Extension cord runs to the LOR units

[wglyons]

Hello, group...

I was thinking about placing my two 16-channel LOR units on the front porch, to help minimize the extension cord runs to the lights. But, in order to do that, I would have to run the LOR units to dedicated power outlets in the garage, which is at most, about 35-40 feet. Will this be a problem? If I buy four 50ft. cord rated at 15amps, will I be okay here???

Thanks,

Greg

[George Simmons]

That should be fine as long as you know what the loads will be for each controller. If you're using LED's probably no issue at all. With incandescents there might be. You say "dedicated power outlets" - what exactly does that mean? If it means each receptacle in the garage is a separate 15 or 20 amp circuit, then you'll be okay for sure.

[-klb-]

In general, it is the combination of load, distance, and wire gauge that will tell the full story.

At that distance, if you are loaded down with incandescent, I would recommend a 12 gauge cord, to minimize voltage drop, but you would probably be OK with 14 gauge. If only a string or two on each channel, or a bunch of LED, you are good with the 14 gauge cord that is rated for 15 amps.

[iresq]

You are working this backwards. As mentioned by the previous posts, you need to start with your loads. How many lights and what kind are you using? Once you know the power needs, the rest is easy.

If you were running a true 15 amp load on each half of the controller, the 4 15amp cords would work, but you would also need 4 dedicated 15/20 amp circuits (usually a good idea to have a slightly bigger circuit. But without knowing your draw, hard to say.

[wglyons]

Great - all great answers and I appreciate it. So, to answer some questions, yes. I have 4 dedicated 20Amp breakers - one 20Amp breaker per 15Amp set of 8 channels. Also, I have worked up my power requirements, and am within the limitations of the LOR controllers.

I will look for 12 Gauge cords with a minimum rating of 15 Amps, b ut will look for a higher rating, just in case...

Thanks again,

Greg

[amcdonald307]

And just for completeness on the subject:

If all the lights on one of your controllers is not drawing a whole 15 amps, and/or you are forced to plug both cords from the controller into the same outlet/breaker...

You wouldn't need to run 2 long cords from the outlet to the controller - you could just run one and use a triple tap at the controller to plug both cords into that single extension. It's obvious when you think about it, but I kind of scrambled last year after having expanded and running out of cords (and free outlets!) during set up.

I have lots of LEDs (eaves, megatree) that use 3 controllers, all on doesn't come close to 15 amps. I run an 80' cord from a garage outlet to ctrlr1 which ends with a triple tap. Then I run a 40' cord from that triple tap to ctrlr2 at the tree, and ctrl3 sits next to it there. I run all 3 using only 1/2 of an outlet. I have another light-load controller near the garage and am able to plug it into the other half of the outlet (4 controllers off one outlet/breaker).
I also have incandescents (mirrored arches) that use gobs of watts, and have to run each of those controllers off separate breakers (though I don't have to split any controller over different breakers, so I am still able to run a single cord out to the controller).

Of course, it is all important to follow the magic mantra and know your loads when plugging it all in (i.e. follow the good advice above, and get yourself a kill-o-watt too). I always run heavy duty grounded cords from the outlet to the controller, but I use lots of lamp and zip cord , both homemade and store bought, from the controller to the lights.

[brownjm74]

wglyons wrote:

I will look for 12 Gauge cords with a minimum rating of 15 Amps, b ut will look for a higher rating, just in case...

Just for others reading this post, 12 gage cords are rated for 20amp. Here is a rule of thumb I use.

12 gage cord = 20 amp capacity

14 gage cord = 15 amp capacity

16 gage cord (most common orange cord) = 10 amp

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0 - 50 ft long - use above chart

50 - 100 ft long - go one size bigger

100ft + - go two sizes bigger

* note: do not use a 100' cord for something that is 25' away. You will loose amp draw capacity because of the amp draw of the cord itself.

I hope this helps.

Jeremy B.

[Brian Mitchell]

Keep in mind that you will probably not find a 12 gauge cord that is rated at 20 amps. It will be rated at 15 unless it has the plug on the end that has the sideways prong.

[therealbigjim]

I check for heat, discoloration of my cords. I had a long run I was worried about so I hard wired it with wire rated for underground use. It was cheeper then a heavy duty use drop cord. Also lots of expensive looking cords in your yard may draw the attention of a scrapper looking for a quick buck.....I hate copper thieves.

[-klb-]

We actually go through and use spray paint anywhere we have a number of 12 gauge cords.. Once they are pretty well set, we will take alternating passes with green and brown spray paint, to ensure that the yellow or orange cord jackets don't show up. The only down side (so far, in 3 years) is that somehow, the spray paint, and something about the cord don't really mix well. We have tacky cords, with paint balling up even next year after they have baked in storage through the summer.

Thankfully most of our cords either run in the grass, or against the base of the firehouse foundation. Thankfully, nobody seems to notice the green and brown paint on the concrete foundation...