Under cabinet lighting

[FredFlintstone]

Afternoon all,

I've been planning and preparing my kitchen and dining room and thought I'd finished sorting out the electrical stuff. I've added a new ring main for general sockets (RCD protected) and also added a new ring for the oven (13 amp), hood, fridge and freezer which will be on the unprotected side of my new CU.

I've realised though - I've forgotten to make provision for under cabinet lighting - DOH!

Now I realise that the easiest way would just be to have plug in lights under the cabinets but as I haven't yet plastered the room it makes sense to have provision for the lights to be hard wired with concealed wiring.

One problem I have is that I won't be having one long run of wall cabinets so link lights are out. I have one wall where there is a 400mm cabinet, extractor hood & another 400mm wall unit. On the wall opposite there will be two 600mm wall unites joined together.

Ideally I'd like to have all lights controlled by one switch.

My main question is, where to I situate the connections in preparation for the wall units going up after plastering?

Can I simply take a spur from one of the rings to a switched FCU and then run from the FCU to three or four flush mounted mounting boxes one by one, effectively creating a mini radial from the ring, fused where it leaves the ring?

Can the mounting boxes be situated in the area behind the wall unit so there's no cover plate visible (I haven't got the units yet so don't know if there's any void behind the back panel)?

What are the best lights to use for this? I was thinking of strip lights. Any recommendations?

Cheers all in advance

Fred

P.S. This is all part of an overall project which BC have been advised of and will inspected before being covered up. I don't think I need to notify them of the additional work because the original notification specified the installation of two new rings in the kitchen so if I can simply spur off one of the rings then it means I don't have to re-notify of further work (i.e the extension of a lighting circuit).

 

[Steve]

The way i'd do it is to have an FCU off the ring, making a fused spur. Run the fused spur in 1.5mm² cable to under each cabinet, where a flex outlet will be fitted. Wire the lights through the flex outlets.

 

[comms]

Switched fused spur of ring then cable (with in permitted zone) to a location above where the top edge of the cupboards will be use surface or reccesed back box (this will be junction for 1st light), from back box go up to the ceiling then utilising the 150mm space down from the ceiling run cable around room to where you want the next cupboard, drop cable down to top edge of cupboard to another back box, continue the above for how ever many lights you want.

plaster walls covering cables.

Using these (don't forget the transformer)
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Domestic_Index/Triangular_UnderCupboard_Lights/index.html

drop the elv cable behind cupboards & connect to light & transformer.
Flex from the transformer to the cable in the back boxes (1 transformer per back box) above the cupboards fit flex outlet plate to back box, leave transformer on top of the cupboard & fit lights to underside of the cupboard.

Fit 3 amp fuse to switch fused spur.

doesn't come across to clear but hope thats of some help to you.

 

[Steve]

comms, it was all going well until you mentioned halogen lights.

 

[FredFlintstone]

Cheers guys.

So 1.5mm sq cable is acceptable? I was just going to use 2.5 - more expensive and not as easy to work with but figured that it keeps it consistent with the rest of the ring (even though the fuse in the FCU will not be rated higher than the cable capacity.

So the bast place to stick the mounting boxes is above the top line of the wall cabinets? This will probably be within the 150mm safe zone but I can't really wire horizontally on the wall with the hood because I don't know where the hood mounting points are and would hate to receive it and find out that I've got to drill exactly where I'd mounted cables. So, cabling will prob be into ceiling and through joists.

Those triangle light things - I was looking at those but do they provide enough light? I assume I'd need a couple under each cabinet to give a good spread of light.

Thanks again. Any other views welcome.

Fred

P.S. Comms - clear enough sir - made enough sense to me.

 

[comms]

comms, it was all going well until you mentioned halogen lights.

Sorry crafty

 

[FredFlintstone]

comms, it was all going well until you mentioned halogen lights.

Did I miss something? What's wrong with halogen?

 

[Chivers7]

It may sound strange but the other day I went into a lighting shop and they supplied battery operated LEDs that did the job very well

 

[comms]

Cheers guys.

So 1.5mm sq cable is acceptable?
Yes it's fine from the load side, but the supply side needs to be 2.5mm(from ring to spur)

So the bast place to stick the mounting boxes is above the top line of the wall cabinets?
Yes

Those triangle light things - I was looking at those but do they provide enough light?
Yes plenty.

I assume I'd need a couple under each cabinet to give a good spread of light.
No one per cupboard will be fine.


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[FredFlintstone]

If I went with fluorescent rather than halogen, would something like this do?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-X-10W-FLUOR...2QQihZ005QQcategoryZ57231QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I guess I wouldn't need a transformer for these so I would just connect the mains lead straight into the flex outlet above the wall cabinet in just the same way as comms said, just without the transformer.

The benefit of something like the above is that I could just link the two together under the 2 x 600mm wall units but I guess those triangle lights probably link up in the same way.

 

[comms]

Yes they will be ok and yes you will not need a transformer.