Storage techniques

[roknjohn]

I'm excited about my first show next year, so I've been hitting up the clearance sales around here. However, I think that I may have just taken my first dose of reality. When I got home this evening, my wife had taken down our Christmas tree - or at least all of the ornaments. She asked me to take off the lights. Normally (since they are just clear mini incans) I would just throw them out with the tree and buy new ones next year. But - since I've been bargain hunting for lights all week it didn't make sense to toss them.

Well, after pulling and tugging and untangling and wrapping only 13 100ct sets, I was aggravated and exhausted. I can only imagine what you guys are facing next week. There has got to be a better way.

So, how to you guys store your light strings? Wrap 'em, bunch 'em, bag 'em, etc? I thought about putting them end to end on a big reel. Perhaps, I'll build a 20ft tall warehouse and hang them vertically.

[kzaas]

I cut cardboard H's out of boxes then wrap the lights around the H's. I can usually get three to five strings per H. Then I store those in tubs.

[wallleyes]

I wrap all my lights into balls and put them in storage bins.They never tangle up.

[xmasboy]

I collect all the plastic bags from stores from November until now and put each strand in its own plastic bag and put those in a container. I've been doing that for 10 years and it works really well.

[George Simmons]

wallleyes wrote:

I wrap all my lights into balls and put them in storage bins.They never tangle up.

Same here. Seems to be about the least wasted space in the plastic tubs this way also. Not to mention ease of use next year.

[Fabian]

George Simmons wrote:

wallleyes wrote:

I wrap all my lights into balls and put them in storage bins.They never tangle up.

Same here. Seems to be about the least wasted space in the plastic tubs this way also. Not to mention ease of use next year.

Same here.

[Scott T]

xmasboy wrote:

I collect all the plastic bags from stores from November until now and put each strand in its own plastic bag and put those in a container.  I've been doing that for 10 years and it works really well.

I use the plastic bags from the grocery store and walmart.

[Dr. Jones]

I fold them back on themselves at every light, then use a twist tie to keem them together. then into a plastic tub they go

[Guest guest]

Funny how I've been muddling over this challenge myself. Pre-LOR, I just put everything in several storage tubs, made myself a promise that "sometime in the summer" I'll go thru and sort everything and organize, and it never happens.

So with this long weekend, plus teardown next weekend, I'm working on some storage plans. Its not only lights now, its mini-trees, controllers, possibly-reusable wiring harnesses, etc.

For lights, I have some h-shaped wrapping frames, they work nice, but agree that anything cut out of a stiff material will work just as well..for free.

I've got garage space, and some indoor space I comandeered from what was supposed to be a storage room that became a storage room after the pup (11 year old mastiff) passed away (yes, when I built my house we built in a "dog room", with a dog door out to a fenced in part of the yard ).

Anyway, thinking shelving indoors for trees and bigger stuff, and I grabbed 3 more 50 gallon tubs from Lowes for 9.98 online for the garage storage.

And this time, this year, I'm planning to do the inventory and cleanup right away, not put it off to the summer...

"Where to put it all" is an even bigger concern as I think about arches and a meag tree for next year...

[PaulXmas]

Storage for me grows every year.

A couple years ago I built a 10 X 10 foot shed

I have since out grown that!

I am now using the garage.

Lights are wrapped up and put in storage bins.

I try to mark my bins so I know whats in them.

[HowardShank]

Fabian wrote:

George Simmons wrote:

wallleyes wrote:

I wrap all my lights into balls and put them in storage bins.They never tangle up.

Same here. Seems to be about the least wasted space in the plastic tubs this way also. Not to mention ease of use next year.

Same here.

I wrap strings into balls and place them in storage bins.

This year I placed my icicles on J-Channels that hung on my gutters, so when I take them down I'll store the entire 12' section hanging on brackets in my garage up high out of the way.

I use storage tubs for lights and small items. Large items, bells, animatronics, etc. I store just stand alone in storage room.

