Hallway cupboard light

RichA · 2 Feb 2019

What sort of light would be good for a hall cupboard?

The cupboard is accessed via double doors; it will have a high shelf and a hanging rail. The shelf would seem to rule out a pendant, and will also block light.

What is the recommended option? A batton on the wall above the door?

I intend to use a door switch so it comes on automatically. Can these be put on 2 doors? Or do you just choose the most commonly opened of the pair? Right side for right-handed peoples?

Tigercubrider · 2 Feb 2019

Personally I'd go for an LED which is run off 12 v out of a psu. That means that switching is easy.
You can buy "wave" activated switches. I have them under my my kitchen units

AndyPRK · 2 Feb 2019

I purchased an led kitchen strip light from screwfix recently. Small and lightweight.

Even has In built switch. Sylvania.

Nightmare to purchase due to SF system error but try different brand which is in stock.

Switch on commonly used door

PhillCO2 · 2 Feb 2019

You could use a flush fitting on the ceiling or put an LED batten above the door as you say, I used the batten approach on my airing cupboard light.

I would recommend that you have a switch elsewhere on the supply in addition to door switches to remove supply to the fitting in the event you need to change the lamp or fitting in future.

No reason you cannot put two switches in parallel to do this so long as they are switching the same potential from the same source.
You can get terminal boxes for the lighting radial for this purpose but to have both an isolating switch and door switches in parallel you would need an extra switched loop terminal.

I have attached a drawing of how I would achieve this. I haven't showed in the drawing but obviously the earth conductor would be continuous through every switch and down to the fitting also unless it is double insulated and has no earth terminal.

RichA · 2 Feb 2019

Thanks. Would something like these be ok?

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sylvania-led-batten-16w-1900lm-4ft/7324x
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/KBUCLED22.html

How many Watts / Lumin wopuld suit this application? The cupboard is 1900m wide, 550mm deep, 2600mm high.

Tigercubrider · 2 Feb 2019

16w led is about 100w tungsten so unless it's a massive cupboard......

AndyPRK · 2 Feb 2019

Syilvina Fitted in my wardrobe.
In warm white.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sylvania-led-linear-under-cabinet-batten-warm-white-10w-1200mm/2166x

Plenty of light.

Just consider what length is sensible and how much is sensible to pay.

If it’s a white cupboard is will throw lots of light around.

Oh and the one they list as 10w in screwfix is actually 13W. £20

JohnW2 · 2 Feb 2019

RichA said:
The cupboard is accessed via double doors; it will have a high shelf and a hanging rail. The shelf would seem to rule out a pendant, and will also block light .... The cupboard is 1900m wide, 550mm deep, 2600mm high.

Are you sure that a light in the cupboard is going to be of much use? I would imagine that things hanging on the rail will take up at least 400mm or so of the 550mm depth, so that I would imagine that you would be primarily reliant on light from outside the cupboard (i.e. from the hall) to produce useful illumination. If you did have lights, I would think that vertical strip lights at the sides of the door (if there's any space for them there) would be the most likely to usefully illuminate what's on the shelf and hanging from the rail.

Kind Regards, John

AndyPRK · 2 Feb 2019

Well any light is better than none.

I had a spare figure of 8 cable so I was able to hold it at various positions before fixing it.

I found directly above the door stopped you be dazzled by the light.

JohnW2 · 2 Feb 2019

AndyPRK said:
Well any light is better than none. I had a spare figure of 8 cable so I was able to hold it at various positions before fixing it. I found directly above the door stopped you be dazzled by the light.

Yes., I have a couple of similar cupboards to the OP, and have striplights above the doors. However, I've got much more than the OP's probable ≤150mm (I'm guessing) between hanging clothes and the door, and that's why I fear that it might not be 'much better than none' for him up there - although, as I said, vertically beside the doors (if there is room), lower down, might be better for him.

Kind Regards, John

ban-all-sheds · 3 Feb 2019

RichA said:
Can these be put on 2 doors?

Yes

AndyPRK · 3 Feb 2019

Obviously they can, but is it really worth all the extra effort of chiselling out the wood to fit a switch and running extra wiring to do it?

JohnW2 · 3 Feb 2019

AndyPRK said:
Obviously they can, but is it really worth all the extra effort of chiselling out the wood to fit a switch and running extra wiring to do it?

I'm not sure why much, if any, chiselling is necessarily needed in a cupboard. In my cupboards, both the switches and wiring are surface mounted.

Kind Regards, John

ban-all-sheds · 3 Feb 2019

Mine too.

Fortunately, as the )£$*^*##@>< things are failing, and I need to replace a number of them.

RichA · 3 Feb 2019

Thanks all. Based upon the above I am thinking of a 1200mm batten in cool white with a door switch on the RH door.

(I plan to have rails running front to back either side of the door with hooks in the centre; as I prefer hooks for day-to-day use).

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Hallway cupboard light

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