Anyone know how to install interior low voltage recessed lighting?
I’m redoing my basement into a family room and wanted to add a bunch of accent lights to a built in cabinet and also a few recessed lights in the ceiling. I can find low voltage lighting kits. My question is how to tie low voltage and transformer into electrical line. Can I daisy chain it? Does the transformer just go up inside the wall or ceiling?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
2 Answers
When I looked into this a couple of years (I ultimately decided NOT to use the low voltage stuff) I was told that it was not advisable to put the transformer into the wall. The reasoning (what I was told) is that (unlike the actual wire) a transformer can, over time, deteriorate, stop working, potentially catch fire, and in the worst case explode. Not that it happens frequently, but it can and does happen.
If the worst were to happen, you would have a fire going on behind a wall and it would be damnably hard to detect and put out. Even if the best happens – the transformer dies quietly – you would still have to cut the wall to replace it.
We didn’t talk ceilings, because I was turned off from the risk at that point.
Good advice from @elbanditoroso not to put the transformer inside a wall/ceiling.
For the cabinet, put a standard outlet on the wall above the cabinet (out of sight) or behind some dead space in the cabinet. You can plug your transformer in there and wire the cabinet as needed. This has the added advantage that you can move the cabinet (cleaning etc) and disconnect the lights easily.
I’ll suggest looking into some of the new LED lamps for the ceiling. They fit into standard bulb sockets and run much cooler than incandescent/halogen bulbs. So you can wire up normal downlight fixtures.
One downside is many LED lamps are not dimmable, so consider that when selecting them.
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
