Incandesent Lights on controller

[dezzneefan]

How many incandesent lights can you run on one channel? I have LED lights but have a few items that use the non led.

[Guest Don Gillespie]

Depending on the size on the incandescent lights are they mini lights, are they c-9 lights if they are mini lights you run quite a few

[Max-Paul]

Lets see. Max of 8 amps per channel = 8A times 120V equals 960 watts. So you can have one 960 watt bulb, or 10 96 watt bulbs, or 100 9.6 watt bulbs or 1000 .96 watt bulbs. Hope that helps some.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Max-Paul

[james campbell]

Lets see. Max of 8 amps per channel = 8A times 120V equals 960 watts. So you can have one 960 watt bulb, or 10 96 watt bulbs, or 100 9.6 watt bulbs or 1000 .96 watt bulbs. Hope that helps some.

amazing what a little math can figure out,,,,one thing I would add to Max's post,,,you can run 8 amps per channel but 15 amps max per bank so be carefull there

[GaryM]

or 20A/bank, depending on controller type, and, if you prepared for it (fuses, etc), but the 8/channel still applies.

For the OP, easiest rule of thumb with incans is a 100 ct string is typically 1/3 A, so 300 incans, 1 Amp.

[shfr26]

Can you say "Kill-a-Watt Meter"???

[Max-Paul]

Can you say "Kill-a-Watt Meter"???

I suppose so, can you?

[Brett H.]

Can you say "Kill-a-Watt Meter"???

Kill-a... kill-a... kill-a... dng it I cant say it

[bob_moody]

Kill-a... kill-a... kill-a... dng it I cant say it

COME ON BRETT!!! ... push through the pain .. you can do it .. say it .. say it ..

[roknjohn]

The 100ct minis that I use come in two flavors, 40w and 28w per string. So that's 24 or 34 strings per channel with no more than 45 or 64 strings per bank (ch1-8 or ch9-16). If you have a large display, it also helpful to balance your load between phases. I have a 100amp sub panel for my show, which gives me 200 amps of 110V power if the load is properly balanced.

[Max-Paul]

The 100ct minis that I use come in two flavors, 40w and 28w per string. So that's 24 or 34 strings per channel with no more than 45 or 64 strings per bank (ch1-8 or ch9-16). If you have a large display, it also helpful to balance your load between phases. I have a 100amp sub panel for my show, which gives me 200 amps of 110V power if the load is properly balanced.

Holly smoke batman. Thats some serious sub panel. I am just not that rich. And I only have one outlet to do my show on. I got to sit down some time and count how many LED bulbs I have out there. Some is custom made LED items.

Lets see 4 X 80 C9, 4 X C6 icicles X 8 sections each. About 120' of red and white LED rope lights. 36 strings of 100ct C6. 24 X 16ct in candy canes. 4 arches, X 8, or 32 X 70ct M5. Two deer of about 250 each. Wire angle with about 300 LEDs, 14 small spiral trees, 35 LEDs each. A 3, 4, and 6' spiral trees for about 300 LEDs. 5, 4' trees with Red, Green and White LED in each tree for about 2100 LEDs. And a few hundred more that I have not mentioned here. All I know is that last year I did not have the 5 trees of 2100 C6 or the Mega tree with 3600 LED. With everything turned on I was drawing 10 amps per the Kill A Watt meter. Might be about 15 or 17 amps this year. But who turns all on at one time?

[roknjohn]

Max Paul - It cost me less than $100 . My brother's are electrical contractors and did the install for free one night. I picked up the panel complete with main breaker and 20 breakers for about $100 at local supply house. I found 20 used boxes, receptacles and stainless steel covers in a pile of stuff they had salvaged from moving some equipment at a plant. The one thing that really saved me was the 100 amp breaker for my main panel. Federal breakers are expensive but a friend of ours donated a used one.

LEDs would make it MUCH easier, I agree. But, I am just not that rich. I'd like to convert some of my display over to LED, but unless my brother's start selling them, it's gonna be a while. (Hard to beat $1 per 100ct strings after Christmas.)

[Shubb]

P=I*E

A formula that should be memorized by anyone in this hobby.

[Max-Paul]

Your brothers would lower themselves to install a federal panel? Surely they are not union electricians. I am a square D man myself.

But I regress, if your happy with it and it is doing the job for you, then who am I to say. So, you have a remote to start up the second reactor?

I just pick on all of you guys with sub panels. And power meters that the last number is just a blur or for those with the old meters, the last pointer that is a blur.

I'll just have to keep my eyes open to see your display. I keep trying to shoot a video of mine but I just cant get it right so that it is not blossomed or blurred.

[roknjohn]

@max - The Federal panel is the main panel in my home - nothing I can do about that The sub panel is a Siemens. SC is a right to work state, btw. But both are state licensed. My power bill was $50 lower last year than the year before when I didn't have a display. (2012 is my second year). Down south, we use heat pumps, so climate has a far bigger impact on the electricity bill than Christmas lights.

[Jeff Messer]

County allowed me a 200 amp service just for the Christmas light show. At this time I have 35- 30 amp breakers in it and my electrician says no morecan fit... LOL Power bill is about 400 bucks a year.

Jeff

[Shubb]

@max - The Federal panel is the main panel in my home - nothing I can do about that

There is something I would do about it! Start with getting rid of it.

I've seen more shorts/fires caused by those than any other manufactor.

[Max-Paul]

Thanks Shubb for the back up. There was one in my house when I moved in. Cant remember why, but tried to pull a breaker out. Dang thing would not release the contact that goes into the buss bar. It actually pulled free from the breaker. I had to remove it with rubber gripped needle nose pliers. Saved some money and did the work myself as an electrician. Pulled the meter with blessings from the local power company. Put in a Square D QC panel so that the wife can find the blown breaker with the red flag. I some times go out of town for a week. Due to moving the panel some had to get one of those 3' x 6" x 6" square wire runs and extend my house wiring. Using wire nuts in the run and then 3" conduits to the breaker panel. All out in the garage (slab house).

[Steven]

There is something I would do about it! Start with getting rid of it.

I've seen more shorts/fires caused by those than any other manufactor.

Are these similar to Zinsco panels? All the homes in my neighborhood have meter/main disconnect panels on the outside, and main lug panels on the inside, both Zinsco brand. Before we installed our solar panels, I changed our main lug panel to a Square D, doing the work myself (an amateur(!), with my neighbor, a licensed electrician, helping and watching). Replacing the main disconnect panel would not be worth it, as it has been working fine for 40 years, and all the houses in the neighborhood have the same thing.