Ideas welcome - lighting over range within chimney breast

timhoward · Feb 28, 2024

Customer asking for lighting for range/hob as it is really gloomy at night.

[ElectriciansForums.net] Ideas welcome - lighting over range within chimney breast

Issues being getting power there, and the curved profile which is more pronounced than the picture looks.
I'm interested how others would approach this one.
My current (only!) idea is D-Line min-trunking over tiles on right and running 12v in, and 45 degree LED channel each side running front to back.

SJD · Feb 28, 2024

Is the back of the alcove an outside wall, or internal? Just wondering if you can get power in from the back, either from another room, or even an external cable?

timhoward · Feb 28, 2024

SJD said:
Is the back of the alcove an outside wall, or internal? Just wondering if you can get power in from the back, either from another room, or even an external cable?

Sadly not really. There is a mirror image matching profile fireplace in the next room:

It's a mid terrace house and the back wall is an adjoining wall, so no external options. (Gd II listed as well)
Tiled floor in kitchen.
The room above is bathroom and also has tiled floor. This room also has the chimney breast squared off and it's massive. It would be theoretically possible to find the flue within it and drop a cable down via airing cupboard but I really don't fancy it in this house.
Hence my thought of D-Line trunking, or even alarm cable hidden in decorators caulk taking 12v in.

If we leave aside how power gets there, anyone got any thoughts about the best way to light the space?

Pretty Mouth · Feb 29, 2024

Tricky one. If there is a void above the soffit above the range, then a single downlight might do it. (or two tiltable). Otherwise it's LED tape in channel. Bendable channel is available, which would fit the curve of the soffit. I've never used it personally, but it looks like it would do the job:

Bendable LED Profile Rail (Priced Per Metre) IP67

Bendable profile rail for use with LED tape that bends around curved walls. This exciting and innovative product can be a real problem solver for curved wall installations. Providing a wall wash lighting effect as the LED tape is fitted sideways inside the extrusion. The diffuser then offers a...

www.downlightsdirect.co.uk

The 2 core cable that vendor sells sell for LED tape is quite thin, about 4mm dia, though unfortunately in black. Where are you thinking of installing the LED driver?

timhoward · Feb 29, 2024

Pretty Mouth said:
Bendable channel is available, which would fit the curve of the soffit.

Thank you, I didn't know about that.

Pretty Mouth said:
Where are you thinking of installing the LED driver?

I've got as far as not wanting it anywhere above the hob.
Where the dresser is in the photo is now a large fridge freezer. I'm thinking of putting the driver in a box behind that.
I can then run around the skirting in D-Line, around the side at low level and up.

There's a fused spur to the right, almost invisible on the photo. It unfortunately has no load cable now, it probably once did hob ignition! But I could run flex into D-line from that, with it also providing a switch.

I don't like it but there are no easy starters for this one. I came close to suggesting battery power!

littlespark · Feb 29, 2024

I was going to suggest battery myself until I got to the end of the last message.

Does it get really hot above the stove?
Will anything like LED tape or bendable fitting be affected by heat?

timhoward · Feb 29, 2024

littlespark said:
Does it get really hot above the stove?
Will anything like LED tape or bendable fitting be affected by heat?

I've been wondering exactly the same. There's no extraction (and I'm really hoping that isn't the next request!)

Rockingit · Feb 29, 2024

Do I spy a clock on that range? If so, there's power there already! 12V LED strip ahoy - if it were me I'd look at taking the thinnest csa 2c cable possible from the driver (feed from range CCU and hide behind) and glue/mastik tight into the seam of one of the back corners. Use a Quinetic switch/receiver, job done.

Vortigern · Mar 1, 2024

You could "uplight" it from below as I assume there is a space behind the range to acommodate the connection. LED strip and wiska box large enough to fit driver and connections with a profile?