Complete Kitchen Refit

[RussellS]

Hi,

I am in the process of completely refitting the kitchen and would like some advice regarding the electrics. Forstly, let me say that I am getting in an electrician and he has already given us the quote to connect up and test etc. However, I am putting all the boxes in the walls and putting the cables in ready to be connected up.

I would like some advice regarding the low voltage undercabinet lighting I am planning to put under the wall cabinets. These will be 12v units and I am planning to have the transformers sitting on top of the wall cabinets. Therefore I will need a 13A socket above the wall cabinets to plug the transformers into and then I was planning to have an isolating switch at normal socket height above the countertop to switch the power to the socket to turn on the power to the transformers and hence turn the lights on.

Firstly, does this sound ok and, if so, what sort of switch would I need to act as the light switch. Would this switch here be what is needed.

I do have a couple of other questions but let's deal with this one first.


Many thanks

Russell

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Forstly, let me say that I am getting in an electrician and he has already given us the quote to connect up and test etc.

What certificates will he be giving you, and how much of his design responsibility is he abdicating in your favour?

However, I am putting all the boxes in the walls and putting the cables in ready to be connected up.

Presumably he's told you where to run the cables?

I would like some advice regarding the low voltage undercabinet lighting I am planning to put under the wall cabinets. These will be 12v units

12v is not low voltage.

Firstly, does this sound ok and, if so, what sort of switch would I need to act as the light switch. Would this switch here be what is needed.

You really should ask your electrician - he is the one with ultimate responsibility.

I do have a couple of other questions but let's deal with this one first.

You should probably ask your electrician the other questions too...

 

[geraint]

at least not certificated..........

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

If you taking the feed from the lighting circuit, the 10amp switch should be fine, if you are taking the feed from a socket circuit, could be worth connecting a switched fused connection unit, instead.
But your electrician should be informing you of this, after all he's putting his neck on the line to sign your work off!

 

[RussellS]

What certificates will he be giving you, and how much of his design responsibility is he abdicating in your favour?

The estimate supplied says NIC EIC Test and Certification.

Presumably he's told you where to run the cables?

Yes, he has been to see me and we have discussed what is going where. However, I forgot about the undercabinet lighting so didn't discuss this with him at the time.

12v is not low voltage.

It is compared to 240v. . However, I stand corrected.

You really should ask your electrician - he is the one with ultimate responsibility.

I will be speaking to my electrician about all this. However, I wanted to get it all but correct now by getting advice here before I do go to see him to finalise everything.

If you taking the feed from the lighting circuit, the 10amp switch should be fine, if you are taking the feed from a socket circuit, could be worth connecting a switched fused connection unit, instead.
But your electrician should be informing you of this, after all he's putting his neck on the line to sign your work off!

This will be on the ring main. Once again, I will be speaking to my electrician about it but just wanted some ideas first.


Thanks

Russell

 

[nozspark]

If you're doing lighting via plug/socket on a lighting circuit then I'd have thought that best practice would dictate round pin plugs & sockets?

 

[RussellS]

If you're doing lighting via plug/socket on a lighting circuit then I'd have thought that best practice would dictate round pin plugs & sockets?

As stated above, it will be on the ring main.

 

[1john]

Russel, you need to ask him how he wants the under cabinet lights done if he is signing it off, there is no point in asking here, it could be done in so many ways that you wont get one answer. 230V is low voltage, 12V is ELV (extra low voltage).

 

[Steve]

Please do NOT fit halogen under cabinet lights. They get very hot. Instead use something actually designed for work lighting. Fluorescent lamps. And you wont need a transformer. Which would eventually fail anyway. And fluorescent lamps are much longer lasting than halogen crap.

 

[wingcoax]

As Steve says, use flourescent link lights . You can get different lengths that connect to one and other. Most have individual switches so you can section if wanted, but controlled from a master switch.

 

[ajrobb]

Surely, a 20A isolator switch on the ring main at counter height would work with a single 13A concealed socket on a spur.

The other point about halogen getting hot is fair enough.

 

[TicklyT]

Please do NOT fit halogen under cabinet lights. They get very hot......

....and melt the chocolate on the biscuits in the cupboard above....

Seriously, the heat from halogen lamps can limit what you can store in the wall units.

 

[RussellS]

Ok, thanks guys.

I have been to see the electrician again today and it is all sorted now. I am going to have a 20A isolator at countertop height (to act as a light switch) connected to a fused connection unit above the wall cupboards. He suggested having this as a spur off of the ring main only because it will be difficult fitting 3x 2.5mm cables into the 20A switch.

No, I'm not using halogen lights. I'm actually going to be using 1 foot long CCFL tubes. So I will have a small 12v DC power supply connected to the FCU above the wall cupboards and drop the cables for the CCFL tubes down behind the cupboards. These are the lights I'm going to use. They are unobtrusive, give a good working light and look stylish.

 

[ajrobb]

I am going to have a 20A isolator at countertop height (to act as a light switch) connected to a fused connection unit above the wall cupboards.

Whether you have a fused spur connection or a single 13A socket makes no difference electrically. However, I'm not sure if the householder is allowed to break into a fused spur connection in a kitchen without informing local BC. That is why I suggested a single 13A socket. If your electrician says you can rewire the fused spur outlet yourself then that's probably fine.

 

[RussellS]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. I have spoken to the electrician and I'm going to have the 13a socket above the wall cabinet. Just one thing though, I have just marked the wall where the top of the cupboards are going to come (determined by the tall oven housing & larder) and they are a fair bit higher than I was expecting. This means that the top of the socket will be about 100mm from the ceiling. Is there any limit to how close a socket can be to the ceiling. As already mentioned, the socket will be controlled by a 20A DP switch above the countertop.


Many thanks.