[pdowns]

Think about how you will set up next year.

I coil up my light strings and use a cable tie to keep them in order. I don't use tape because it takes me longer to remove electrical tape than to cut a cable tie.

Also, I give thought to which end of the string I start from. For instance, many of my strings I install starting with the female end. So when I coil them up now, I start coiling from the male end. That way, next year, I don't have the additional step of unrolling the entire string before I can begin using it.

[OregonLights]

I wrap each string around my hand/shoulder and wrap around the bunch with the end of the wire. Then into a rubbermaid tub categorized by area/application. They stay pretty well organized that way. I don't bother with strings that have hangars for gutters or stakes, I just pile those into bins. Seems like 1/2 the clips fall off anyway and the strings need to be untangled no matter what I do.

Big stuff goes into the attic. I plan to build a storage shed this year also.

[pixeldigger]

http://christmasalabama.com/index.php?link=lightball

My light ball tutorial

[toymakr000]

I wind mine on empty hydraulic hose spools. Hose suppliers just throw them away so they're free if you can find them!!!I have been storing my lights and extension cords like this for years. I use different spools to wrap each color of lights and each length of cords. I have about 15 spools of lights and cords when I am all done. they stack nicely up to 3 tall so you can fit a lot of lights in a small area.



I even made an automatic winder! This thing has saved me so much time! I can set it up in the front yard and it wind the lights as I pull them off the roof. It has a remote control to make it easy from up there.
Here it is in motion.

[Max-Paul]

Well I got to say now that's the cat's meow for winder uppers. It appears that you are using a magnetic pick-up that fires a motor that advances the guide. How are you remote controlling the start and stop? Although I see that you also have local control too.

Great job toymaker

[toymakr000]

Max-Paul wrote:

Well I got to say now that's the cat's meow for winder uppers. It appears that you are using a magnetic pick-up that fires a motor that advances the guide. How are you remote controlling the start and stop? Although I see that you also have local control too.

Great job toymaker

The indexing motor is simply a micro switch getting momentarily tripped as the main motor spins the spool. The video was an early trial run. i have dialed in the micro switch so that it winds much more parallel now. So parallel that when winding power cords I had to switch to smaller rolls so I could carry them:shock: The remote control is one that I found at Meijer for $14 it just plugs in.
Similar to this
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-31170-3-Outlet-Receptacle-Wireless/dp/B0020ML76M

[toddmoon]

I have tried to modularize as many of my lights as possible that I can then break down into storeable sizes. Light strings I wind up and plug each end into each other to make is simple to find next year. All of the light strings go into marked tubs on reels and then all of the timers and controllers go into tubs as well.

I have some loft space that I built over a work room in my shop that works nicely for storage. I have maxed out my room though and need to build another storage shop.

I plan as much for take down as I do for putting it out. Investing in some time to plan your take down and storage pays off in the long term.

[rgardner518]

toymakr000 wrote:

Max-Paul wrote:

Well I got to say now that's the cat's meow for winder uppers. It appears that you are using a magnetic pick-up that fires a motor that advances the guide. How are you remote controlling the start and stop? Although I see that you also have local control too.

Great job toymaker

The indexing motor is simply a micro switch getting momentarily tripped as the main motor spins the spool. The video was an early trial run. i have dialed in the micro switch so that it winds much more parallel now. So parallel that when winding power cords I had to switch to smaller rolls so I could carry them:shock: The remote control is one that I found at Meijer for $14 it just plugs in.
Similar to this
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-31170-3-Outlet-Receptacle-Wireless/dp/B0020ML76M

I like what you made. Do you mide sharing how you made the motor winder part?

[toymakr000]

The winder has a gear motor belt drive and cone spindle and torque arm. The opposite side of the spool is supported by a cone with ball bearings. I have a little write up here on my website. http://bazillionlights.com/Tech/LightsTechStorage.html