Hardwiring under cabinet lights

[Graham12]

Hi all, I want to add some under cabinet LED’s to the kitchen and hardwire them to a light switch.
We had our kitchen newly fitted out sometime back and the electrician has already wired to a spare switch we have and left the other end of the wire in a junction box on top of the cabinets. This because we couldn’t make our minds up what we wanted at the time!
My question is, all the LED’s I’ve seen for sale have a transformer leading to a plug on the end, can I take the plug off and simply wire in to the junction box? Also is there anything I need to be looking for in terms of what is compatible for what I want to do?
Thanks in advance.

 

[DPG]

Is it a standard 13A mains plug or a plug top transformer on your new LED lights?

 

[littlespark]

change the joint box to a single socket if its a plug top transformer or you don't want to cut off a moulded plug for invalidating warranty issues.

Out of interest. How will you get the cable from the transformer down behind each cabinet? Some are close to wall, others have a gap.

 

[buzzlightyear]

I was just about to ask that ,drat.has the kitchen fitter left a hole for the led light to go under the cabinet. .

 

[Deleted member 105166]

Provided the load is 230V, you shouldn't have any problem.
Obviously you can't connect the wire that comes out of the transformer to your switch - the transformer is essential as it converts 230V AC to an extra low voltage DC supply for the LEDs

 

[Graham12]

Provided the load is 230V, you shouldn't have any problem.
Obviously you can't connect the wire that comes out of the transformer to your switch - the transformer is essential as it converts 230V AC to an extra low voltage DC supply for the LEDs

Thank you for your quick replies.
Yes the kitchen fitter and electrician left loads of room behind a bespoke cupboard. The type of LED’s I were looking at had the thin wires from the lights leading to the transformer and then from the transformer the 240v wires leading to a 13 amp fused plug.
If I understand correctly I can either chop of the plug and connect the wires into the joint box or take the joint box off and swap it for a plug socket if I don’t cut off the plug from the lights?
I was planning on getting the electrician back however if it’s a simple job I thought I could carry this out!
Cheers.

 

[Spoon]

I'd keep the plug on the transformer and change the junction box to a single socket. I presume the plug is fused correctly for the transformer just the junction box is just wired to the light breaker. Most prob 6A breaker.
What size fuse is in the plug?

 

[Dustydazzler]

As above

Put and Unswitched socket instead of the Jb

 

[buzzlightyear]

You can get led lights to go under the cabinet so they dont need a transformer like you aurora.or andsel what type are you putting in is it the tape ones .??

 

[GeorgeCooke]

Putting a 13 amp socket on the lighting circuit is bad practice. Don't do it. Just remove the plug and wire it into a junction box.

Incidentally LEDs don't have a transformer which is an AC device and LEDs need DC. It will be an LED driver or power supply.

 

[Dustydazzler]

What about all those 1000s of 13a plug sockets up in lofts nicked of the upstairs lighting to feed one tv signal amp

 

[littlespark]

It’s perfectly acceptable.
Just label it as “cabinet lights only” and no one will plug in a Hoover......
And it’s on top of a wall unit, so not much chance of that.

Spot on with difference between transformer and driver.
Drivers are for LED, and transformers are robots in disguise

 

[DPG]

Incidentally LEDs don't have a transformer which is an AC device and LEDs need DC. It will be an LED driver or power supply.

It's common to refer to them as transformers though. It isn't really a problem in most cases, and is better than trying to explain the difference between an electromagnetic device and a switch mode power supply to someone who doesn't really care.

 

[GeorgeCooke]

What about all those 1000s of 13a plug sockets up in lofts nicked of the upstairs lighting to feed one tv signal amp

Thousands of examples of bad practice does,'t make it right. Imagine someone, maybe a wife, going up there and deciding it needs a clean, lugging a high power vacuum cleaner up, and plunging the place into darkness with no floor boards there!

Anyway aren't most aerial amplifiers phantom powered up the coax from a power supply near the TV?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Thousands of examples of bad practice does,'t make it right. Imagine someone, maybe a wife, going up there and deciding it needs a clean, lugging a high power vacuum cleaner up, and plunging the place into darkness with no floor boards there!

Anyway aren't most aerial amplifiers phantom powered up the coax from a power supply near the TV?

I don’t buy the argument that Mrs Jones might lug the hoover up into the loft to hoover up cobwebs.
If the socket is labelled ‘amplifier only do not unplug’ then that’s good enough for me.
I’m not a fan of sockets on lighting circuits but if needs must then it’s ok imo if labelled correctly