Under/above cabinet lights

8 years ago

Hi! We are looking at installing above and under cabinet lighting. We are looking at tape LED 3000k on separate dimmers (one for upper and one for lower), and we could use a little help. For the one wall (with windows), we were going to put a transformer in the middle cabinet and try to have equal distances of the run of LEDs. For the wall with the cook top hood; we were going to put two transformers in the cabinet to the right of the hood. The distance won’t be equal, so I was wondering if this will be an issue. We were looking at Armacost 12 volts led tape. Will we have voltage drop with the unevenness. Should we change to 24 volts, and if so, does anyone recommend a certain brand.?

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (2)

PRO
Edmond Kitchen & Bath LLC
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Not familiar with that brand but here are a few thoughts:

- More or less less on a run should not change in brightness.

- Do not max out your transformers - leds rarely burn out, but transformers do! We target 80% max - with a goal of staying under 70% of rated capacity.

- Cheap LED lighting with a low CRI will usually give you a green tinted light. Most people will not notice it until you point it out - unless you are an engineer! We prefer WAC - with a high CRI. We've had some in our showroom that are on 10+ hours a day - for over 7 years now.

- Look at lumens as well as kelvins. We like brighter with a dimmer. Bright for cooking and cleaning - dim for dinner party.

- When using raw tape (not integrated into a channel), we prefer the strips that are coated rather than exposed. Much easier to wipe clean...

Hope that helps. Good luck with your project.

The led strips below (left and right of the hood) were purchased on Amazon, CRI below 85. The green cast is dramatically different than the white xenons in the hood. These transformers don't last very long either...

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milesdog
8 years ago
I am not an electrician but I can offer my opinion after we just completed a total kitchen remodel. We installed Task Lighting - Sempria which combines LED lighting with angled power strips that mount under the cabinets. We absolutely love the results. We like the dimmable 3000K neutral white lights and are so happy that our backsplash is not interrupted with outlets. They are on the pricier side but feel that it was well worth it. To our surprise they were able to mount the transformers in our basement electrical panel area rather than having to hide them in our cabinetry. I know that they also have lighting that would work for your upper lights. Terry at Custom Product Works was very helpful in determining what we would need. http://www.customproductworks.com

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