Low Voltage Kitchen Accent Lighting

[e.man91]

Looking for some tips on efficient ways to run kitchen accent lighting, to crown molding, above and below cabinet, and toekick lighting.

What I usually use is the 12v LED tape. In the past, I have always done a regular 120v switched outlet, wherever the LED tape would start, and have individual transformers at each location. However I saw a different electrician who ran all low voltage wire from a closet where I assume the transformers would sit, and then low voltage wire to a switch box, and from switch box to the different locations where the LED tape would start.

What would you see as being the Pro's and cons to wiring with this type of method? Or what is your preferred method? The job I am referring to was not permitted, but I would imagine in a normal permitted setting an inspector would not allow low voltage wire to share a box with the regular lighting circuit.

In other situations I have had inspectors allow low voltage wiring to share conduit with a kitchen circuit (was run to an island) as long as no connections were made in the same box.

 

[cburke1111]

Look at https://www.diodeled.com

They have 12-volt and 24-volt dimmers, around $54 each. The price sounds high but you'll save 50 to $100 on a Transformer/driver.

I started out running 12-volt tape, but I switch to 24 volts about a year ago. At 12 volts you can only run up to 60 watts and remain a Class 2 installation. At 24 volts you can run up to 96 Watts and remain a Class 2 installation.

The biggest problem I have with the 12 and 24 volt dimmers is you can't do any IOT stuff with them.

I highly recommend the Omni2 drivers that diodeLED sales.


Let me know if you need more info.
Chris

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[e.man91]

That is really interesting! Ive never seen that, so what awg wire do you typically run from the switch to the LED start?

 

[cburke1111]

Class 2 Speaker wire. 16-2. But sometimes bigger depending on voltage drop.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[cburke1111]

Here is a kink to the 12/24 volt switches.

https://www.diodeled.com/reign-wall-mount-led-dimmer-switches.html

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[cburke1111]

Here is a link to there driver and dimmer combo.

Switchex

https://www.diodeled.com/switchex.html

I have only installed one or two of these. But it worked great.
110 volts going in and 12 or 24 volts going out.

You will need to install a deep box.



Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[brantmacga]

I typically use one driver for each “space”...

I’ll run a switch leg to the top of one upper cabinet, set a single driver on top and branch out with LV cable from there to all other upper cabinets. Island cabinet would get its own driver. To me it’s just easier to run LV cabling to all of the other cabinets instead of NM.

Cove lighting in a ceiling I’ll put a driver for each ceiling.

Under cabinets, really the only thing I use is the Legrand adorne under-cabinet Lighting & Power system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk