How to Wire an Inside Cabinet Light
Many collectors prefer to keep their delicate items safely stored in cabinets with glass doors. Inside-cabinet lighting allows them to show off their valuables without exposing them to curious fingers. Inside-cabinet lighting uses a transformer to convert household 110-volt electricity to a low-voltage power source for the lights to operate on. The light bulb's operating voltage must equal the transformer's output voltage. Wiring a single inside-cabinet light only requires two sets of wires. Each additional light will require an additional set of wires leading to the transformer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 12-2 wire
- Wire cutters
- Hammer
- Wire staples
- Razor knife
- 120V-24V transformer
- Wire nuts
- 12-2 low-voltage cable
- Wall-outlet plug
- Flat-head screwdriver
Instructions
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Run a 12-2 wire from the inside-cabinet light's transformer to an electric power source. Twelve-two wire has two insulated 12-gauge wires and a copper ground wire inside of a plastic coating. Often, inside cabinet lights plug into a wall outlet near the cabinet. Cut the wire to size with wire cutters.
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2
Secure the 12-2 wire with wire staples. Use a hammer to drive U-shaped wire staples over the 12-2 wire near the transformer and where the wire leaves the cabinet. Long wire runs should have a wire staple every three to five feet. The sharp ends of the staple will sink into the cabinet while the flat top of the wire staple will hold the wire in place.
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3
Remove 3 inches of plastic coating from the end of the 12-2 wire near the transformer with a razor knife.
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4
Strip 1/2 inch from the end of each 12-gauge insulated wire, at the transformer, with a razor knife.
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Connect the 12-2 wires to the transformer's high-voltage wires. Twist the black wires together and the white wires together, then secure them with wire nuts. If the transformer has a green wire, then twist it to the 12-2 wire's copper wire. If not, then wrap the 12-2 wire's copper wire around the green ground-screw located on the transformers case. The transformer will have two high-voltage wires, black and white, and the two remaining wires--the colors depend on the transformer's manufacturer--will supply low-voltage power to the light.
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Connect the inside-cabinet light's wires to the transformer's low-voltage wires. Twist one low-voltage wire from the transformer to one wire from the light and secure it with a wire nut. Do the same with the remaining pair of wires. In cases where the light and transformer do not share the same location, run a 12-2 wire or low-voltage cable between them.
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Run a 12-2 wire or low-voltage cable between the transformer and the inside-cabinet light. Cut the wire or cable to size with wire cutters. Twelve-two low-voltage cable uses a self-sealing insulation. Strip 3 inches of plastic coating from each end and 1/2 inch from each insulated wire. Twist each wire from the transformer to the 12-2 wire or cable--white to white, black to black and copper to ground--and twist the wires from the cabinet light to its respective colored wire or cable. Secure each wire pair with a wire nut.
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8
Remove 1 inch from the 12-2 wire's plastic coating where it will plug into the wall, using a razor knife. Strip 1/2 inch from the insulation of each 12-gauge wire.
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9
Open a wall-outlet plug with a flat-head screwdriver. In most cases, the plug's covering connects to its base with flat-head mounting screws located on the base. Others have a slot, found on the base, for a flat-head screwdriver to pry the case off with.
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10
Slide the plug's covering over the 12-2 wire with the base-side connection facing the stripped end of the wire.
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Connect the wires to the plug's base. Connect the copper wire to the green screw, the white wire to the silver-colored screw and the black wire to the brass-colored screw. Tighten each screw with a flat-head screwdriver.
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12
Secure the plug's base to the plug's cover with the plug base's mounting screws or snap the base into place.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit construction,cabinets image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
