Multiple Circuits

Each unit draws a certain amperage. Add up the amperage of the units, it should not exceed the circuit breaker amperage rating in the main panel box. Need more lights add another circuit break and wire more lights.

I'm sure I'll get attacked by the electrical net nannies on this answer like I did with the resistance soldering unit.

See I'm not a qualified electrician nor am I certified.

Bernd

Not being a nanny but...

....to be "safe" you shouldn't load any circuit more than 80% of the stated rating, in other words, for a 15A circuit, it shouldn't be more than 12A of load.  15A circuits should use 14-2, 20A need 12-2 wire.

Now a "nanny" would say you can't have more than a certain number of lights on one circuit regardless of load.  To me that's a load of bunk because I guarantee you there are countless number of fixtures on one circuit even though it's not overloaded!

Ken L.

P = E x I

Where P = power in watts, I = Amperage  and  E = volts.  Knowing any two of the values allows you to solve for the third.    For the purposes of figuring out lighting loads though things are pretty simple. A 20 amp breaker will accommodate 2400 watts worth of lighting theoretically.  120 volts X 20 amps = 2400 watts. Of course going by the "safe" rating already stated, you would  only load the circuit to 80% which means you have 1,920 watts available but you could theoretically light up to sixty 40 watt light bulbs before the breaker would trip. Assuming of course there aren't other load sources in the house on the same breaker.

I'm not any type of certified electrician either and there are electrical codes that need to be followed but it's not rocket science or some type of mysterious voodoo. It's just basic electronics.  I learned the "power equation" at the same time I learned Ohms law back when I was eight years old and studying for my amateur radio license. Like so may things, people who are "licensed" or "certified" in something usually will try to make it sound more complicated than it really is.

Michael

T4 Slim Fluorescent

I used slim T4 linkable fluorescent lights. When I was deciding what lights to use, I was concerned about the safety of wiring up my own lights and connecting them to my valance, or having any wiring connections on the valance that were homemade. The T4 lights link easily with any variety of wires and direct connection adapters. As a bonus they are very low profile. My 34 inch lights use 24 watts, the instructions said you can link up to ten fixtures together.

I bought some off eBay and some from CyeLite.com.

More info at my blog.

Strip LEDs

I haven't used them myself, but you might consider LED lighting.  Morris Smith is using them on his layout.  They come in a 16.4 ft roll and cost about $1.00 per foot.  They are low voltage and take very little power.

Here's the information:

Here's a picture of the LEDs in place on the layout:

And another picture:

Here is a picture with all of the room lights off and the layout LED lights on.  They have practically no shadow, are very low heat, easy to mount, easy to wire, and last a lifetime.

Rick

T8 channel strips

I purchased a number of T8 fluorescent channel striplights from Home Depot.  For my purposes, I got 48" single-bulb units, and installed them surface-mount on the ceiling.

These take some wiring work, and if you're not used to it, hire an electrician.  But basically, you open them up, punch out one (or more) of the 1/2" knock-outs, and run a piece of conduit up the first one.  Each pulls about 32 watts, and needs a hot, neutral, and ground wiring run thru it.

Then, you can string them together, using chase nipples to bolt them together end-to-end (again, removing the 1/2" knock-outs at each end first).  The chase nipples are required by code, so that you have a smooth surface when pulling wiring thru the channels.  Nicks in 120v wiring can lead to shocks.

For wiring connections, I just pulled a single set of the 3 wires thru all the channels, then used 3M suitcase connectors (use the right size !!), to attach the 18 gauge leads from each unit to the 14 or 12 gauge buss wires I pulled.

LED's

The more I see and hear about the LED strips, the more appealing they sound.  I might just have to give them a try.

LEDs

I used a bunch of the flexible LED strips (from eBay, about $15 for 15' or something like that).  I used 2-3 passes of the strips from about 12" above a hidden portion, and the intensity matched the full T8-strips in the nearby visible areas.  I used warm-whites... and even the color nearly matches (I'm using 85 CRI 3000k T8s in the fluorescents).

I like 'em - worked well for that purpose.

CFLs and LEDs together for me

My journey through lighting for my layout: https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/lighting-the-lko-rr-12189310

If you are interested in LEDs then investigate the difference between 3528 and 5050 types. Also take note of the spacing between LEDs.

Lighting Low Ceilings

Unfortunately, the way my train room is laid out, I don't think I'll be able to install an upper valance as I'd like to for my lighting.  Instead I fear I'll have to settle with directional spots or can lights.  I'm wondering if anyone else out there has had success with lighting their train room with these height restrictions

• From floor to bottom of joists: 80"
• From floor to subfloor (ceiling): 90"
• From floor to window sills: 60"

The lower level will definitely utilize LED strips as these throw the best looking light for the money.

