kitchen lighting

useless

Hi all

In the kitchen of my new apartment, I have a 'low voltage' socket with a light switch on the wall controlling it- similar to what this poster has

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=208812

except mine is set high up on the wall, beside some cabinets, about 12'' from the ceiling.

I want to install under-cabinet lighting, either the 'spotlight' type or just a simple flourescent strip. I presumed it was simply a case of getting a light fitting, screwing it to the underside of the cabinet, running the cable up the back of the cabinets and plugging the thing in, but having been confronted with a bewildering array of lighting choices in the usual DIY aircraft hangars, and failing to be inspired by any of the advice given to me in those places, now Im not so sure....

So, Im hoping you good people might be able to help-

- what sort of light should I get- strip or 1/2/3 individual 'spotlights'?
- what voltage is "low voltage"?
- do I need a transformer?
- anything else I need to know about this job?

Thanks for your help.

klap trap

Wrong forum.

No need to thank me.

Lex Luthor

useless wrote:

Hi all

In the kitchen of my new apartment, I have a 'low voltage' socket with a light switch on the wall controlling it- similar to what this poster has

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=208812

except mine is set high up on the wall, beside some cabinets, about 12'' from the ceiling.

I want to install under-cabinet lighting, either the 'spotlight' type or just a simple flourescent strip. I presumed it was simply a case of getting a light fitting, screwing it to the underside of the cabinet, running the cable up the back of the cabinets and plugging the thing in, but having been confronted with a bewildering array of lighting choices in the usual DIY aircraft hangars, and failing to be inspired by any of the advice given to me in those places, now Im not so sure....

So, Im hoping you good people might be able to help-

- what sort of light should I get- strip or 1/2/3 individual 'spotlights'?
- what voltage is "low voltage"?
- do I need a transformer?
- anything else I need to know about this job?

Thanks for your help.

Are you sure it's low voltage? I find it odd that they would put a low voltage socket in a house.
Has it got the round pins as in the pic on the other post?
My guess is, is that it's a socket for lights that is being fed from the 10A light MCB rather than the 20A socket MCB.
DO you have access to a multimeter to check the actual voltage in the socket? If so, set it to AC V and measure across the 2 bottom pins. SHould be about 225-230V AC.
I used the fluorescent strip type for my under cabinet lighting...they are about 300mm long and I used one for each 1000mm wall unit. They are not the prettiest but since they is a plinth at the front of the wall unit, you don't actually see them unless you look underneath.
If the socket is standard 230V mains, then you can simply do as you described and run the cable up the back. Might be a good idea to run it through a small concealed switch so you don't have to be climbing up & down to switch them on & off.

clarkee

Bit of a heads up, it's not low voltage. It is in fact a round 3 pin 5A outlet for the likes of table lamps.
For kitchen lights you can go for main(230v) low voltage(12-24v) and they usualy come with a trafo.
Style and cluster is up to your self realy.

patrido

useless wrote:

- what sort of light should I get- strip or 1/2/3 individual 'spotlights'?
- what voltage is "low voltage"?
- do I need a transformer?
- anything else I need to know about this job?

Halogen downlights and spotlights (and their bulbs or "lamps" as they are usually referred to) come in 2 flavours - mains (220v) and low voltage (12v)

You need a transformer if you go for low voltage lighting. The transformer is connected to the mains, and reduces the voltage to 12v. The 12v connection connects to the light fittings.

You have to be careful when choosing a transformer. It should be rated appropriately, depending on the number of lights you have and what wattage bulbs you're using. If you were using 3x20w bulbs, then use a transformer rated at about 60 (3x20=60) or 70va, but not 50 or 100va. Make sure it's big enough, but not oversized.

If you intend to use dimmmers, you have to choose a suitable transformer, and many are not dimmable.

If you go for mains lighting, the lights are wired up the same as any normal light - no transformer needed.

In terms of energy efficiency... a 20w LV lamp will give as much light as a 50w mains, so you can see the saving there. However, transformers are inefficient and can completely negate the wattage saving. Get a modern electronic jobby which are more efficient.

Also, unlike lv lamps, mains lamps generate lots of heat, but on the other hand, LV transformers generate heat! And finally, a LV lamp will last about 5000 hours, whereas a mains one will last 1500 hours.

Whenever there's a doubt in your mind, it's best to get a qualified electrician to do the job for you. Then you won't have to worry about a thing Make sure he understands LV lighting though.

patrido

useless wrote:

Hi all

In the kitchen of my new apartment, I have a 'low voltage' socket with a light switch on the wall controlling it- similar to what this poster has

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=208812

That's not a low voltage socket... it's a 5A mains socket for plugging things like table lamps into. It's more than likely connected to the lighting circuit, which is probably rated at 5A (or 6A if it's an MCB). It takes different shaped pins so you don't plug a normal applicance like a 3kw kettle or a treadmill into it

Your electrician can advise you on this, but I guess you could plug your transformer into it, to supply the LV lighting. But where would you operate the switch from... don't be tempted to put a switch between the transformer and the lv lights... always put the switch between the mains and the transformer.

patrido

here's a discussion (by pros) that talks about lv lighting.

http://www.screwfix.com/talk/thread.jspa?threadID=19045&start=0&tstart=30

useless

Thanks a million to everyone for the replies. All much appreciated.

Im definitely getting an electrician to do the work- I also need lights installed in the living room and some other work done- but I figured Id need to buy all the gear for the electrician because its likely they'll only do a small job like this as a nixer.

I was wondering why the pins were round- makes sense now! The socket is definitely for a light because there's a 2-gang light switch on the wall, one of the switches is for the main kitchen light and the other is for the socket.

FX Meister

It looks like they set up a feed for you to fit the lights withought having chase in a swith wire to the socket again. An electrician will do it as a nixer but he can still buy all the stuff for you. If buying LV transformers don't go for the cheap ones. As was mentioned , the 5A socket is on a lighting circuit and as such it will be wired with 1.5mm cable and not 2.5 as is used for sockets.