Icicle lights - Better to hang when warm

[gizmomkr]

October is the earliest I have started hanging things outside. (and this year is the first year I have started so early)

I have always had a rough time with icicle lights in the past - The wire never seemed to want to straighten out. It would all just sort of "spring" back to a "Z" shape.

1 year I recall up-and-down the lader every couple feet just to pull / tug / bend them to try and get them straight.

I was quite pleased as I started the roof decore earlythis year, the wire seems to unravel much easier and hang much nicer in the warmer temp. Also much easier to stay motivated when you can feel all your fingers.

Just wondering if anyone else has had similar frustrations with icicle style lights.

[Keith Adams]

I keep mine hanging on my garage wall suspended between a couple of large nails all year long. Some hang theirs in their attic.

[lightzilla]

gizmomkr wrote:

October is the earliest I have started hanging things outside. (and this year is the first year I have started so early)


Just wondering if anyone else has had similar frustrations with icicle style lights.

Those and any other twisted light string are hard to work with when it is cold. Nonetheless I did start in October as usual to hand lights, make things etc but I still have a number of lights to hang.

Now we have snow & cold and it is 16*F. Thank God it is warming up a bit by the weekend and that will help. 45*F is always welcome. This need to be a big push weekend.

So I know what so are saying as does a number of folks that live in cold climates.

Have you ever had to set up your lawn decorations in -25*F or colder? Not fun even for us Canadians.

This might be that year again where set up is done (finished) in very cold weather.

[friskybri]

lightzilla wrote:

Have you ever had to set up your lawn decorations in -25*F or colder? Not fun even for us Canadians.

Thats whats Carhartt is for. Carhartt was the best present I got last christmas. I had to wear just underwear it was so hot. I took all my decorations down on the 2nd of January. I would love to try them in -40F.

[WhitePlainsNY]

I fill my livingroom and diningroom with the lights to warm up the wires before taking them out a few at a time to set them up. Wrappingn cold light rope around a post when the plastic in cold is a challenge.

Chuck

[jim6918]

gizmomkr wrote:

I have always had a rough time with icicle lights in the past - The wire never seemed to want to straighten out. It would all just sort of "spring" back to a "Z" shape.

I am completely out of the icicle light business in my display for many of the same reasons. Most aggravating would be to see a section out in the middle of several strings and have to climb a ladder to diagnose. I only used icicle lights on my gutters and have now gone totally to C9 LEDs.

I did see this item the other day while browsing the web. $5 for 12 is not exactly cheap, but would seem to eliminate the dreaded Z. I just Googled "icicle light weights." You might be able to do the same thing with large Split Shot, or other fishing weights.




Attached files

[Bob Wingert]

gizmomkr wrote:

October is the earliest I have started hanging things outside. (and this year is the first year I have started so early)

I have always had a rough time with icicle lights in the past - The wire never seemed to want to straighten out. It would all just sort of "spring" back to a "Z" shape.

1 year I recall up-and-down the lader every couple feet just to pull / tug / bend them to try and get them straight.

I was quite pleased as I started the roof decore earlythis year, the wire seems to unravel much easier and hang much nicer in the warmer temp. Also much easier to stay motivated when you can feel all your fingers.

Just wondering if anyone else has had similar frustrations with icicle style lights.

Just curious, how cold can it really get in Atl? I know its 90 here and I'm not far from you. I think it would be kinda funny watching me hang my icicles now in my bathing suit. I could always wear some winter gloves, for affect purposes

[Guest Don Gillespie]

friskybri wrote:

lightzilla wrote:

Have you ever had to set up your lawn decorations in -25*F or colder? Not fun even for us Canadians.

Thats whats Carhartt is for. Carhartt was the best present I got last christmas. I had to wear just underwear it was so hot. I took all my decorations down on the 2nd of January. I would love to try them in -40F.

