Fitting fluorescent strip lighting

This is a non-notifiable project providing that CE-approved kits are used and that the strip light is not installed in a bathroom or wet area.

You can mount strip lights under a kitchen unit to illuminate a worktop or provide atmospheric under-lighting without wiring the lights into the main circuit by simply plugging them in to a nearby socket.

• Position the lights on the worktop roughly every 500mm (19½in).
• If there is no convenient socket within reach of the flex, follow instructions for installing sockets.
• Mark the position of the lights on the underside of the kitchen units to give you a mark to line up the back of each fitting with. The lights should be at least 50mm (2in) away from the wall.
• Hold the base-plates in position and mark the screw holes with a pencil or bradawl.
• Cut off the power supply to the relevant circuit from the consumer unit.
• Drill pilot holes for the base-plates and fix them to the units with the fixings supplied.
• With all the base-plates fixed in place, plug the cables connecting the fittings into the outlet sockets in the base-plates.
• Keep any excess cable tucked away by securing it with self-adhesive clips supplied.
• Fit the tubes and covers onto the base-plates.
• Hide the wiring with a strip of decorative moulding or trim fixed to the bottom of the units with panel pins or adhesive.

This is a notifiable project requiring Building Control approval if installation is located in a kitchen, bathroom or other special location or does not use CE-approved fittings.

• Cut off the power supply to the relevant circuit from the consumer unit.
• Run a spur from the lighting circuit, following the instructions for extending lighting circuits. If you wish to install a separate switch for the light fitting, follow the guidelines for running a spur from a junction box.
• Hold the light fitting base-plate in position over a joist or wall stud and mark the screw holes.
• Drill and plug the holes and screw the base-plate to the wall or ceiling.
• Feed the spur cable into the light fitting.
• Prepare the cable and cores, insulating bare earths.
• Connect the spur cable cores to the connector block in the light fitting: connect the 2 live cores (red/brown) opposite each other; 2 neutrals (black/blue) opposite each other and the earths to the earth terminal. If there is no earth terminal, terminate the earth core in a plastic terminal block.
• Screw on the covers and shade or baffle.
• If you have laid the cable for a separate switch ensure the power supply to the relevant circuit from the consumer unit has been cut off. Prepare the ends of the switch cable.
• Place a piece of brown insulation tape around the blue core on the switch cable to label it as live.
• To connect the switch cable at a four-terminal junction box: connect the live (brown) core from the flex or lighting fixture and the brown-tagged blue core (tagged live) from the switch cable to one terminal; connect all the remaining live (brown/red) cores to one terminal; the neutral (blue/black) cores to another terminal; and the earths to the last spare terminal. To connect at a three-terminal junction box simply connect lives, neutrals and earths to one terminal each.
• At the switch, connect the other end of the cable to terminals in the face-plate: live core to the top terminal marked TOP or COMMON, neutral core either of the bottom terminals and earth to the earth terminal in the switch mounting box.
• If you wish the light fitting to be controlled by an existing switch, replace the existing switch with a two-gang switch. Connect the new switch cable to the first gang and the original switch cable to the second gang in the same way as for a separate switch.
• Screw the switch face-plate to the mounting box.