Popular Post MickinMD ★ Posted March 13, 2022 Popular Post Share #1 Posted March 13, 2022 As the days grew shorter in the Fall and light from the kitchen window ended early, the light from the range hood in the corner of the kitchen and the central ceiling light I blocked with my body when at the counter or sink meant the lack of light was bothersome too often. I finally decided on a cheap set of six 1-ft-long LED strips ($28.99) and installed them on Saturday. Yeah, I waited until the day before Daylight Savings Time brought some relief anyway from the window but I didn't stumble on this solution to the problem until last week. Because they were a lot less expensive than most of the similar kits on Amazon and had extras most other kits didn't have including longer extension cables and a Y-splitter so the strips could run in two directions from the on/off switch, I worried about how bright the 6 LED strips would be. But it worked out perfectly! They come with an in-line dimmer switch but I removed it after testing to make sure it worked because I won't be using it: the lights are bright though not as glaring as they seem in the pictures. Here are the before and after pics - some of the extensions between strips are hanging down because I temporarily Scotch-taped the lights into position, will wait a few days to decide if any adjustments are needed, then permanently attach the lights and cable clips: Here's my sink at night with my body blocking the ceiling light behind me, then with the two LED strips placed under the windowsill: Here's the right side of my kitchen counter: Here's the counter between the gas range - partly lit by the range hood - and the sink: 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitepedal ★ Posted March 13, 2022 Share #2 Posted March 13, 2022 Nice...are they hard wired or do you plug them in..or battery? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisL Posted March 13, 2022 Share #3 Posted March 13, 2022 Wow that made a huge difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted March 13, 2022 Share #4 Posted March 13, 2022 1 hour ago, petitepedal said: Nice...are they hard wired or do you plug them in..or battery? Looks like they are plugin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted March 13, 2022 Share #5 Posted March 13, 2022 1 hour ago, petitepedal said: Nice...are they hard wired or do you plug them in..or battery? That was my question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted March 13, 2022 Author Share #6 Posted March 13, 2022 1 hour ago, petitepedal said: Nice...are they hard wired or do you plug them in..or battery? You plug a 12V transformer (all 6 LED strips burn just 12W) into an outlet - I'm lucky the contractor put lots of them on the walls behind my kitchen counter and there's a very conveniently-located, unused one close to my sink. The transformer then links to an on-off switch with double-sided tape you can mount on a wall or windowframe. If desired (I don't) the on-off switch links to a dimmer switch. Then there's six 1-ft LED strips which can be linked to each other or with an extension in between. I used the supplied Y-splitter and, as in the diagram below but without the Dimmer I didn't need, I ran 3 LED strips in two directions with the help of extension cables between them: two above the sink then on to one above the small counter (3rd pic set in the OP) between the sink and stove, and three linked in series above the longer counter (2nd pic set in the OP). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kit Contents - there are also self-adhesive pads (double-sided tape) to mount the on/off and dimmer switches. The Y-splitter and the five 50 cm (20") extension cables really come in handy because of the fact cabinet bottoms are recessed from their outside edges. A lot of the more expensive kits had very short extensions that would make ideal placement impossible: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted March 13, 2022 Share #7 Posted March 13, 2022 When we had our kitchen remodeled a few years ago, they put lights in the bottoms of the cabinets. They were halogen lights and very bright. However they said not to put anything flammable like paper towels under them! Between that and the cost of electricity we didn't use them much. A couple of years ago I switched them out for LED bulbs which are cooler and cheaper. The only issue now is the bulbs aren't dimmable and WoJSTL somehow knocks the dimmer switch to a lower setting no matter how many times I tell her not to and 3 of the bulbs have burnt out. I might glue the switch in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted March 13, 2022 Share #8 Posted March 13, 2022 @MickinMD, doesn’t the Better Than Bullion need to be refrigerated? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted March 14, 2022 Share #9 Posted March 14, 2022 That looks great. I love mine too. It adds so much to a kitchen. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share #10 Posted March 14, 2022 18 hours ago, JerrySTL said: When we had our kitchen remodeled a few years ago, they put lights in the bottoms of the cabinets. They were halogen lights and very bright. However they said not to put anything flammable like paper towels under them! Between that and the cost of electricity we didn't use them much. A couple of years ago I switched them out for LED bulbs which are cooler and cheaper. The only issue now is the bulbs aren't dimmable and WoJSTL somehow knocks the dimmer switch to a lower setting no matter how many times I tell her not to and 3 of the bulbs have burnt out. I might glue the switch in place. I took the optional in-line dimmer switch out because I didn't think I'd ever use it, but this morning I woke up while it was still dark and I had a lot of dirty dishes in the sink I hadn't gotten around to cleaning last night. My personal rule is any dirty dishes I was too lazy to clean the day before have to be cleaned before I make breakfast, so I took ten minutes or so to do it. It's not as glaring as it appears in the picture below, but the two 1-foot LED strips under the windowsill (dark thing running along the top), reflecting on the white window frame and the white wall above the marble formica backsplash, did seem a little too bright by the time I was finishing up. So maybe I'll put the dimmer back in line - it won't hurt. I'm glad I just taped everything in place so I can adjust things, if I discover I should do so, before using the permanent adhesive or screws. I think I'll give it a week, though the two led lights behind the sink and the one they lead to under the cabinet to the left are almost surely in the right place. So maybe I'll complete the installation a little at a time for parts I know I got right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share #11 Posted March 14, 2022 16 hours ago, Airehead said: @MickinMD, doesn’t the Better Than Bullion need to be refrigerated? Only after it's opened. It's awesome: it has a 2 year unopened, room-temperature shelf life and, assuming it hasn't been on the shelf long, an 18 month after-opened refrigerated life. I love the stuff: There's another jar hidden in the spice rack, a larger one of Better Than Bouillon Roast Chicken Base that's the backup for one in the fridge that has a couple tablespoons left. I also always have a larger one of Beef Base in the fridge. The visible one is Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base, which I bought after seeing some recipes for Garlic Bread, but I haven't used it yet. The recipes are Roasted Garlic Cheese Bread and The Best Garlic Bread - also with cheese and video here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted March 14, 2022 Share #12 Posted March 14, 2022 26 minutes ago, MickinMD said: Only after it's opened. It's awesome: it has a 2 year unopened, room-temperature shelf life and, assuming it hasn't been on the shelf long, an 18 month after-opened refrigerated life. I love the stuff: There's another jar hidden in the spice rack, a larger one of Better Than Bouillon Roast Chicken Base that's the backup for one in the fridge that has a couple tablespoons left. I also always have a larger one of Beef Base in the fridge. The visible one is Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base, which I bought after seeing some recipes for Garlic Bread, but I haven't used it yet. The recipes are Roasted Garlic Cheese Bread and The Best Garlic Bread - also with cheese and video here. This is the only brand I buy, unless I make broth myself. Novel idea on the garlic toast. I have never bought the garlic base before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted March 14, 2022 Share #13 Posted March 14, 2022 8 hours ago, Dirtyhip said: This is the only brand I buy, unless I make broth myself. Novel idea on the garlic toast. I have never bought the garlic base before. My thoughts exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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