build where everything is the bare minimum spec they can get away with.

Maybe the regulations over there are far less stringent (I'd be surprised if that was the case), over here you need wiring of at least 1.5mm² for lighting circuits, and can fuse those at 16A. I did the math when putting up the lights in the Workshop. The margin turned out to be huge, even 20 fixtures of 2 x 50W each is only 2000W, on a circuit rated to 3600W. So unless there are some really thin wires in your garage, adding 2 normal lights shouldn't pose any problem at all.

Filip

[ThreePointFive]

I think that's exactly what is fitted, so sounds like I'll be fine. I'll check out everything before I start chopping.