Installing LED lighting in the kitchen

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Proper planning and installation of lighting fixtures is the key to home comfort and coziness, and modern technology is our helpers. The installation of lighting in the kitchen will not only decorate your garnish, but also serve as a great additional lighting of the work area and countertops. The average person who cooks spends an average of 15 years of their life in the kitchen. We will tell you how to properly mount the LED strip in the kitchen.

Lighting the countertop and work area in the kitchen.

The advantages of LED lighting

The coefficient of LED products used by a person already significantly exceeds the use of incandescent lamps. This is due primarily to low power consumption and reliability LEDs. The average life of the LED reaches 25,000 hours of continuous operation. Let's note additional advantages:

• different colors - white, blue, red, green, orange, pink and others;
• safety - LEDs operate from 12 V DC voltage;
• durability;
• high brightness;
• environmentally friendly products;
• easy to install and connect to proximity switches.

Applications in the kitchen

LED lighting for the kitchen is a convenient and stylish solution. Its uniqueness lies in the convenience installation and low power consumption. It not only has a large uniform brightness of the luminous flux, but also copes well with the lighting of small areas and in general a large proportion of the total lighting of the kitchen.

For example, by installing backlighting in cabinets with clear doors, we get drawer lighting and great nighttime lighting. An LED strip is also mounted at the the base of the furniture - that adds a chic look to the room in the evening. So can be decorated with a bar counter or illuminate the ceiling, countertops and work area. There are many options - the choice is yours.

The lighting is installed at the base of the garnish, at the ceiling, as well as at the bottom of the hanging cabinets.

LED illumination of the kitchen work area with their own hands:

Nuances

Lighting should be comfortable and not blind the eyes. If the installation is carried out at eye level, special corners with a diffuser are used. They are mounted on the fasteners, the LED band has a sticky base and is enclosed inside the corner, which is closed with a diffuser. Thanks to him, the light is uniform. Thanks to the corner LED strip is protected from external factors (water, dust).

Corner for mounting LED strip.

All low voltage LED strips are powered by a power supply. Think of a place where it will be placed. Nearby must be a source of power - AC 220V, where the unit will be connected.

Such lighting can be supplemented with a smart switch - a motion sensor. Connecting it will give you convenience in everyday use. You won't have to press a button to turn the light on or off. It is mounted in a convenient location, usually in an overhead cabinet or in the wall near the sink. The switch also has a small control box that sits next to the power supply.

Motion sensor (touch switch) and power supply.

What to look out for

Installing LED strip in the kitchen in the first place should solve the problem of lighting the work area. By the working area can be understood as a part of the kitchen, separated from the dining area, but we are not interested in everything. Particular attention should be paid to:

• food storage area;
• the sink;
• the oven;
• The place where you cut or carve the food (the worktop).

First of all, you need to light those places where you are most present, because your attention is most concentrated there, and the load on your eyesight is the highest. Proper lighting will give comfort and convenience.

Installation options and locations

Example of installation of LED strip for countertop lighting.

To properly install, you need to understand the wiring diagram of the electrical circuit. On the back side of the LED strip has a sticky part - this allows you to mount it without much difficulty on vertical, plumb surfaces.

Mount it anywhere, for this use corners with diffusers, which we talked about earlier, skirting boards, niches of panels, garnish. Areas where it is not possible to make a smooth bend - soldered or connect with connectors.

Video lesson - "How to solder the LED strip.

Here is an example of fixing the LEDs in the baseboard, it can be installed not only under the ceiling, but on the floor and a working false panel.

Mounting options in the baseboard.

The easiest option fixing LED strip - to fix it on a double-sided tape around the perimeter of the kitchen, on the bottom of the hanging cabinets. In this case, it is better to choose products with higher power, and it will be a great auxiliary lighting for your kitchen.

LED lighting is not only a source of light, with it you can create mood, it will help you a lot of color solutions. In addition to the basic, combined lighting - divides the room into different zones, and serves to:

• Lighting the kitchen apron;
• Lighting the decorative elements of the interior;
• Highlighting niches and cabinets.

Example of places to attach LED strip.

Tips for choosing equipment

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When choosing equipment you need to know the important points, this will protect you from unwise spending:

• When choosing a white color, pay attention to luminous temperature. It is better to choose from 3000 K (warm shade) to 6000 K (neutral shade). In this range the color blends favorably with the organs of vision and does not distort the color rendering. Choose a middle value of 4500 (daylight shade).
• Power - the more the better. Low-wattage tapes are used for decorative illumination. Take a luminous flux value of 1000 Lm/m, just fine for basic lighting. For decor, you can use a weaker one.
• Use diffusers (we talked about them earlier). They have two functions: the aluminum housing takes the heat away from the strip, which is good for the life of the strip; they evenly diffuse the flow of light. Diffusers are made not only with corners, there are also straight slats.
• Power supply is worth selected depending on the load in the circuit. Take it with reserve, do not skimp on it. Weak power supplies heat up and fail quickly. 5 meters of glow coil creates a load of 1 to 7 amperes. This is measured by inserting an ammeter in series into the circuit, or by the formula I = P/U, this parameter should be checked when purchasing. The reserve is 20% of the power consumption. For example, for 10 m of tape, you will most likely need a 12 amp power supply.

Read also

Choice of LED Strip for apartment lighting

 

How to connect the LED strip

To avoid mishaps, follow the elementary rules of safety when installing. Do not short-circuit the contacts of different wires. Do not plug directly into a socket. Observe the polarity and do not bend the tape at an acute angle, it is based on a printed circuit board. So, let's proceed with the installation:

• All work must be done with the power completely disconnected.
• Make a plan for your work so that you are not distracted by unnecessary things.
• It is necessary to remove the coil from the package, carefully unwind it and make sure that there is no mechanical damage or dirt on it.
• Make sure that the power of the power supply corresponds to the power consumption (check when purchasing). The current in the line section is calculated: I = P/U, where P is the power and U is the voltage. From Ohm's law it follows: LED strip SMD 5050 has 60 LEDs in one meter, the power consumption per meter, according to the table, 14.4 W, so 5 meters consumes 5 * 14,4 = 72 Wand the current I= 72/12= 6 A. Therefore, we need a power supply that can handle a load of 100 watts and a current of 6 A.
• Before mounting, connect the strip and make sure that all the LEDs burn evenly.
• Cut the LED strip only at the contact points (the risk in the middle of the copper plates).

• Please note! It is not allowed to connect the tape to the strip! The correct installation is as follows: 5 meters is the calculated length, so each strip must be connected to the power supply with a separate wire and in no case in series. This will fail the first section.

  Proper connection of two or more consumers.
• Do not use stranding. All connections are made with connectors or by soldering, this is the only way to make good contact. Do not forget to wash the soldering point with alcohol after handling the soldering iron and solder. Do not use acid solder.
• A great example and instruction on how to use the soldering iron is linked below.
• Be sure to review the material, how to solder LED strips and twists, it details how to use the soldering iron and connectors.
• Use only high-quality insulation.
• Pay attention to the decoding of the power supply terminals:

Terminals 1 and 2 - 220V AC mains input;
Terminal 3 is ground;
Terminals 4 and 5 - minus 12 V DC voltage;
Terminals 6 and 7 - 12 V DC plus.

Two ribbons can be connected to this power supply at once without additional connections. Attach the tape with the sticky side to a clean surface.

Video Tutorial - "How to Solder Twisted Tape".

Video lesson - "How to Solder the LED Strip".