In the direction of energy saving and environmental protection, mercury-free and efficient LED tubes have an advantage over traditional fluorescent lamps. So, how do you choose a cost-effective LED tube? First you need to understand the main categories and wiring methods for LED tubes. Judge the cost-effectiveness of conventional LED lights based on their performance standards, certifications required for import and export, as well as their appearance and packaging. Finally we will introduce the LED tubes installation steps. You can choose the most suitable LED for you according to your needs.

Introduction type

T5 vs T8 tube

First of all, according to the tube size, LED tubes are mainly divided into T5 and T8.

T means tube, the number after T indicates the diameter of the tube.

1T = 1/8 inch. 16mm in diameter for T5 and 26mm for T8.

In general, the thinner the lamp, the higher the light efficiency; T5 tubes are thinner than T8 tubes, which are filled with inert gas atoms with more chance of elastic collisions with electrons. The lower the energy loss, the better the lighting efficiency. The unique nature of the inert gas better protects the lamp cathode and increases the luminous flux output of the lamp, by appropriately reducing the lamp filling pressure. As a result, the lamp power is lower, but the total luminous flux is not reduced, thus the luminous efficiency of the lamp is improved, which means that T5 is much brighter and more energy efficient than T8.

On the other hand, T8 tube is easy to integrate into the built-in power supply, 5 tubes are very small in diameter, so it is difficult to push the power supply directly into the traditional tube, and the power supply can only be built through integration or by external power supply. This makes the T8 much better than the T5, both in terms of replacement demand and bulb replacement complexity.

In general, the color rendering performance of the T5 is good, with high efficiency. T5 tube is more convenient for homes, restaurants and other places; T8 tube is brighter, with low light decay and long life, more suitable for large squares and other outdoor areas.

 Single-ended wires vs. double-ended wires

Depending on the wiring method, LED tubes are divided into single-ended wires and double-ended wires. Double-ended wires are very popular in the market today, but their safety is not as good as single-ended wires. When installing LED tubes, be careful to cut off the power supply. Otherwise, in the case of double-ended wires, one end is already in contact with the current and there is voltage inside the lamp, which could create a risk of electric shock if you accidentally touch the other end during installation.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published a safety standard for the replacement of double-ended LED tubes (LED tubes) in 2014, which regulates the safety of LED tube screws. In terms of contact current, IEC 62776:2014 “Double-ended LED lamps for alternative fluorescent lamps – Safety requirements” states that a test voltage of 500 V (50 Hz or 60 Hz) (rms) shall be applied and the contact current shall not be greater than 0.7mA (peak) when measured.

What you need to know about the parameters and certification of LED lamps

Input voltage, power, PF value

Choosing suitable supply voltage, tube power and PF value

1) The input voltage of the tube directly determines whether the tube can be used locally. The tube supply voltage contains full voltage, AC 100-265V power can be used. There is also one voltage, i.e. 110V low voltage or 220V high voltage. Use of other voltages may damage the LED light tubes.

2) The power rating directly affects the daily household or industrial electricity consumption.

3) PF value (i.e. power factor). Under the same power, the higher the PF value, the lower the current consumption. The PF value should not be less than 0.5. A PF value between 0.95-0.98 shows that the lamp has better performance.

Luminous parameters such as luminous flux, luminous efficacy and illumination angle

When choosing a tube, it is best to choose a tube with high luminous flux and luminous efficiency.

The higher the luminous flux, the brighter the lamp.

The higher the luminous efficiency, the less energy the lamp consumes and the higher its brightness. The illuminated angle is generally sufficient for normal lighting.

Isolate the tube actuator

Whether the tube drive is isolated or not has a direct impact on the safety of use as well as on the cost. Isolated power sources are safer and more expensive.

Whether the pipe is certified, eg CB, CE, ERP energy efficiency certification

The more tests the tube passes, the better its quality is guaranteed. The more certifications the tube has passed, the more energy efficient, green and safe it will be.

All of the above parameters and certifications are what you need to know when purchasing LED tubes.

* We will introduce you in detail in another article about the specific parameters related to tubes: Five LED lighting features that you can describe on the website

* In a separate article, we will give you more details about the certificate required to export lanterns to Saudi Arabia:

What are the certificates required to import LED products to the Saudi market?

How to simply judge the quality of LED tubes

1. Look at the appearance of the LED tube

(1) First of all, the appearance should not have cracks and defects, and the various interface parts should be safe.

(2), Parameters such as rated voltage range, rated power and rated frequency should be clearly marked on the LED tube. Tubes with clear printing and standard content are more reliable.

2. Packaging

Look at the packaging of the lamp to see if it is solid and thick enough to protect the tube from damage during transportation. Especially when purchasing glass tubes, extra attention should be paid to packaging.

3. Working temperature

The temperature of the LEDs should not be too high during normal operation. Excessive temperatures will accelerate light decay and reduce the life of the LED tube. Also, if there are fast flashes or very strong fluctuations when the lamp is lit, the lamp may have quality problems.

LED tube installation steps

Before installing LED tubes, you should know that LED lights come with a constant current supply and do not require ballasts or glow drivers. In general, for T8 lamps and above, the constant current supply can be installed inside the lamp because the lamp area is large enough. Therefore, during installation, the ballast and glow initiator can be removed from the original mount and the lamp can be installed directly.

Because T5 and T4 LED tubes are too small, they are not suitable for constant current supply, so constant current supply can only be installed in the bracket, therefore, generally speaking, the manufacturer will configure the bracket when producing T4/T5, and the bracket will be equipped with a constant current source . And the lamp is installed with directional. If the direction is reversed, the lamp will not light.

The specific steps are as follows.

1 Cut off the power supply – This is a very important point

2 Remove the old fluorescent lamp and incandescent starter.

Since the LED comes with a constant current supply, it does not require a glow initiator.

3 Install the LED (note the installation direction: positive and negative pole