Need advice replacing old fluorescent fixture w/LED fixture

We have an old fluorescent fixture mounted on an angled (cathedral) paneled ceiling in a large clothes closet. The existing fixture is about 1' by 4'. The four bulbs are 1.5" diameter, 4' long, 40W each (are these what are called T12?). We have had electrical issues with this fixture so we want to replace it. I'd like to use LED bulbs. I know some about standard LED bulbs (i.e. "A" shape), but almost nothing about LED tube bulbs or LED tube fixtures. I need an education so I can make an informed decision. Can I get a similar size and looking fixture (so that it covers up the likely discolored paneling behind the existing fixture)? Suggestions for where to buy them? Should it use T8 rather than T12 bulbs? For a clothes closet, what color temperature should the bulbs be? And I want the fixture to produce a similar amount of light. Thanks for any info or suggestions. I've attached a picture of the existing fixture.

What particular dissatisfaction(s) with the present fixture are you seeking to address with a replacement other than "electrical issues"?

If the tubes are 1.5" in diameter, they're T12. Based on what you've mentioned, I would suggest obtaining a similar-sized T8 florescent fixture, widely available from home improvement stores. Standard 4' 32W T8 bulbs should produce about the same amount of light as (what appear to be) standard 4' 40W T12 tubes. I would suggest selecting bulbs with the best CRI (Color Rendering Index) available between 5000K and 3500K tint.

I would not recommend LED because they are rather pricey and you mentioned that this is a closet, which is typically a low-use room.

Assuming an overall efficiency for these tubes of ~60 lm/W, for a similar amount of light you'd be looking for 4~5000 lumens output. I'd suggest neutral white LEDs - warm white is nice for living area's, but probably too 'yellowish' for applications like this. Cool white is better suited for work area's (but might be used here if color isn't too important).

I'd go for a dedicated LED fixture that's meant/suited for applications like this. Or a little do-it-yourself where you have a number of options to choose from:

• High brightness LED strips + a suitable constant voltage source.
• One or more Chip-on-Board LED modules + matching LED driver(s).
• A board with a large number of separate LEDs, that you wire together yourself in a suitable configuration. Again: + a matching power supply.

How much sense a diy option makes, depends on how much you know about electronics.

idleprocess said:

I would not recommend LED because they are rather pricey and you mentioned that this is a closet, which is typically a low-use room.

Click to expand...

Very true. This is one application where good old incandescents (or halogen) might work fine.

Also there isn't much to break on basic/standard fluorescent fixtures like these. What exactly is the problem? Or are those "electrical issues" just an excuse to upgrade the thing?

Thanks, idleprocess and RetroTechie. The electrical issue was that one day a few months ago when I turned the light on it started sparking and smoking. Of course I immediately turned it off. We had an electrician come and he said it was a wiring issue, which he (apparently) took care of. But the fixture is old (was installed around '94), and for a while now only one of the two pairs of bulb sockets has worked (yes, we verified all the bulbs were working); that's why in the picture you only see two of the four bulbs installed in it. We're having a number of other maintenance issues addressed on the house, so I thought this might be a good time to replace this fixture. Also, our house still has the original 1930 wiring (for now), and I've been replacing incandescents with LEDs in the rest of the house in order to reduce the load on the wiring (in addition to monthly electric bill savings), so I figured the same thing would help here. It sounds though like you both think there's no point going LED there, since it is a closet, and we'll definitely keep that in mind in our decision.

Have you checked TL starters in that fixture? And perhaps there's simply a blown fuse or a loose wire in there. :thinking:

You might want to fix those wiring issues first (= fire hazard?), before wasting time on a rarely used light.

ItzRav,

This is what I'd do with that 4' wrap fixture. First, gut the whole T12 lamps and ballasts out. Second, save the best 4 tombstones (sockets). Third, install a 2 lamp T8 program start (soft start), normal light factor ballast (reducing 4 lamps to 2 lamps will reduce the load on the 1930's wiring). Fourth, select 2 F32 T8 high lumen lamps, 4100K or 5000K CCT. This will resolve your issues, save power and cost less than any LED retrofit or new fixture.

(4) lamp T12 uses approximately 172W, while a (2) lamp T8 uses approximately 58W.

I agree with everyone saying install a T8 fixture in there.

Or, if you want to go LED, install a figure with two E27/medium base sockets, and simply use two of the type A LED bulbs you are familiar with.