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Do you find that the fluorescent tubes in the big Heki are more decorative than useful?
MMM and Alan Major have both shown how to replace these tubes with LED tubes, but both methods require you to cut the cables and remove the ballast units. At the Peterborough Show I found a company that has commissioned 12” LED tubes that are straight replacements for the fluorescents, working with the ballast units and without any scary cable cutting. The company can be found at www.ledbulbs4u.co.uk
Replacing the fluorescents is very straightforward. The three perforated plastic trims over the tubes are eased out – they are a push fit. The tubes are pulled out of two clips and the two push-fit connectors at each end are slid off. The new LED tubes are connected in the same way and put into the plastic clips, pointing downwards. A quick switch-on to check that they are working and the perforated trims can be pressed back into position.
The picture shows the LED tube at the right and the fluorescent tube at the left. The LED tube uses 60% less electricity and is 50% brighter. I had to use the pliers on my Swiss Army Knife to gently crimp the connectors to give a secure grip on the pins on the end of the LED tubes, but that was the only technical activity needed. The tubes are listed at £16.99 each on the website, but at Peterborough they were being sold at £32 for two, so you could try haggling. As far as I know they are the only straight replacement tubes available – the much less expensive ones on Amazon and E-bay need wire-cutting and ballast unit removal.
Vince Wright
I bought a pair of these lights and they work well. So simple to fit, too.
Unfortunately service was atrocious. We received no confirmation of our order and no response to our emails.
Phone calls wnet to voicemail telling us to email or try again.
Eventually I involved PayPal and once they threatened to take the payment back our items arrived.
Peter Lloyd