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Help!!! Wrapping PVC for an Arch


jimswinder

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OK...so last night I started to wrap some 3/4" PVC to get an idea how many lights I will need to pre-order for next season, right?

But when I was wrapping the lights around the PVC...all my lights were ending up in the same place of the circumference of the pipe...so they were virtually in a straight line!!

I have looked at many sites on the "How To's" to make an arch, but obviously I am missing something.

Does everyone use lights that are spaced at 4", or are you guys (and gals) using lights with 6" spacing?

Any ideas what I am doing wrong? Is there some neat trick someone would like to share with me? LOL

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There is not a preference that I've seen. Most sets these days are 4" spacing though it is never consistent from light to light, or string to string especially. Maybe the more expensive sets, but the $2 ones can on one string be between 3 and 5 inches along the entire string. That's where the variance comes in. Once they are wrapped and on the lawn in your display it isn't going to be as obvious as it is up close and personal.

Lenny

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Dennis Cherry wrote:

Try 1" Gray PVC.

That was going to be my next step...trying different sizes of PVC.

But thought I would ask first!! :cool:
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A trick you can try is to fold your light string in half with the lights offset. It is a little harder to wrap this way but should give you a better distribution of lights.

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iresq wrote:

A trick you can try is to fold your light string in half with the lights offset.

Great idea...was wondering if that's how you old pros did it!!!
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I would suggest not wrapping so tight to the pvc. One, you end up with the results you have of all the lights being in next to each other and two, when you go to bend the arch, because right now you are wrapping a stright pole, if the wires are to tight you will end up pullng the wires out of the sockets. I would recommend wrapping the wiresa at a 45 degree angle to the pvc pole and then slide the wires to make them all packed together. This way you have an alternating light effect and less stress ont he sockets when you go to bend the pcv into place.

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Aproct wrote:

I would suggest not wrapping so tight to the pvc.

Yep...that's what I had done. Soon realized that was a mistake because it would not leave me any "play" to bend the PVC.

Will try everyones great suggestions again tonight...
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Jim,

It might just be a simple math problem with 3/4" pvc and 4" light spacing. (c = pi*d, with c being the outside diameter of the pvc.) I've had that problem also, especially with wrapping LED's. What I did with the LED's was to go to 1/2" pvc and the problem went away. I've not had the problem with minis though. In the past two years I've bought a lot of clear minis from Menards, Target and Walmart. All of those had spacing closer to 3" and I had no problems at all with obtaining a random bulb placement on 3'4" pvc. (Although I regretted buying the WalMart minis due to quality issues - another topic entirely.)

I also recommend "folding" the light set, although my recommendation doesn't come from the perspective of randomizing the bulb pattern. I recommend it so that if half of a given set fails you'll still have light coverage on that section of arch. It won't be as bright as the rest of the arch, but it sure as heck beats having a totally dark section. (Same advice for wrapping mini trees.)

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George Simmons wrote:

It might just be a simple math problem with 3/4" pvc and 4" light spacing. (c = pi*d, with c being the outside diameter of the pvc.) I've had that problem also, especially with wrapping LED's.

I guess you also have to consider the thickness of all the SPT2 running along the side of the pipe to connect the lights to (or do most people run it outside of the lights) that would change he diameter of the pipe.
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I use spt-1 but in any event, I wrap over over the wire. First 100, tape wire to poll. Second hundred over the first, tape wire to poll. Third hundred over the 1st two, etc. It does not add significantly do the diameter.

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I agree with Dan, oh wait I have to he was the one that showed me that....Add a Molex connector to the end, some sprinkler wire and you will be able to set up arches in under 20 minutes next year!

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Aproct wrote:

and you will be able to set up arches in under 20 minutes next year!

actually...I have been sitting here thinking about this whole arch thing. And with what I want to do, it would cost me about $329 per mega arch (want 4) and $185 per mini arch (want 10) just for the lights, PLUS 28 Channels per mega arch and 20 channels per mini arch

Can't get around the 28/20 channels...but I am going to try something this weekend to get away from the $3145 in LED lights!!
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Aproct wrote:

Excuse my ignorance, what is a mega arch?


just something I made up....just bigger than my "mini" arch!! :shock::cool:
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