Thermal trip on 12V under-cabinet kitchen lights

[attitude-adjuster]

Hi, I have been following threads for a while - some good advice coming from knowledgeable people here.

I have a problem with some low-voltage, under-cabinet kitchen lights that I hope someone can help me with.

I have a 3A FCU coming off the kitchen ring main to which I have 3 banks of low-voltage halogens connected via a normal light switch. Each bank is a self contained unit with 4x20W g4 lamps and a transformer. They are not interlinked.

This all worked fine until we started using the kettle under one of them. At least I believe this is the cause. This unit will shut off, but left alone for a while it will come back on. I think this is the thermal protection of the transformer cutting in.

Any suggestions? Are there products specifically designed for this application - or do I have to keep the work-surface area where the kettle is, dark? My only thought so far is to buy separate lights/transformer and site the transformer somewhere else.

 

[breezer]

move the kettle.

sounds like the steam is causing this

 

[securespark]

At great risk ,breezer, isn't this one of those "obvious" replies you hate so much? No offence!

 

[breezer]

i was just going off the boil when i read origonal post, i was a bit steamed up by something

 

[attitude-adjuster]

Thanks for the quick response. Yes moving the kettle was the obvious choice, but not preferable or easy given that all the kitchen work surfaces are covered by these low-voltage halogens.

I was rather hoping someone could suggest a product that was capable of dealing with this scenario - or a way round it. It doesn't seem like it would be an uncommon one.

Perhaps someone could comment on my thoughts of using a separate transformer and halogens - that way I could move the transformer out of harms way. Should I be considering a high IP rating for the lamp housing too - say IP65?

 

[attitude-adjuster]

I opened up the self-contained unit, removed the transformer and then re-wired the transformer above the kitchen cabinets. The unit now has 12v going into it from the, now, external transformer - instead of 240v. Siting the transformer away from the extra sources of heat/steam seems to have sorted it. I couldn't move the kettle, since any part of the kitchen work-surface I moved it to, would have had a bank of halogens (with integral transformer) above it .

 

[plugwash]

80/12=6.66A

i hope what you used for the low voltage link can handle this safely

 

[attitude-adjuster]

I used 2.5 t & e - I believe this should be sufficient - I had cable left over

 

[securespark]

Using the number of the beast is inviting trouble....you should have said 6.67A.....