Any advice gratefully received. We've been badly let down by a large kitchen company and have ended up doing the work ourselves. Now have a brill kitchen, but have to sort out the under cabinet lights. We have three lights going to a transformer and had hoped to connect this to a new two-way wall switch - one for the ceiling lights and one for the cabinet lights. Of course, we now see the obvious prob! Is there any way of doing this?
Low voltage kitchen cabinet lights
- Thread starter Vikki
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Sorry need more detail.....
OK, more detail...
The two-gang already exists and one switch powers the downlighters in the ceiling which obviously run from the original rose (through 3 transformers). So there's a red, black and earth going from the rose to the switch. We want to power another transformer to run 3 under cabinet lights from the second switch on the two-gang, but how to get the power? Ideally we would like to take it from the lighting, but if not, can we take the power from a socket to the switch thence to the transformer.
Sure there's a really straightforward answer, but after sorting out eight double sockets, four downlighters, cooker supply - my brain's a bit frazzled!
The two-gang already exists and one switch powers the downlighters in the ceiling which obviously run from the original rose (through 3 transformers). So there's a red, black and earth going from the rose to the switch. We want to power another transformer to run 3 under cabinet lights from the second switch on the two-gang, but how to get the power? Ideally we would like to take it from the lighting, but if not, can we take the power from a socket to the switch thence to the transformer.
Sure there's a really straightforward answer, but after sorting out eight double sockets, four downlighters, cooker supply - my brain's a bit frazzled!
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ok.
you have a 2 gang wall switch that is plastered into the wall.
I'm reading this, as you have only used one side of the 2 gang.and there is only one cable?
You need power to the switch, and you need power back (when its switched on.)
There are a couple of options for using the switch on the wall.
Option 1)
You need to run a new 1mm (or 1.5 mm) cable ( red red + earth )..from the transformer to the light switch.
It is messy if you have to channel out the wall. but, you might find the cable will pull down the wall inside the chanelling.( without disturbing the plaster) if you use 1mm.
If you take this route, you will need to install a junction box in the ceiling void too.
I Wont go into the wiring details at this point just in case you prefer
option 2.
Option 2)
you could run a new piece of 4 core down the chanelling, and there is every possibility you could pull this down.
( by 4 core, I mean - red blue and yellow+ earth)
you use the red as the live feed to the 2 gang,
then yellow comes back as switched live on one side of the 2g - say for your ceiling lights.
and blue comes back as a switched live on the other side for your undercupboard lights.
Option 3
You could connect a FCU ( Fused connection unit) running off a socket.
If you have a socket close to, or underneath, the cupboards, You might even choose to use the FCU as a means of switching the lights on-off.
More details if you let me know which you're doing.
you have a 2 gang wall switch that is plastered into the wall.
I'm reading this, as you have only used one side of the 2 gang.and there is only one cable?
You need power to the switch, and you need power back (when its switched on.)
There are a couple of options for using the switch on the wall.
Option 1)
You need to run a new 1mm (or 1.5 mm) cable ( red red + earth )..from the transformer to the light switch.
It is messy if you have to channel out the wall. but, you might find the cable will pull down the wall inside the chanelling.( without disturbing the plaster) if you use 1mm.
If you take this route, you will need to install a junction box in the ceiling void too.
I Wont go into the wiring details at this point just in case you prefer
option 2.
Option 2)
you could run a new piece of 4 core down the chanelling, and there is every possibility you could pull this down.
( by 4 core, I mean - red blue and yellow+ earth)
you use the red as the live feed to the 2 gang,
then yellow comes back as switched live on one side of the 2g - say for your ceiling lights.
and blue comes back as a switched live on the other side for your undercupboard lights.
Option 3
You could connect a FCU ( Fused connection unit) running off a socket.
If you have a socket close to, or underneath, the cupboards, You might even choose to use the FCU as a means of switching the lights on-off.
More details if you let me know which you're doing.
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