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New Kitchen Counter Lights


MickinMD

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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).

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

image.thumb.png.7fcc58877a8cf4a2465e3d5a30c69aba.png

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.  

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