Low ceilings

Johnny,

That's actually pretty good height, IMO - I've got sections that are 73" floor to (drywall) ceiling.  I used either T8 or T5 strip lighting flxtures - single-tube 48" versions - from Home Depot.  About $23 each. In the 73" areas, I actually turned the fixture sideways (so the bulb faces the layout instead of the floor).

For a valence, on these I used nothing.  On areas that are higher (ie, 80" or so) I used floor coving material and just screwed it into the side of the fixture (short screws, and being careful to not interfere w/ the internal wiring).  That provided just enough coverage to shield the bulb glare from across the room.

From floor to bottom of joists: 80"

The ceiling height for our lower floor at the Sudbury Division is about 77 inches, so we are a little lower than yours, and we have no problems installing a valance on the upper level.  I'm not sure why this would be a problem with 80 inches, unless you have some obstructions like pipes and ducts which hang below the joists in the way.

Working around obstacles

Bottom of joist to floor = 92" approx

Bottom of HVAC to floor = 81" approx

Bottom of valance to floor = 73" approx

With ceiling grid in place and valance painted. HVAC will remain visible in completed installation to gain the headroom a box-in would have consumed. A case of a compromise favoring function over form.

80" is adequate height if you reconsider a valance panel.

Johnny.. when you get a chance

Johnny when you get a chance to come down , you can see how i did mine. i have the low ceiling issue too.

Good Solution

That may just work for me.  I plan on leaving the ceilings open so, at least along the southern wall of my layout room, I can utilize the joists as a "natural" valance when mounting lamps.  It's going to get trickier mounting perpendicular to the joists as I'll be ducking and dodging ductwork and a spaghetti bowl of wiring from an 80 year old house.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys!

IF IN DOUBT....

Dear Peter;

Your concern for  electrical safety is a sound one.  In addition to safety, you may also consider the issue of liability should something unfortunate happen such as a fire that results from electrical work that you may have done in your residence.

The best way of achieving your goal of lighting your space safely is to find an electrical code for your area.  You can pick these up at your local Home Depot.  The electrical code could vary from state to state or from country to country. 

Here in Canada, the Home Depot sells an abbreviated version of the electrical code for residential wiring. This electrical code is written for the lay-person and is easily understood. Examples are given such as the number of devices that can be powered from one circuit as an example. The electrical code will enable you determine how much loading is on your breaker panel should you need to add additional circuits to it.

In addition to your concern about how many fixtures you can connect to one circuit, you may want to consider the following when reading through your electrical code:

Are you the house owner?  In Canada, you can work on your own electrical installation provided you own the house.  It is illegal to make changes to electrical wiring on property that you don't own.

Consider using fluorescent fixtures that have pre-wired plugs.  These will be UL listed and you can install them without further concern.

Wiring permanently installed fluorescent fixtures may involve a subset of these regulations:

*Exposed wiring, that is, wiring that is not protected behind a wall or ceiling must have armor protection.

*wire that passes around the ballast inside the fixture may be required to have a higher temperature rating. This requirement is usually specified on the fixture installation instructions.

*Fixtures in some locations will require a protective lens to prevent foreign material or objects from being ignited by the tube.  Think scenery....dried twigs for trees, shrubs etc.

In general, the electrical code will tell you the proper type of boxes, clamps, wire nuts and wire to use.  Resist getting advice from the "electrical guy" in the store.

LEDS

Some posters above are using LEDS.

From a safety and liability standpoint, the concern is about the LED driver.  LEDS can be powered from small transformers such as Wall Warts designed for driving LEDS or more sophisticated LED drivers. 

In all cases inspect the power supply to make sure that it is a UL Listed device.  There are LED drivers found on Ebay or in lighting stores that are not UL listed.  Resist buying these.  The low cost of these drivers is the result of not obtaining UL certification through testing and inspection and can be a fire hazard. 

If your LED driver does not have an input plug, (flying leads)  it must be permanently installed and thus must comply with the above electrical codes.

Look for the following marks on the LED driver:

"UL Listed led driver."

Hope this helps

Regards;

Steven

What I did in the 90's....

..... I had an around the room layout, and wanted to have all the shadows pointing the same way (layout was point-to-point both terminals physically  in same room corner but scenically separated) so I made spot lights out of some cans with barn doors (to send a focused beam) all of them pointing from left to right front to back hidden behind the valance all around the room. On a roughly 11' X 11' room there were 3 lights on each wall, plus several 12V auto bulbs to fill in the darker spots. Very Rube Goldberg.

And ????

So how did it turn out?  Did the lighting work as planned?

-Jack