Do I Need an Electrician to Install an LED Retrofit Kit?

It depends on your skills, where the fixture is, and the job itself. An LED retrofit kit involves line-voltage wiring: the old ballast comes out, the sockets (tombstones) are wired for the new LED tubes, and everything is secured back inside the fixture. Many handy homeowners can do this in their own garage or workshop. In commercial buildings, though, local codes, landlords, or insurers often require a licensed electrician.

When to call a licensed electrician

• You're working on commercial or rented property.
• The fixture is on a shared or unknown circuit.
• You see damaged, brittle, or scorched wiring.
• You aren't sure how to follow the wiring diagram.
• You aren't comfortable working on line voltage.

If you do it yourself

Turn power off at the breaker, then confirm it's off with a voltage tester before you touch any wires. Follow the kit's instructions and the wiring diagram on the tube exactly, and use the supplied connectors. When you're done, label the fixture as converted so no one later puts a fluorescent tube back in it. Our post on replacing T8 fluorescent tubes without a ballast explains how ballast bypass wiring works.

What's in the Orilis kit

The Orilis 4-pack LED retrofit conversion kit includes everything you need: the LED tubes, wires, tombstones and wire nuts. One kit converts either two fluorescent fixtures with two 4 ft tubes each, or one fluorescent fixture with four 4 ft tubes. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to convert a 4 foot fluorescent fixture to LED.

When a new fixture makes more sense

If the old housing is rusted, cracked, or sits in a damp area like a garage, car wash, or walk-in cooler, replacing it may be simpler than retrofitting it. Orilis integrated LED vapor tight fixtures come in 2 ft and 4 ft lengths, in 4500K or 6500K. New fixtures still need to be wired to line voltage, so the same safety rules apply.

Orilis tip: For larger commercial jobs, call us at 1-407-900-9745 to talk through what's involved.

Shop more: LED T8 double-ended replacement tubes · Fluorescent to LED retrofit conversion kits