Do you run the show in the rain?

[funnyent]

This is my 1st year LOR and it's going great. It's pouring out right now and I wondered if it was okay to run the show. It's running now and working fine, I just don't want to break anything.

Tim

[JBullard]

Some do and some don't.

I always run mine in the rain with no problems.

Whatever you are comfortable with.

Some people have problems with multiple GFCI trips when it's wet outside, so they don't.

[timmy]

This too is my first year with LOR and I am running in the rain as well. I have always done a rather large display of around 40000 lights in a static display, this year is only 18500. I just elevate all plugs about 6 inches off the ground as I always have, and everything seems to be running fine. It has rained every day since light up. If I didn't run it in the rain, I would have a lot of people mad at me. The season would run out way too quick.

[paulanator]

We are in Oregon, and would not have a show if we could not run it in the rain.

I was careful to mount the LOR controllers on the side of the house where they could be a bit covered, and they are in those nice nylon/plastic Telco/Broadband cases with a seal.

With things like arches, I made sure they are off the ground a bit so water can drain off them and is not pooling under them.

I have been doing static displays for years here in the rain, and never had any rain problems.

We had our first snow before the show started, and that looked really cool, and had no problems with the melting snow either.

[friskybri]

about the only thing that trips is my mini tree's during the rain. i put boards under them. it last alittle longer then they eventually pop. going to try something else.

[George Simmons]

This is the first year that I've had issues with the rain. In '08 and'09 all we had during lighting season was snow, which is no problem at all. But with our ice storms and rain this year I've had to cancel the show twice already. As someone mentioned in a different post, when the GFCIs begin popping your night is over and there's nothing you can do about it. I've tried to elevate as many connections as possible but with over 400 channels and about a thousand extension cords in both yards, it just isn't possible to get them all.

[Mark Showalter]

I'm running 32 channels and have lost all my lights with every rain. I'm not tripping the gfi. When it stops raining I've replace the two 15 amp fuses in each LOR box to get the lights back on. I know I have a lot of extension cords on the ground. Does anyone have a suggestion to get the LOR to work in the rain? Thanks!

[HowardShank]

put a huge umbrella over your house... like the one in the Travellers Insurance Commercial.

Or, ask the weatherguys to make it not rain.

[-klb-]

Mark Showalter wrote:

I'm running 32 channels and have lost all my lights with every rain. I'm not tripping the gfi. When it stops raining I've replace the two 15 amp fuses in each LOR box to get the lights back on. I know I have a lot of extension cords on the ground. Does anyone have a suggestion to get the LOR to work in the rain? Thanks!

What? Is Richland trying to get it's 7 inch annual rainfall this month??

It sounds like you must be loaded up close to the limits on the controllers. Many lights, especially mini lights, draw more power when wet. You might try making some wet weather versions of your sequences that reduce the peak number of items on at once.

[Mark Showalter]

We've been having very unusual weather. First tons of blowing drifting snow with temperatures well below normal (that was during the set-up days) and now a week of hard rain every 12 hours.

Each of the 32 channels only has two strings of LED mini or c5 lights. The only exception would be the 5 mini trees that are each on their own channel with two 24 ft sections of rope light each.

My plan is to get a number of good size "rubber made" storage boxes and try and get each of the extension cord connectors under cover. I don't like the thought of a bunch of boxes in the lawn but I don't think anyone will notice them at night.

[-klb-]

On the cords, getting them elevated, maybe even on something insulated will help. But I expect you wont have much issue with standing water.

Covering them is not as important as keeping them elevated. Are your circuits GFCI protected?

[mwilliams]

My first year, every time it rained...out go the lights. Living in Atlanta, it's usually not cold enough to snow, but December usually gets a LOT of rain. So for the next year, I made small PVC "caps" to cover the connections, while keeping them elevated.

Lights haven't popped since.

And for more connections, like 8 plugs for leaping arches, I use a large piece of PVC. Very cheap, and very effective. Maybe overkill, but I only had to make them once.

[Mark Showalter]

So far... It works! It snowed yesterday and has been raining today. I elevated each individual cord connection after wrapping in Saran Wrap and electric tape. All of the "multiple connection" points received one of the cheap plastic Christmas storage boxes pictured. A flap was cut into each side for the cords to enter and shield from the rain.

The PVC cap idea is excellent. I didn't have enough planning time this year with the late start but I'm already looking forward to next year's display.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Attached files

[edvas69]

Going down the 12vdc path has made it easy to run in th rain

[Brian W]

I use the low-tech/low time approach. I use sandwich bags and electrical tape to cover all female open plugs and connections between light strands and extension cords. I also make sure to keep lights off the ground. I have discovered some rusting inside some of the sockets that obviously were getting wet.

[saynomoore]

I live on the west side of Washington State, and it never seems to quit raining and I run my show every night with out a problem of the lights going out due to rain... like someone said if I could not run it in the rain I would never be able to run my show

[JBullard]

Brian W wrote:

I use the low-tech/low time approach. I use sandwich bags and electrical tape to cover all female open plugs and connections between light strands and extension cords. I also make sure to keep lights off the ground. I have discovered some rusting inside some of the sockets that obviously were getting wet.

The rusting could be caused BY the sandwich bags and electrical tape, because it traps the moisture and doesn't allow the connections to dry out.

Just keep connections off of the ground and everything will be fine

[knyurk]

We are in WA state as well (the rain has been bad lately) I run it every day but it started to pop gfci's so I changed to my circuits that are gfci breakers instead of the gfci outlets and it has helped. There is one that I cannot keep from popping, so I had to change it over to a non gfi circuit(I know the risks but don't mess with the lights when they are on and I don't have viewers that are ever out of their cars so I am not too worried about electrocution.)

BTW I saw that we have a coug on this thread, If anyone is interested I have a sequence to the WAZZU fight song That I will share.

[Mark Showalter]

knyurk wrote:

BTW I saw that we have a coug on this thread,  If anyone is interested I have a sequence to the WAZZU fight song That I will share.

I'm always ready for an excuse to play the Cougar fight song. Where in WA are you located?

[knyurk]

we are in Snoqualmie just above the falls. Here is the fight song sequence.

Attached files wazzu fight song.lms