Future Proof House for LED - Line or Low Voltage
strickon
12 years ago
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wws944
12 years agoRelated Discussions
low voltage LED soffit lighting
Comments (5)"I thought that a larger transformer would better regulate against line spikes and voltage fluctuations" Maybe, but not always. Keep in mind that low voltage often requires higher current (though LEDs are not as bad as incandescent bubs). Wiring that runs concealed inside walls get smacked by the whole electric code unless the voltage and current are both low (power limited circuits) Wiring on the underside of cabinets at low voltage gets a lot of breaks. Even more if the circuit is also low power (power limited circuits, think like your doorbell or thermostat). Even with LEDs you may not get all tat much light from theses low power circuits though. LEDs sound great at only 10 mA each, until you need a lot of them for bright task lighting, let alone if you want a 3-color setup for varying light color....See MoreDid you use Low Voltage or Line Voltage recessed cans?
Comments (14)I have installed 13 Juno 4" low voltage Halogen lights in our kitchen remodel. There are two in front of the rangetop, one on each side over the counter, one in front of the frig, one in front of the double ovens, one to the left of the sink, two over the sink, two to the right of the sink over the counter, and another two in front of what will be a simulated hutch. There are also 9 more in the family room and three in the hallway. Ha, I should own stock! The LV Halogens are not cheap, costing around $40 each as I recall, plus the trims at $27 each, but IMO they are well worth it in the grand scheme of things. I have installed 50W, 36 deg Solux bulbs running at 4100K in the kitchen area. They are very white and make everything sparkle. I could never go back to the normal yellow looking Halogens. The family room has 3500K bulbs which are a bit warmer looking. The main advantages to the LV Halogens are much more light per Watt and MUCH less heat. You can put your hand right up under them and barely feel the heat. I have all our lights on magnetic LV dimmers. I'm using Leviton Acenti. When I have them turned down really, really low you can occasionally hear a slight amount of hum from one or two... but the sheetrock isn't even up yet, so once that's in I doubt we will ever hear anything. The light you get from these small Halogens is not very diffuse, which is the way I like it. You have light where you need it but the whole kitchen isn't overly bright. We'll also have under counter lighting and three pendants over the bar stool area....See MoreNew Home Electrical/ Low Voltage Ideas
Comments (13)There are lots of technologies: X10, Insteon, Z-wave, UPB. Most of these use some form of wireless technology. I'm not sure I'd want to do a hardwired system. You really need to plan really well. If you have good vision to know where you want controls and remote switches, I guess it has benefits. I don't expect to know how we will use lighting controls until we are living in the house. Do I want to be able to turn lights off from my smartphone in bed. Dim them. Close the garage door. All questions I think you have to be living in the house to learn the answer. I plan on doing standard switches and replace them later with smart switches and controls. Hardwiring also binds you to that company. Our family got an Amazon Echo for Christmas. This thing has great home automation possibilities. It's a voice activated device (similar to smartphone Siri) that can be connected to a smart home. Say "Alexa, turn living room lights on" and voila they are turned on. Home automation can be overwhelming. So many possibilities and decisions. My plan is to pull wire and figure it out later. CAT5 is cheap by the box. Pull plenty of cable. A cable to a blank plate for a future audio distribution control or alarm panel. Pull speaker wire to each room ceiling, mark it and let sheetrockers do their thing and I can cut speakers later. Once the house is built and we are living in it, I'll research switches and controllers and pick a technology and replace the switches. Read that document. It has LOTS of ideas. Such as running a dedicated circuit to a home theatre or an exercise room to power treadmills etc. eg: Interesting Electrical Options These are items that you might want to consider in preparation for future projects. Some are not really HA/HT related, but just nice to have. Of course, making your home more enjoyable is the reason for HA, so maybe they are HA related. Holiday lighting Put switched outlets under the eaves and in a few places at ground level around the outside of the house for decoration. If you have a large Christmas tree, or use lots of lights, consider a dedicated circuit for it. If you have a large room, also consider putting receptacles in the middle in the floor. These can provide power for a tree or lamps in the middle of the room, without having to run extension cords. Make sure there is an outlet (preferably switched) near the front door for a wreath, or similar lighted options. Be sure to include spare outlets in attics for an ultrasonic pest repeller and such. It also allows you to plug in a fan when working