# T5 retrofit sockets



## MattMc (May 30, 2011)

I haven't ever seen them, my only concern might be future maintenance, if they broke later on down the line would they be something easy enough to find? Maybe if you supplied some extras for the customer, that would be good.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

randas said:


> Has anyone used these before? Have a reliable source for them?
> 
> Can't find them locally but they would be perfect for a job I'm pricing... Fixtures are in good shape and many are piped from 4 sides, a retrofit would make sense


Try this....


http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/34...SOCK777dash777L13654EXS&site=pricegrabber.com


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## MattMc (May 30, 2011)

Nice, if leviton makes them I am sure they will be easy enough to get.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

MattMc said:


> Nice, if leviton makes them I am sure they will be easy enough to get.


Yes they will be very common as time moves on .:thumbsup:


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

MattMc said:


> Nice, if leviton makes them I am sure they will be easy enough to get.


The one Harry linked *is* Leviton. Model 13654-EXS

For whatever reason, T8HOs never caught on but 46" "4 foot" 54 watt T5HOs are seeing more commercial installs in high-bay lighting for metal halide replacement and volumetric troffers in place of standard T8/T12 troffers.

There is no merit realized from using F28T5 in place of F32T8 or F40T12 in existing fixtures. 

F54T5/HO has a lower efficacy compared to its non-HO counterpart simply because of higher watts/inch. (CFLs are even lower but they operate at even higher watts/inch density to stay compact and the complex arc path reduces efficacy as well)

Smaller surface area and higher wattage means higher surface brightness which means increased glare.


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## randas (Dec 14, 2008)

Thanks Harry, the part number really helped me out. Out of a dozen wholesalers locally I had no luck, some were even smartasses trying to tell me no such thing exists. 
I found them online for less than a buck a piece so I'm happy. I can't wait to go shove them in the faces of a few of those counter clowns :laughing:




Electric_Light said:


> F54T5/HO has a lower efficacy compared to its non-HO counterpart simply because of higher watts/inch. (CFLs are even lower but they operate at even higher watts/inch density to stay compact and the complex arc path reduces efficacy as well)
> 
> Smaller surface area and higher wattage means higher surface brightness which means increased glare.


I don't know what you just said, but T5HOs ARE A GIFT FROM ABOVE :thumbup:


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

randas said:


> Has anyone used these before? Have a reliable source for them?
> 
> Can't find them locally but they would be perfect for a job I'm pricing... Fixtures are in good shape and many are piped from 4 sides, a retrofit would make sense



Do they work well?


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

Chris1971 said:


> Do they work well?


They're basically brackets. They do what they're supposed to do, which is to allow T5 lamps to be fitted on T8/T12 chassis. 
The ballast(s) will still have to be replaced with those designed for T5. Good luck finding T5 ballasts for $10-15 ea. 

Keep in mind F28T5 (comparable installed output to F32T8, but T5s are usually driven at 100% output while T8s are usually driven at 88%) and F54T5/HO (about twice the output of standard F32T8 per lamp) ballasts are not interchangeable. 

As mentioned earlier F28T5s are basically pointless for retrofit. 54W T5 is likely to cause annoying glare due to much higher surface brightness.


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## vgarabet (Mar 4, 2011)

*Supply of Product...*

There is an Atlanta based company called Value Energy Solutions who sells the T5 Adapter with an integrated ballast, reflector and lamp all in one kit. They have many success stories across the US as references. The product link is http://www.valueenergysolutions.com/T5.html and I would be happy to provide a contact name if required.

Van


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## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

vgarabet said:


> There is an Atlanta based company called Value Energy Solutions who sells the T5 Adapter with an integrated ballast, reflector and lamp all in one kit. They have many success stories across the US as references. The product link is http://www.valueenergysolutions.com/T5.html and I would be happy to provide a contact name if required.
> 
> Van


Without any "visible" reduction as opposed to MEASURABLE reduction in output. How clever :whistling2:

By convenction, T5s are almost always driven at BF 1.0 (100%) while T8s are driven at 0.88 (88% of rated output) resulting in final power usage of 27.5W to 29W per F32T8 lamp. 

Multiply lamp rated lumens by ballast factor. Divide by rated input wattage of the ballast. The difference in lumens-per-watt is a wash between the best T5 and best T8 systems. 

If you use some kind of hack job retrofit like this and choose to leave the existing ballast in place as permitted by the kit manufacturer, the power needs to be measured at the wires going to the fixture to account for loss within existing ballast.

Yes, I get that there's reduction in output as well as objective output while claiming to have no subjective reduction in output. Did you notice that their page is completely devoid of relevant data like BF, reflector efficiency, input watts at 120v, input watts at 277v, etc?


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## vgarabet (Mar 4, 2011)

I was responding to the question of sourcing T5 adapters as per the discussion thread. I understand your concerns about the T5 retrofit kits. The manufacturer is the best source for addressing specific technical questions. That is why I included the link to their website. Due diligence is necessary before specifying any product.


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## Lighting Retro (Aug 1, 2009)

www.texasfluorescents.com is a great source.


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## ES Electrical Ltd (Aug 24, 2011)

*save it easy*

This company is good 

http://saveiteasy.co.uk/


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