Why is my LED replacement for a flurescent tube not working?

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r_c

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I am not an electrician, so please go easy on my lack of knowledge.

I have replaced an existing fluorescent tube (that had begun flashing) with an LED tube. The new LED tube came with a starter, but I could not find one in the old light box.

The new LED tube comes on for a second or two, and then goes off.

What step have I missed?

Video of light in action
The LED I bought: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C8TQ9HX

20250216_134630.jpg

20250216_134630.jpg

  • r_c
 
Some LED tubes need their own starters to work. Having said that I bought two direct replacement LED tubes from B&Q and they just plugged straight in and worked with no other modifications. If the old flouresecent tube was not working it could be the ballast and as far as I can see the ballast is needed to make the direct replacement LED tubes work. At least with the two that I replaced I did not remove the ballast or anything else, just plugged the tubes in and they worked.
 
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That Tridonic box is an electrical starter gizmo. You probably need to wire that out, in some way.
Hopefully the instructions tell you about how to do that!?
 
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Taylortwocities said:
That Tridonic box is an electrical starter gizmo. You probably need to wire that out, in some way.
Hopefully the instructions tell you about how to do that!?
Click to expand...
In your opinion, do you think that my existing light is wired like the circuit below in pink? (This is a screenshot from the Amazon product page.)

tube.jpg

tube.jpg

  • r_c
 
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Neither, I think, you have an electronic ballast and the LED tube is designed to be used with a magnetic ballast.

The fluorescent is wired like this
LED before converter.png
with a wire wound ballast, we need to convert to this
LED tube wiring 2.png
for it to work with most LED tube replacements, the fuse can replace the starter, but unless both ends wired in series, putting the tube in the wrong way around is a short circuit, wired as shown it does not matter which way around the LED tube is put in.

1739723924266.png
 
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I suspect you need to disconnect all the wires. (Better make a note or mark on which colours went where.)

Then connect the orange wires directly up to the supply cable. And supply cable only to that.
It will then look like the top diagram.

Earth to metal work
 
flameport said:
Shoving LED 'tubes' into places where fluorescents were intended to go is guaranteed to be a pile of expensive time consuming problems.
Click to expand...
With respect, as a generalisation, that's nonsense, provide that one knows what one's doing (or is instructed what to do). I've done it countless times, very quickly, and have never had any problems.
 
JohnW2 said:
With respect, as a generalisation, that's nonsense, provide that one knows what one's doing (or is instructed what to do). I've done it countless times, very quickly, and have never had any problems.
Click to expand...
It entirely depends on the fitting and which tube is being installed.
 
Jurassicspark said:
It entirely depends on the fitting and which tube is being installed.
Click to expand...
Yes - but, as I said, if one understands that, and acts appropriately, it's neither time-consuming nor a problem.

My main personal problem with "LED battens" is that they (at least, none I've seen) do not have replaceable tubes - and I don't really like the concept of 'throwaway light fittings of any type :)
 
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You need to bypass that ballast. The instructions will tell you how, but if you are unsure post a copy of them here and somebody will try to talk you through it.
 
JohnW2 said:
Yes - but, as I said, if one understands that, and acts appropriately, it's neither time-consuming nor a problem.

My main personal problem with "LED battens" is that they (at least, none I've seen) do not have replaceable tubes - and I don't really like the concept of 'throwaway light fittings of any type :)
Click to expand...
Like it or not, that's the way it's going. Still better than all that mercury and phosphor to get rid of or have break in your kitchen.
 
Bazza-spark said:
Like it or not, that's the way it's going.
Click to expand...
Sadly, that's true, but it's totally unnecessary. There's absolutely no reason why changing the light-emitting component requires that the replacement is not user-replaceable, just as light bulbs/lamps/tubes always have been.
Bazza-spark said:
Still better than all that mercury and phosphor to get rid of or have break in your kitchen.
Click to expand...
There's no mercury or phosphorus in LEDs, whether they are replaceable or not (but they do contain some materials of environmental concern, like lead and arsenic).
 
JohnW2 said:
Sadly, that's true, but it's totally unnecessary. There's absolutely no reason why changing the light-emitting component requires that the replacement is not user-replaceable, just as light bulbs/lamps/tubes always have been.

There's no mercury or phosphorus in LEDs, whether they are replaceable or not (but they do contain some materials of environmental concern, like lead and arsenic).
Click to expand...
I know that, but there is in fluorescent tubes, that's why they have been banned.
 
JohnW2 said:
provide that one knows what one's doing (or is instructed what to do).
Click to expand...
The majority of people buying 'tubes' just expect them to work.
They have no understanding of what may or may not be contained in the fitting or the tube, or how to dismantle light fittings and rewire the internals in the multiple ways that the various tube affairs require.
 
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