up there. Consider switched attic lighting, so when you go up there you can flip a switch and see. Code requires a minimal number of outside outlets on the house. You might want to have an outlet on each side of the house so you don’t have to run an extension cord all over the place to power the hedge clippers. If you plan on having security cameras, consider the power needs for the type of camera you intend to install. Some units require power at the end destination, while other will require it at the camera location. Do you intend to have a fishpond, fountain, or other outside water attraction? You might need power for pumps, lights, etc. How about a birdbath heater? Note: There are extra code requirements whenever you mix water and electricity (or more accurately, whenever you DON’T want to mix them). Make sure you do things correctly. If you plan to have decorative yard lighting (either LV or HV), you will need power for them, and some way to control them. If you plan one controlling them from a plug-in module, try to locate the module someplace protected from the elements. If you have a larger yard, consider running power to other spots on the property. These additional outlets can be used for decorations, yard work, or someplace for the kids to plug in their boom box. Plan for task lighting/floodlights outside. These lights should be mounted high on the sides of the house, and can be either halogen or regular spotlights. If you plan to control them remotely, make you stay within the switches power limits. Spotlights, especially halogens, add up quickly. Look around for places that you MIGHT want electricity in the future, either for electrical appliances, or lighting. Some suggestions that require either a switch, or receptacle are; Lighting for picture frames or artwork Lighting for cabinets holding collectables Bannister lights In the kitchen * Under cabinet lighting * In cabinet lighting * Above cabinet lighting * Kick-space lighting * Decorations * Do you want a fan over the kitchen table? On the deck/patio * Lights on/under the railing * Accent lighting * Task lighting over the grill * Decorations In the bedroom * Do you want a ceiling fan? * Up lighting in a tray ceiling * Task lighting around the mirror In the living/great room * An outlet near the fireplace mantle for decorations or lights * Spotlights on the mantle * If you have a “stone” chimney, consider putting lights on the ceiling, around a foot from the chimney. These lights will bring out the texture of the chimney * Ceiling fan(s) Consider putting lights in the closets. There are in-expensive switches that can be put in the doorjambs that will automatically turn the light on and off Depending on how much you plan on installing automation, you can wire the house without 3-way (or 4-way, etc) switches. Then install the loads in out of the way locations and put multi-button remote control at the locations where you normally would have had switches. When you do this, it eliminates the "switch banks" that normally crop up around the doorways, especially exterior doors. Very versatile, and it removes a lot of visual clutter. In some locations, increase the size of the box by one space (i.e. 1 single gang is replaced by a 2-gange, a 2-gange by a 2-gang, etc.). The extra space can be used for a multi-button remote control. Plan for future LCD/Plasma installations. If you know where they would go, you should power for them now. Don’t forget the LV connections either. If it’s a large house, consider installing power for a high-speed hot water recycling pump, such as THIS (gothotwater.com). This will provide hot water --Russ...See MoreLED Recessed Lighting for low-voltage lines
Comments (18)First, halogen low voltage lighting in a house requires a "transformer" and LED low voltage lighting requires a "driver". The primary difference is the driver also protects sensitive LEDs from voltage or current fluctuations. Multiple low voltage circuits on multiple transformers will be quite expensive and long wring runs will require larger wire sizes so the net result will be an increase in lighting cost. Currently new residential low voltage recessed LED fixtures powered by a remote LED "driver" are used for exterior lighting systems. As wdccruise suggested, a workaround solution for interior recessed lighting is to power a recessed low voltage halogen (incandescent) housing with a remote transformer and install an MR16 LED lamp (bulb) with the necessary adapter built into its base. A cheaper more conventional solution would be to use a "retrofit" line voltage recessed incandescent housing with a "retrofit" LED PAR lamp that has a "driver" built into its base (i.e. a common LED spot or flood). The only reason to pay a premium for low voltage MR16 halogen lighting is that it produces a far superior focused light with good longevity. It's still the gold standard. Unfortunately, that is not the case with MR 16 LED lighting so I can think of no reason to use it in a house....See Morestrickon
12 years agoDavid
12 years agostrickon
12 years agoDavid
12 years agostrickon
12 years agowws944
12 years agoroadbike
12 years agowws944
12 years agoroadbike
12 years agoa2gemini
12 years ago
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