All right all the guys in Alberta are pooling their money together so we can buy you a plane ticket to come here in Jan. to take down the decorations we will be drinking Canadian beer and watching from the living room window to make sure your carharts are working really well at some point we will open the front door and toss you a cookie so you don't feel to cold (you should have been here last christmas when the temps dipped to minus 50 now thats cold) the longest I stayed out for tear down in that weather was about fifteen minutes before I came in to warm up, not even my carharts were warm enough. but let us know if you want to come as tickets are going up as we speak.

[-klb-]

Here, I am still going inside occasionally to cool off in the AC before going back outside. Unfortunatly, it will likely flip a switch and go to highs below 50 practically overnight.

[PaulXmas]

Don Gillespie wrote:

friskybri wrote:

lightzilla wrote:

Have you ever had to set up your lawn decorations in -25*F or colder? Not fun even for us Canadians.

Thats whats Carhartt is for. Carhartt was the best present I got last christmas. I had to wear just underwear it was so hot. I took all my decorations down on the 2nd of January. I would love to try them in -40F.

All right all the guys in Alberta are pooling their money together so we can buy you a plane ticket to come here in Jan. to take down the decorations we will be drinking Canadian beer and watching from the living room window to make sure your carharts are working really well at some point we will open the front door and toss you a cookie so you don't feel to cold (you should have been here last christmas when the temps dipped to minus 50 now thats cold) the longest I stayed out for tear down in that weather was about fifteen minutes before I came in to warm up, not even my carharts were warm enough. but let us know if you want to come as tickets are going up as we speak.

LOL

Don't forget to come and take down mine as well!

It sucks working outside when it is -18 (F and C are the same) or colder!

[LENNY RUEL]

Last year I opted to try a tip from the PC forum. Zip tie them to lengths of 1/2" PVC and then it would do two things. Make it shorter time to hang them as you just use two or three clips per length as well as leave them hang from the garage ceiling during the off season and they stay straight and tangle free. With going to three colors of C6 LED's this year that was a must. All 24 strings strapped to 1/2" x 7'2" lengths of PVC. Then I'll use 3 half inch conduit clips screwed into the fascia trim below the gutters and drip moldings to hang them. Takes about 5 minutes per including time up and down the ladder. But they are hanging nice and straight from the garage ceiling right now.

Lenny

[Guest Don Gillespie]

LENNY RUEL wrote:

Last year I opted to try a tip from the PC forum. Zip tie them to lengths of 1/2" PVC and then it would do two things. Make it shorter time to hang them as you just use two or three clips per length as well as leave them hang from the garage ceiling during the off season and they stay straight and tangle free. With going to three colors of C6 LED's this year that was a must. All 24 strings strapped to 1/2" x 7'2" lengths of PVC. Then I'll use 3 half inch conduit clips screwed into the fascia trim below the gutters and drip moldings to hang them. Takes about 5 minutes per including time up and down the ladder. But they are hanging nice and straight from the garage ceiling right now.

Lenny

Thats a really cool idea Lenny Iam going to have to start doing that

[gizmomkr]

PokerPlayer -

You guys get just a bit cooler than us - We RARELY get snow. MAybe a dusting or 1 good dump with 3-5 inches. Thats it.

I'll be in shorts tearing down Haloween stuff on monday. It does get cold and windy eventually. Temps go to freezing, below freezing - basically same as you, we just rarely get it right for snow.

[friskybri]

Soon as Halloween is over everything comes down and the icicle lights go up on the 1st of November.

[wglyons]

Lenny:

Do you have a pic or two of this that you can post??? I'd like to see what it looks like...

Thanks,

Greg

[Austen]

I'm so glad I live in California!

When I get up early in the morning to go fishing, and its about 50 degrees out, I can't put bait on my hook my hands are so stiff! I couldn't imagine putting out lights when its 45 degrees!


The icicles do hang better when its warmer. And 80+ degrees feels very nice to hang lights up.