Convert Fluorescent Tube Lights to LED - Easy Ballast Bypass Instructional | Builds by Maz

[@TpennaFlorida]

I went to Lowe's to buy new fixtures. Randi in El Dept convinced me to direct wire my old fixtures and put in Led bulbs. He gave great information and saved me well over $200. I was still a little confused as to all the white on one end and black on the other. I then watched this video with explicit instructions and was able to complete my job with ease. Thank you for this.

[@buildsbymaz]

You're welcome, glad you were able to complete your project!

[@michaeliavecchia9555]

yes, remove the ballast wire sockets directly to feed. I've been doing this for years now. not new it was the way before led ballasts came about.

[@derekec]

I watched 3 or so prior to yours based on number of views and skimming glowing comments, yet even this feeble mind could tell the tutorials were ripe with at least one insane error totally destroying their validity - A real shame when people claim to be authorities and might hurt people in their arrogance. I settled on yours finally realizing it seemed right and it was. Very easy aside from some 100yo wiring and hardware issues and I'm back in business.Thanks.

[@buildsbymaz]

Glad my video was about to help you out!

[@jonathanc.3872]

Clearest explanation and best video!

[@buildsbymaz]

Thank you!

[@jonathanc.3872]

We have an 8 ft. fixture with four bulbs snd 2 ballasts. Is the bypass surgery procedure the same, with all the blue and red (power) wires bundled together?

[@buildsbymaz]

@@jonathanc.3872 If there are still just 4 total red and blue wires, it should work the same.

[@caress419]

This was a huge help. My husband has always changed our fluorescent bulbs in the past, but he isn’t able to get on a ladder anymore (or shouldn’t!), & so I decided to see if I could do it. For now, in our 4-bulb fixture, I was able to move 2 new bulbs from outside positions where they didn’t work to insides where they do work. (Maybe on different ballast that hasn’t been used ever?) We had replacement bulbs already; next time we’ll be switching to LEDs. Thank you!!

[@buildsbymaz]

You're welcome! You will really enjoy the LEDs once you switch.

[@joshuasamuel7610]

I DID IT!!! …and I feel like a BOSS! Thank you!

[@buildsbymaz]

Let's go!!

[@sifat9667]

A lot of the videos are hard to follow cause I have no idea where the heck they are working with all the wires. Great instructions and camera angles here.

[@buildsbymaz]

Great to hear, thank you

[@bakeract5775]

Good job brother this video helped me fixed a light that’s been out for years

[@buildsbymaz]

Awesome glad I could help

[@bakeract5775]

I got a kitchen one humming I intend to do the same but it has 4 bulbs instead 2 and wires are different colored do you know the set up?

[@neonpeonu]

Love how well you explain all the projects you take on. Makes it seem so easy!

[@buildsbymaz]

Glad you enjoy!

[@kevindavis4709]

During the winter months out in the outdoor building and sheds they work like a champ.

[@marcse7en]

I'm in the good ol' United 🇬🇧 Kingdom, and I retrofitted my 5 foot kitchen fluorescent, with an LED tube in 2012. I removed the ballast and associated components completely. My tube required live (you call it 'hot') at one end, and neutral at the other. It's worked perfectly for 12 years and counting.

[@buildsbymaz]

Great to hear! I hope mine lasts 12 years.

[@patriciadempsey1281]

I did it! Thanks for your instructions! They were very helpful!

[@buildsbymaz]

Love to hear it!!

[@derekfeldman1710]

Woot showed me what I did wrong and why only one light was working now all work.. Thanks...

[@calebcohen1355]

Thanks for the guidance. The instructions with my bulb didn't match my wiring. Your explanation and demonstration allowed me to do this quickly, easily and safely!

[@buildsbymaz]

Excellent! Glad I could help.

[@Stentordoc]

Worked perfectly! Thanks! By the way, my fixture had two ballasts, so twice the wires. I still just attached the black wire to all the blue/reds and the white to all the yellows, and it worked great! Thanks!

[@buildsbymaz]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching

[@mousewhisper2]

Who knew it was that straightforward. I had 5 fixtures to convert, the first one took 30 min ... the last one I did in under 5.

[@buildsbymaz]

Glad to hear it! Once you know what you're doing, it really is a fast and easy process.

[@dj6769]

Thank you so much for a short informative concise straightforward cut to the chase instructions for changing from fluorescent to LED type A or type B. Thanks again for the video exactly what I was looking for!!!!

[@buildsbymaz]

You're very welcome!

[@joshuasamuel7610]

Perfect video, straight to the point and easy to understand. Thank you!!!!!

[@buildsbymaz]

You're welcome!

[@rachelgamble8965]

You made an intimidating process doable. Great instructions!

[@chinchilakid]

Thank you!! This is exactly what I needed to know and is presented perfectly clearly! 🙏💕

[@buildsbymaz]

You are welcome!

[@honeygreen4830]

Thank you for this video, helped immensely!!

[@buildsbymaz]

You're welcome!

[@allsportsexpert]

There are also 2 type of LED bulb: single or double ended. The one in this video is single ended type or non-shunted.

[@jamesmorrison5027]

It's not working for me I have checked the wiring in the circuit breaker. My bulbs don't have either alive or neutral indicator. Could this be my issue? The video was great by the way easy to follow

[@jamesmorrison5027]

If I'm using a double-ended bulb will it work if I follow this video

[@zero1tou3]

Thanks a bunch.... now it's time to test it out...

[@lynnesenzek562]

Nice, I will do this when it’s cooler.

[@theisland5330]

Very nicely done. Thanks man

[@buildsbymaz]

You're welcome!

[@aquariusense]

Excellent video! Thanks!

[@eddievicencio-591]

Very nice presentation ! 👍 Great Job!

[@buildsbymaz]

Thank you!

[@robinspina9968]

Great vid! Am I mistaken or did the new bulbs you installed look smaller in diameter than the old bulbs??

[@buildsbymaz]

I'm not sure actually...they may have been slightly smaller in diameter, but the pins on each end still fit the same

[@MrBhushi14]

Hi love the video..one of the other videos i watched involved connecting the live end ( 1 ea of the blue and red wire) with the black wire and the other wire ( blue and red) to the white wire and discarding the yellow wire. I love your approach but want to know if the other approach is the same. Thanks

[@alaidebl]

Where have you picked the short white wire that goes to the yellow wires ? The video did not shot that ... Thanks

[@buildsbymaz]

It comes from the ceiling in the middle - you can see it at 2:24 in the video.

[@13magic74]

Thank you, Maz! Very good tutorial....but my tube lights don't have L (Live) and N (Neutral) on them. Can you (or anyone) advise?

[@jzxwood]

Thanks brother!! 😎👍

[@buildsbymaz]

No problem!

[@Hunter-yc4xi]

These are different bulbs than what I use. The ones I use tubes that the hot and neutral are both wired to the tombstones on one end and the other end has no connections.

[@piercefan3487]

My ballast for a single 4ft bulb has two red wires going to one tombstone, and a blue to the other end (along with the white and black) but no yellow. Can you confirm how the blue and red should to connected?

[@rino8088]

My fixture also has 2 blue on one side and 2 red on the other side with no yellow. The fixture only has one light tube. Please help.

[@piercefan3487]

@@rino8088 I ended up just removing the entire fixture and ballast and replaced with a standard small LED using the white and black wires from the ceiling. I did need to mount a small ceiling pan/fixture box to the joists though bc the wire feeding the old fixture was just coming through the Sheetrock though a small hole

[@juliomarroquin6001]

I would’ve taken a sharpie and mark live wire on one side and the neutral on the other side, the next guy wouldn’t know which side is what. Just saying. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@buildsbymaz]

Good idea, I may go back and do that actually

[@wpkg]

wouldn’t he be able to tell by looking at the ends of the LED bulb?

[@buildsbymaz]

@@wpkg Yes, unless he took them out without checking and then didn't remember which side was which lol

[@wpkg]

@@buildsbymaz ah yes. of course

[@kevindavis4709]

@@wpkgSome people don’t think like we do. That’s why it’s good to mark them I know all my fixtures by heart but I labeled each one.

[@JohnGuyJohn]

Could the black wire have been joined to yellow, and white to blue and red, without any difference? I.e. does it matter which side gets which wire?

[@buildsbymaz]

Yes it does make a difference - the black needs to go to the blue and red

[@ronniedawkins9385]

The L and N are both on the same end of my bulb? Help please.

[@angelisone]

Just rotate the light 180 degrees. Meaning switching the light around. Then it should come on.

[@LucindaLinden-j8l]

Cleo Ports

[@FadiSetGo]

I mirrored this process but have no power. ?!?! Lights don’t work

[@buildsbymaz]

A few things to check: 1. Make sure your breaker is turned back on. If that's not the problem, turn it back off and try the next options. 2. Double check all your wire nut connections and make sure nothing is loose or unattached. 3. Make sure the 'Load' side of the LED is on the side with your red/blue wires Hopefully this fixes your issue!

[@MATDLL]

Just wondering... what would happen to the LED tubes if you don't remove the ballast first? Also, why do these tubes have a "polarity"?

[@buildsbymaz]

The light would not work properly or could even be damaged. All LED lights use polarity to keep the current flowing in one direction. Hope this helps.

[@AllenWolpe-o2y]

Beau Streets

[@TJsVette]

So no special hardware for the new LED bulbs...I thought you had to replace the one ballast with something else. This is gonna be easy to do now.

[@buildsbymaz]

Nope, no special hardware - removing the ballast is all you need to do.

[@TJsVette]

@buildsbymaz that is awesome! Thank you for the video! Picking these up tonight!

[@jnnichols2]

@buildsbymaz Could you provide a link to the bulbs you used? Thanks!

[@buildsbymaz]

No problem - www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Electric-18-Watt-4-ft-T8-T12-G13-Type-B-Ballast-Bypass-Linear-LED-Tube-Light-Bulb-Selectable-White-2-Pack-T4815-4CCT-B-LED-2/321037737

[@Maddog29]

I have to black hot wires, to both of them go to the tombstone blue and red wires?

