24v downlights

[iwanttodiy]

Hi guys,

If I get an electrician to wire in a 24v transformer suitable for about 5-10 downlighters and led strips. Can I then install said 24v downlighters without part p or are they still considered part p eligible electrical work?

I also plan to connect a 12v step down transformer to connect led lights. This will be for a kitchen and obviously different parts would need to be done at different times, I.e downlights first, then install kitchen then install led lights under cabinets/plinths etc

 

[ericmark]

There is nothing wrong in wiring up a transformer ready, however with an electronic transformer being powered up with no load for any time may damage it. Although you can get 24 volt units, in the main they are DC at this voltage designed for properties where there are regular power failures, or coaches or buses.

With extra low voltage you get AC @ 50 Hz, AC @ MHz, DC voltage controlled, and DC current controlled clearly the lamp and power supply must match. So an LED G5.3 MR16 is normally 50 Hz AC which needs a toroidal transformer, but the quartz version needs better regulation so an electronic transformer is normal, the strips are normally DC and voltage regulated, however these do not have a good lumen per watt, so more expensive types use drivers that's the name for DC with current control typically 340 mA.

Although the 50 Hz transformer can have long 12 or 24 volt leads, MHz transformers are often limited to 500 mm lead length. I hate extra low voltage lights, I do have some in the bathroom, and the caravan, but unless no option I would select low voltage (230 ac).

 

[iwanttodiy]

There is nothing wrong in wiring up a transformer ready, however with an electronic transformer being powered up with no load for any time may damage it.

Surely if an electrician is to wire in an appliance, the guidance would require there to be an approapriate switch to turn off said appliance (e.g a fused switch?)

Also to mention, I incorrectly stated a transformer when I really meant a 24v led driver so sorry. I was hoping to use the 24v led driver to wire up a series of downlights.

I already have 12v 180watt led driver which I can use for led strip lights. The led driver is connected to a fused switch off a spur from a radial circuit.

I’m hoping in the new kitchen the driver can be reused and I’ll get a new driver to power the led downlighting.

 

[ericmark]

Personally I prefer to wire lights in parallel, so a fixed voltage power supply and lamps in parallel would be what I would do.

However nothing wrong with using a driver this is the PDF instructions for a 1W LED driver note all lamps connected in series, it provides 250 mA and will power between 2 and 10 lamps, it does not state the volts as it will vary according to how many lamps used.

For some reason it seems some manufacturers call a constant voltage of 24 volt a driver not strictly correct name, but lighting industry is good at calling new products the same name as the old product it replaces. Be it ballast, transformer, or driver. So the user has to carefully read the spec, names mean nothing, may as well call it a thingy.

How lights are wired depends on what is required, I switched the 24 volt in a remote farm house, as it was supplied from batteries, but normally we switch the 230 volt supply, however common not to switch each light independent but have one switch to cover all lights in the room, in industry we used plugs and sockets so we can remove a lamp for repair, but domestic price is a problem, so often no way to isolate a single lamp.

The problem here is some use correct terms, and some don't, and so to avoid errors it needs spelling out, in most of the world low voltage means 220 ~ 240 volt, 12 volt is extra low voltage, except for USA where 12 volt is called low voltage.

I call the whole thing a lamp, from the days when we removed the lamp from the spigot to fill and light it, then replaced it once lit, inside the lamp you had a wick, or mantel or bulb or tube, however many house bashing electricians call the bulb a lamp, and a lamp a fitting.

I was not trying to point out wrong words used, they were not, I was trying to work out exactly what you wanted to do.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Surely if an electrician is to wire in an appliance, the guidance would require there to be an approapriate switch to turn off said appliance (e.g a fused switch?)

No, why do you think that is vital?
Where is a switch to turn off the sockets?

Also to mention, I incorrectly stated a transformer when I really meant a 24v led driver so sorry. I was hoping to use the 24v led driver to wire up a series of downlights.

It doesn't matter.

How can a common English word - driver, converter, transformer, inverter, power supply - be comandeered to only mean one specific method of driving, converting, transforming, inverting, (all of which mean something else and none of which have anything to do with electricity other than the use by electricians) or supplying power (which they all do).

 

[JohnW2]

..... or supplying power (which they all do).

You may wish to re-consider that one

Kind Regards, John