LED lighting dilemma

2 years ago

Hi.

I had four custom cabinets installed in my kitchen. Each cabinet has LED lighting channeled in with wires that are supposed to be connected to a transformer.

We had a contractor but there was some fraud happening and we were not going to have money to complete the job if we hired another one. So I became the contractor with zero experience. Mistakes have been made, no doubt… but I’m doing the best I can.

I hired electricians to do electrical, add outlets, move outlets, etc. I showed them the drawings for the cabinet where the transformer goes and they left a wire and hole in the ceiling. They said to tell the cabinet installer the wire was hot and they’d come back to finish when the cabinets were installed.

The cabinets were installed. I have no clue what happened but the cabinet installer (who has been great) left all the wires dangling from the bottom.

So now the issue is two fold -

Get wires from bottom of cabinet to top.
Somehow connect each cabinets LED wires together and then to the transformer which connects to then junction box? Does this sound right?

The electrician wants about $2,000 to complete the job. He says it’s about 1/2 day work. I’m not sure the LED lighting is worth $2,000 to me at this point.

What would he have left that’s hot?

When he was doing the work what would he have connected it to?

Do the wires for LED lighting generally connect above the ceiling? The only other thing I can think is they connect through the tops of each cabinet. But there’s a break in cabinets above the sink and stove. What then?

And is there an alternative to hard wiring this in? I saw some battery powered (maybe transformers) for LED lighting at Lowes. Could I use that instead?

And is $1600 reasonable? We paid over $5,000 which supposedly included this work but none of its on the original order (including the hot wire). And there was an outlet on an exterior wall that I was going to move but didn’t. I assume that part should be refunded or applied towards this?

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Comments (5)

PRO
HALLETT & Co.
2 years ago
The wires coming out of the wall doesn’t look like a 110v supply line. If we pretend it is, it can just be pulled up into that cabinet and the transformer placed there. A lead would then have to go from the transformer up into the ceiling and over to the other cabinet. Easy if you have an attic above, less easy if you don’t. I’m also unclear on what type of led lighting you had initially planned for and whether the 2000 is just for led lighting install or the balance of trim out.
wdccruise
2 years ago
"Each cabinet has LED lighting channeled in with wires that are supposed to be connected to a transformer."
1. Please take a photo of the underside of a cabinet.
2. Take a closeup photo of one of the wires showing the end of the wire. Are there two conductors or three?
3. Are you SURE that the transformers weren't already installed and that the wires are not attached to the transformers?
4. Can you measure the voltage for each wire pair?
5. Are there wall switches or dimmers that control the under-cabinet lights?
6. Am I correct that the holes in the walls through which the wires protrude are visible from eye level?
7. Are you planning to attach trim to the bottoms of the cabinets to hide anything that hangs below the cabinet bottom?
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dan1888
2 years ago
I'd look for the lighting manufacturers installation instructions. If you don't have them, call the cabinet guy and get them or the info on the lights. Check with the light manufacturer for those instructions. I hope when the cabinets were installed the electrical supply lines were brought into the top area of each cabinet. If you see them, you'll need to turn off the breaker that supplies power to them. Now we'll need to know more about the components of the lights. They are wiring, switch, transformer and light fixture. I can see some of the wire.
A
2 years ago
Yes, please provide more information on the exact lighting that you purchased. When I planned my undercabinet LED lighting, I learned that there are a lot of different systems.

You can have the transformers on each light fixture, in which case you would have line voltage going to each light from the wall switch. My local electrical supply house sold something like that.

Another choice is what you find in the home centers, where the lights are plugged into a wall receptacle. The black wires that I see in your photos makes me believe that you have something like that.

What I ended up purchasing was a custom set-up that I bought online. I have a transformer attached to the floor joist below the kitchen (we have a basement) and the line voltage goes from the wall switch in the kitchen to the transformer. Then, a low voltage line goes from the transformer to the controller (which can be operated via remote control if desired.) Then, there are small gauge wires (like thermostat wires) going from the controller to each strip of LED lights in the kitchen. Those thin cables were added to the walls before the drywall. The wires that you have pictured look much thicker than thermostat wires, so I am unsure what type of set-up you purchased.
A
2 years ago
Also, the electrician wants $2,000 for a half day’s work? Really? He makes $4,000 PER DAY?!?

Also, if the cabinets have some kind of molding on top (hard to tell) perhaps the cabinet installed can come remove that molding and then the wires can be pulled up above the cabinet? I’m not sure why the wires need to be above the cabinets, so I would still like more information on the lighting system that you purchased.