# Under Cabinet LED Installation



## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I took some recommendations from you guys when considering the type of lighting to use for my under cabinet lighting. I picked warm white LED.

I ordered a 5 meter roll and the matching driver. Each were about $100. I also ordered the connectors and some end to end splice kits.










I unpacked the items and noticed that the output of the driver was rated as class 2.

I had some #14 FPL cable left over from a fire alarm job and fished it down the walls from the attic










The terminations ended up looking like this which cannot be seen unless you look directly under the cabinet. I might finish it off with hot glue or a small cable strap.










I turned them on and was very happy with the light output. I only have one spot where I can see the reflection in the countertop.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

jrannis said:


> I took some recommendations from you guys when considering the type of lighting to use for my under cabinet lighting. I picked warm white LED.
> 
> I ordered a 5 meter roll and the matching driver. Each were about $100. I also ordered the connectors and some end to end splice kits.
> 
> ...


Does the driver go right in the switch box?


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

I solder my wires right to the ribbon


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

HARRY304E said:


> Does the driver go right in the switch box?


No.....


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

mcclary's electrical said:


> I solder my wires right to the ribbon


Well I use gold solder.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

mcclary's electrical said:


> No.....


The driver is the size of a small ballast. I installed it in an 8x8 junction box in the attic.
I do like the idea of soldering and heat shrinking the terminations.


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

Where'd you order the parts from? Looking to do the same thing in a week or two. Thanks. ....Steve


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

*City Electric Supply 

* 
10404 W Mcnab Road
Tamarac, FL 33321-1816
Phone: (954) 933-0533 Ask for Elvin or Cisco


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

That stuff looks pretty nice. Is it just sticky-back? Is their problems with it peeling off over time?


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## rnr electric (Jan 29, 2010)

mcclary's electrical said:


> I solder my wires right to the ribbon


 exactly what i do here.. a little shrink tube and done. :thumbsup:


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## rnr electric (Jan 29, 2010)

erics37 said:


> That stuff looks pretty nice. Is it just sticky-back? Is their problems with it peeling off over time?


 eric, im not 100% certain but that looks like superbrite led product and does peel off over time but you can buy tiny straps that hold it in place quite nicely, WAC lighting makes led tape impregnated in neoprene (more expensive), but when you stick it it stays for good!. i have installed many brands of this stuff and WAC seems the best to me


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## NutTwister88 (Dec 18, 2011)

we do led's daily in freezers, and always use heat shrink butt splices. it gives a clean look, but soldering is a better method as well.

did you consider a small electrical drawer somewhere that could slide out the driver? we use that setup and a terminal block. Given we have a fb shop and all of that shiz for ideal situations. Was this a personal install? Output looks great!


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## SteveO. (Oct 17, 2011)

I didn't think this was worth it's own thread, but I just did a similar install for a guy down the street from me.

He wanted lights in the cabinets up top (they have frosted glass doors, but aren't installed in this photo) and LED UC lighting. I used some Xenon lights up top, installed flush with the cabinets and a 5m roll of LED's and two drivers for the UC lights. Both lights, LED and Xenon, are supposed to be 2700K so they look the same, although they look different in the picture. The light output is perfect though, and he's really happy with it. 

I'm not a resi guy but I really enjoyed the job and playing with the LED's and am pleased with the results. Since this job, I've found the same materials for a fraction of the price on eBay and ordered two more sets for other installs that were referred after seeing this job. The photos make it look too bright and doesn't do it justice, but it really does look good and makes the granite counter tops look even better.

Iphone pics suck, but it's all I had with me. :whistling2:


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

erics37 said:


> That stuff looks pretty nice. Is it just sticky-back? Is their problems with it peeling off over time?


Its been two months and they show no sign of coming off.


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## LightsRus (Sep 12, 2010)

*LED Under Cabinet Lighting*

I am not into the cabinet lighting myself, but just recently found this http://cabinetledlighting.com/ site that seems to cover lots of that topic.
Good luck with that.

P


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## Manbearpig (Dec 15, 2011)

I've been doing a lot of this stuff lately. It seems like people want it all over the place. In San francisco, they demand that you use class 2 cable. If the cabinets don't go to the ceiling, I put the driver up there. If you get the dimmable ballasts they are usually bigger 3r type enclosures with knockouts. I use an appliance whip off the ballasts and plug it into a switched recepticle above the cabinet. Its a very access able install and the inspectors seem to like it:thumbsup: I also solder the cable to the tape and tuck it around the cabinet valence with a couple drops of super glue control gel, it works nicely and no straps on the custom cabinets. You should wipe the surface with rubbing alcohol first, that tape will peel off if there's any dust. Its pretty cool stuff, but I've had people not like the way it looks, without an enclosure. So I found this metal channel that you put the tape in, and then slide a little lens over it to cover it up and diffuse the light. The outdoor tape led's work really good around fountains and to highlight architectural beams and what not.