[@buildsbymaz]

Any white wires? Only 1 ballast? Are you sure they are both hot?

[@Maddog29]

@@buildsbymaz I have white wires as well coming out of the top of the light fixture and also two black, not just one coming out of the top of the fixture which connect to the single wire on the black and white on the ballast. Are both of the black wires go to the blue and red wires or only one of them. I am assuming and I hate to do that, that they do. I would appreciate direction on that. Thanks!!!

[@buildsbymaz]

@@Maddog29 It really is hard to say without being there and seeing it myself and testing the voltage of all the wires. Sorry I just don't want to lead you wrong.

[@Maddog29]

@@buildsbymaz I get it, appreciate your responds anyway

[@CharlesHughes-gp7vr]

Maz, my fixtures are daisy chained with one power line (5 each), will this still work?

[@buildsbymaz]

Honestly I don't know for sure without seeing it in person and I don't want to steer you wrong. You can always take photos of the current setup and then try this, and if it doesn't work you can revert to the previous configuration and reconnect the wires

[@DawnDurfee-u9x]

Grady Mountain

[@StephensNicola-x9s]

Kuphal Mount

[@cg84332]

Hello I pulled the cover on mine and there are two sets of cables coming into the light fixture. Do I need to use one, both, or is there a specific one from the two that I have to use?

[@buildsbymaz]

What do you mean by 2 sets? Could you give some more detail on how everything looks?

[@cg84332]

@@buildsbymaz I just uploaded a short on my KZbin channel of my light fixture kzbin.infofXSbLetcwQg?si=GyGmo34WpngQAceK

[@JoshF151Tech]

That's too much of a hassle honestly especially considering that regular Fluorescent Tube Light Bulbs last around 9 Years or more and they are cheaper. LED's are more Power Efficient but they should make LED's work with everything you shouldn't have to do all this stuff to get them to work they should just be Plug And Play for everything.

[@buildsbymaz]

It took less that 10 minutes! And the light coming from LEDs is much more pleasant from than fluorescent bulbs. I agree it would be great if everything was plug and play but overall this was a pretty easy swap.

[@toxicdino8676]

You had leds with the ballast in the beginning

[@jamezason]

What if you only have red and blue wires. One side has red. One side has blue. No yellow.

[@commenter4139]

Colors don't matter. Just separate one side from the other.

[@ramtigerfalcon8387]

Tha KS Boss ask me if I've done wiring before. And like any man would. I said yes .😅

[@buildsbymaz]

KZbin to save the day!

[@SamuelLuedtke-w4s]

Braun Branch

[@Warp3326]

I redid my kitchen light with LED's and its awful, it sometimes buzzes really loud, and the flourscent tubes seemed to last longer

[@buildsbymaz]

Sorry to hear that! Normally fluorescent bulbs are known for causing a buzzing sound.

[@HubbardLester-n3l]

Trey Shore

[@MiltonWallace-u5l]

Gerhold Road

[@CroftsDelia-r9d]

Emile Hills

[@PigouAbraham]

685 Sonny Expressway

[@SpencerEden-d8g]

Amani Field

[@WordsworthAugustine-t8e]

Graham Courts

[@YerkesElmer-w6n]

Leuschke Ferry

[@mklotsaOkmlitsa-h3u]

Fern Expressway

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Julia Inlet

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Suzanne Mountain

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Nitzsche Hollow

[@muljchurRahman-l1r]

498 Hahn Forest

[@DohertyChloe-g9m]

Schaefer Mall

[@EdithUrsula-f4s]

Hershel Villages

[@CookeHornby-h4d]

Prohaska Brook

[@EllenKyle-y4p]

Frieda Keys

[@EleanorDawn-f1e]

Israel Trail

[@HilariaLorentine-b9y]

Cruz Course

[@GladysBowman-t2j]

Noe Fort

[@CliftonMorano-g2s]

Willms Manors

[@BoswellTony-k3h]

Schuster Village

[@EsterMorris-p8j]

Mac Parkways

[@TaskunNikaol-t4j]

Nikolaus Manor

[@rachelgamble8965]

…but where are the safety inspectors?

[@buildsbymaz]

🤣

[@MegMaxwell-r5i]

River Prairie

[@shaystern2453]

ballast bypass is very dangerous

[@buildsbymaz]

It isn't dangerous if you take the proper steps, and it is required to install these types of LEDs.

[@johnsmith-sw7ii]

You failed to mention that there are two options when rewiring!! You can use double-ended or single ended tubes which wire completely different. IF you are going to post a "how-to-video" you should be complete in your instructions

[@josephvogel7234]

Since you seem to know all there is to do it yourself, why are you even trolling this video? Maybe you should post your own "better" video.

[@johnsmith-sw7ii]

@@josephvogel7234 Have no desire to be a KZbin poster but if I were to post instructions on how do do a project I would do a lot better job than you! AGAIN...If you are going to post...Do it right or don;t do it at all.