What You Should Know About Tube Light
Typically used as a straight replacement in existing fluorescent fixtures, tube lights use low-pressure mercury vapor to generate light when electricity passes through them. This technology is considered outdated, inefficient and environmentally hazardous, as well as producing a harsh, unnatural light that can cause eye strain over long periods of time.
Energy Efficiency
Many commercial properties use fluorescent tube lights to illuminate hallways, kitchens and other areas. These lamps are not as energy efficient as modern LED bulbs, so if you have fluorescent light fixtures in your facility, replacing them with LEDs could save you a lot of money on energy bills.
Fluorescent tubes operate using a low-pressure mercury vapour gas-discharge system to convert electricity into light when turned on. This generates ultraviolet radiation that excites a coating inside the bulb that changes it to produce visible light. This process, known as fluorescence, requires a large amount of energy, and the lamps typically flicker on and off at 120 Hz, which can cause eye strain for people who are working in the space long-term.
In contrast, LEDs generate much more light for the amount of energy they consume, and they are available in a wide range of shapes, lengths and diameters to fit most existing fixture sizes. This makes them a great choice for upgrading your facility lighting to save on energy costs and get brighter, more consistent light.
There are also hybrid LED tube lights that can be used with both magnetic and electronic ballasts, making them a popular choice for replacing older fluorescent lamps in many existing fixtures. These tube lights have both a standard single- or bi-pin base and plug directly into matching fixture sockets, making them a simple replacement option without the need for any fixture rewiring.
Long Life
There are a variety of LED tube light available on the market in different shapes, lengths and diameters to suit a wide range of needs. These lights are long lasting and can last for more than 20 years without needing replacement. This means that they save you a lot of money on your electricity bills.
Moreover, the material used in these lights is free from harmful components and therefore it does not impact the environment. They are made from aluminum backbones and high-quality electrical components making them durable. This makes them safer than fluorescent tubes as they do not contain mercury. This way they can be safely handled and stored by anyone.
The lifespan of a tube light is determined by the number of burning hours and led light bulbs is typically indicated in terms of a mortality curve that shows how many lamps reach a certain point when they will stop lighting. However, these bulbs do not all reach this point at the same time – minute variations in manufacturing lead to some lamps reaching their useful lifetime sooner than others.
The type of LED tube light you choose will depend on the type of fixture in which you are installing it and your budget. There are LED tubes that are compatible with electronic ballasts (Type A) and those that bypass the ballast and operate directly on line voltage (Type B). Type tube light C remote driver LED tubes require a separate LED driver to work but offer the best energy efficiency and total system compatibility.
Color Rendering
The quality of a light source’s ability to render colors accurately is important in many applications, including art galleries and studios, and even in some industrial settings such as warehouses. This is measured by its Color Rendering Index (CRI). Lights with a high CRI rating are better at reproducing colors, and those with a CRI of 90 or higher are considered excellent.
Fluorescent tubes, in particular those based on the older halophosphate phosphors, often have lower CRI ratings. These tubes emit yellow and blue light with relatively little green and red, and as such they don’t produce a very natural looking light. The good news is that newer fluorescent lamps use triphosphor mixtures, such as europium and terbium, which have emission bands spread more evenly across the spectrum and as such they provide more naturally looking light.
LED technology resolves all of these concerns and in the process adds a number of additional benefits that make it an ideal replacement for traditional tube lighting. For example, LEDs are very durable and they contain no mercury, making them an environmentally friendly choice. Additionally, they have a longer lifespan than conventional bulbs and are much more energy efficient, providing substantial savings on your electricity bills. LEDs also offer exceptional levels of light quality, with very high CRI ratings and a wide spectrum of colors.
Maintenance
Tube lights have many of the same maintenance needs as other fluorescent fixtures. This includes regular cleaning of the fixture and the tubes, as well as periodic inspection of the wiring to ensure that it is intact. Faulty wires can cause a wide range of problems, including short circuits and fire hazards.
Inside the fixture, a cover plate protects a special transformer, called a ballast, with preattached wires for hooking up to your household electrical supply. The ballast then passes 120-volt household current to the fixture’s sockets, which transfer power to metal pins that extend into the tubes. The bulbs are connected to one another in pairs, so that if one fails the other will soon follow suit. Flickering or non-working fluorescent bulbs usually indicate that it is time to replace them.
A few tube lights use a different circuit design to simplify installation, and these are called double-ended. They work with both shunted and non-shunted tombstones as long as the two tombstone contacts are wired correctly (one to the positive pole, the other to the negative).
LED tube lights designed to replace fluorescent tubes without removing or bypassing the ballast are called “direct” or “non-shunted.” They do not require a special tombstone but work in any type of tombstone, provided it is rated for their polarity.