How many LED strips do I need to provide some indirect lighting for the 20 ft x 30 ft space?

I need help to determine which products to buy for my project. The space is around 20 ft x 30 ft with three areas of windows (one located off the picture to the right). I will be placing a 100-watt LED in the dormer that you can see in the photo and a 270-watt (3-light) fixture in the stairwell that you can see in the photo. My plan is place to LED strips on top of the beams in the center of the room. 7 beams are 8 feet long. The end beams are about 6 inches from the ceiling and the middle beams are about 3 feet from the top of the ceiling. The light currently on the beams will be removed and not replaced. I need assistance in figuring out how many LED strips I need to provide some indirect lighting for the middle of the room and what products I need to purchase to directly wire the LED strips to a dimming wall switch. 

By using our Lumen Estimation Calculator, it appears that the room would be fully illuminated with ~13,744 lumens, which can be achieved by using 31 total feet of our LED strip lights, which output 450 lumens per foot.

For this installation, we would recommend utilizing two full 16.4 ft (5 meters) reels of CENTRIC HOME™ LED Strip Lights for Home & Residential, which are available in the most common color temperatures for living areas, 2700K and 3000K. If cooler color temperatures are preferred, we have provided an infographic regarding color temperature selection below. 

To use two full reels, we recommend utilizing two units of the 12V TRIAC Dimmable Power Supply for LED Strip, as each 12V reel requires 90.2W (at 5.5W per foot), and each power supply can offer 120W. I can also confirm that multiple power supplies can be connected to the same wall dimmer.

We have also provided a few links to our Layout Diagrams below, which list the required accessories for each installation type. For a list of our compatible wall dimmers, please reference the below document.

Which LED Light Color Temperature Should I Choose?

Compatible Dimmer List for CENTRIC SERIES LED Power Supply (all within are also compatible with the TRIAC power supply)

LayoutMaps™ - LED Strip Light Layout 3001-1C

LayoutMaps™ - LED Strip Light Layout 3001-1B

For mounting the LED strip lights, we would recommend utilizing a set of flat aluminum channel products, which would allow for the lights to diffuse upwards towards the ceiling, allowing for indirect light. 

I just measured the space again and what I would like to do is to put an 8' strip on the middle ceiling beam and three 4' strips on the three beams on either side of the center beam. This would equal 32' in total length - 4',4',4',8',4',4',4'. Based on this design I am thinking that I could order two 16' reels (12v or 24v?) and cut them into sections. Can you help me determine how to wire this? Also how many power supplies I would need for this design? Lastly, I am curious about the junction box option for the power supply.

Based on the details provided, I might recommend utilizing a 24V installation, as it would be less prone to voltage drop. For more information about the differences between the 12V and 24V options as well as voltage drop, we have attached a few informative blog posts below. 

We have also attached an illustrated layout below, which we hope proves to be helpful. In this configuration, the installation has been evenly divided across two power supplies and connected in parallel. 

​As each foot of the 24V LED strip lights utilizes 5.5 watts of power, 32 feet would require 176 total watts. By dividing the layout in this way, each side would require only 88 watts and 3.8 amps, which can be easily provided by each power supply. 

Advantages of a 24V LED system vs 12V

LED Strip Light Wire Gauge & Voltage Drop Calculator

Connecting LED Strips in “Series” vs “Parallel”

Additionally, the two power supplies could be connected to a single wall dimmer, as illustrated in the below diagrams. These LayoutMaps also include links to the recommended connectors and power supplies that you might need. 

LayoutMaps™ - LED Strip Light Layout 3001-1C

LayoutMaps™ - LED Strip Light Layout 3001-1B

What size wire should I be using to connect the strips to the power supply? Note that the power supply will be placed behind a wall thus the wire will be connected through the wall. I am not sure if that impacts the wire size. 

Generally speaking, we recommend utilizing 16 AWG wires for connection between the lights and power supplies, which are sold on our storefront. Further, we might recommend checking with an electrician to be sure that the gauge is sufficient for your in-wall installation. 

16 AWG Wire for LED Strip Lights - 33 ft / 10 meters

Question posted under:

LED power suppliesLED strip lightsLED dimmersLED Drivers

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