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## cobra52 (Aug 21, 2011)

jrannis said:


> Its been two months and they show no sign of coming off.


 If a lamp goes out are they replaceable or do you have to replace the whole strip?


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## Kev'71 (Feb 17, 2012)

What is the life expectancy of driver?


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## electricmanscott (Feb 11, 2010)

I'm not clear on what type of wiring method is acceptable for this. I'm thinking chapter 3.


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## bartfriend (Feb 8, 2012)

Manbearpig said:


> IT's pretty cool stuff, but I've had people not like the way it looks, without an enclosure. So I found this metal channel that you put the tape in, and then slide a little lens over it to cover it up and diffuse the light.


Do you have any more information on this?

Thanks
-b


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

cobra52 said:


> If a lamp goes out are they replaceable or do you have to replace the whole strip?


They can be cut and spliced every six inches or what ever the metric measurement is close to that


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## sagnew (Mar 24, 2011)

SteveO. said:


> I didn't think this was worth it's own thread, but I just did a similar install for a guy down the street from me.
> 
> He wanted lights in the cabinets up top (they have frosted glass doors, but aren't installed in this photo) and LED UC lighting. I used some Xenon lights up top, installed flush with the cabinets and a 5m roll of LED's and two drivers for the UC lights. Both lights, LED and Xenon, are supposed to be 2700K so they look the same, although they look different in the picture. The light output is perfect though, and he's really happy with it.
> 
> ...


Where did you get the LED lights from? Where the ones on E-bay CSA approved?


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## svh19044 (Jul 1, 2008)

I'm finishing up another LED under/over job right now. I'm NOT sold on the LED's, and I've tried just about every product out there. 

These work good for this particular project, but they are sold at 3000k. They are closer to 4000k. It still has the glare/reflection problem that really annoys me though.

Keep in mind that every other head is empty, as they supply house is waiting on the rest of them, so this is about half output. They are Seagull 3000k frosted festoons on (2) upper/in and lower jefferson 150w magnetic transformers dimmed by a standard Lutron Ariadni. It's all based on the Seagull LX system, which is the only system that I happily suggest. They dim smoothly down all the way. The bulbs are about $10/PER (my price), and I have around 150 bulbs in this kitchen. 

So I mentioned the glare being my biggest problem with them, which is really noticeable in the incabs. I tried turning bulbs (which they are turned slightly), but the homeowner plans on putting a bunch of china in them so for the final pictures I believe it won't be so harsh. 

And again, my other problem is that while these are sold as 3000k bulbs, they are more like 4000k. Fortunately, subway tile was used and I prefer the 4100k.

Also, I have tried a bunch of other LED festoons and much prefer these over the off names. They dim smooth, color is consistent, and they have an excellent CRI.

One last thing for this post....THANK YOU PLUG MOLD for ditching the TR double recep's. The new ones are MUCH more convenient, just like your pre-TR series.


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## svh19044 (Jul 1, 2008)

And one more with the lights on, you can see the dark spot below the microwave with it's surface light off. Again...this is HALF the bulbs that will be in for final as well.


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## Cletis (Aug 20, 2010)

*$$*

If you don't mind me asking...what do you have for labor units and material cost on the lighting portion of that project (include the rec. strip too)

thanks


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## svh19044 (Jul 1, 2008)

Cletis said:


> If you don't mind me asking...what do you have for labor units and material cost on the lighting portion of that project (include the rec. strip too)
> 
> thanks


I'll check the paperwork tomorrow, but total material was something like $2500 and $4000 labor, but it also includes the GFCI breakers and adding 2 recessed lights, moving 1 recessed light, and moving the fixture box, as well as adding an additional circuit. Man hours involved are at about 30, but still have the additional trip back for the rest of the bulbs, so round it up to 31. Call it 32 for good measure, with a more realistic ACTUAL hours being a lot less. That's really simplified, and we do flat rate so to me the hours aren't as important, but it comes up the same when asked anyway.

Either way, that's basically the lighting portion and plugmold.

Did you want a more specific line item breakdown?


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## electricmanscott (Feb 11, 2010)

Looks good. Nice work :thumbup:


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## electricmanscott (Feb 11, 2010)

electricmanscott said:


> I'm not clear on what type of wiring method is acceptable for this. I'm thinking chapter 3.


:whistling2:


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