Can you relate?

[Tim Ayers]

I'm lucky that all of the fixtures in my shop take 4-footers. When I saw I was running short on fluorescent tubes, I bought a bunch of 4 foot LED's and a bag of "tombstones". When I have a tube go out, I take the fixture down, convert it to use LED's, and re-install it. At first I was apprehensive about converting the fixtures, but after the first one, it has become routine.

Tubman:

What's different about LED "tombstone" ? I've been using Phillips LED direct replacement 4' bulbs for some time. They work well and are under $10 a bulb.

 

[tubman]

The special "tombstones" are just a safety factor. As you probably know, LED's need power on only one end, not both like a regular fluorescent. If you remove the ballast and the wires to the far end, the regular "tombstones" work fine as all they do is hold that end of the LED tube into the fixture. The special "tombstones" have no metal in them, ensuring that there will be no electrical problems. You don't really need them. I thought I did and bought a bag (they were pretty cheap) so I use them. I wouldn't buy them if I had to do it again.

It's been a couple of years since I did mine, and I think you may have to cut a shunt on the far end regular tombstone if there is one.