Big Sanch Mafia Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Hi Everyone, I've been looking at acquiring more extension cords, being my first year I thought i would ask what gauge is recommended? That way I can spend the money once. what do you guys recommend? Thank you, Chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 A lot of people, including me, make our own cords using spt 1 (18 gauge) and vampire plugs and receptacles. For anything over 9' long, it's a more cost-effective option than sale-priced store-bought. Unless you'll be pulling an extreme amount of power that should do just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmonkman Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 George is right. I prefer SPT2 which has more insulation. Its a little more expensive though. Another BIG consideration is space. The typical extension cords from HI centers take up a lot more space. About 3-4 times as much space. Try action lighting or just Google "SPT1, SPT2 extension cord" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C. Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 try this http://www.landolights.com/main/content/view/77/39/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sanch Mafia Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 try this http://www.landolights.com/main/content/view/77/39/Great link, very helpful. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sanch Mafia Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 Before hearing from you guys I thought premade cords were the route to go, mostly because of ease. But now I feel being able to add outlets mid way through the cord will be very beneficial an actually make connecting certain areas a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Benedict Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 For short runs of 6 feet or 9 feet,I pick them up at the Dollar Tree store for $1 each. (natch)Anything longer, build your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C. Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Great link, very helpful. Thank you no problem. Like Ken said for your longer runs it's easier just to make them to custom length. Last year I bought 1000 feet of SPT-1 cord thinking that's plenty for my small display, wrong! I had to make a mad dash to HD to buy another 500/600 feet of extension cords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sanch Mafia Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 Im on it thanks... what is the major difference of the SPT1 and 2?.. is it the guage? i would have max 32 channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C. Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Im on it thanks... what is the major difference of the SPT1 and 2?.. is it the guage? i would have max 32 channels.http://www.christmas-leds.com/category_v3.aspx?categoryID=372Quick copy & paste from the Christmas-leds websiteWhat’s the difference between SPT-1 wire and SPT-2? When making and installing Christmas lights or making your own extension cords, SPT wire is often used. These are usually made from 18/2 wire. When identifying the two numbers for the wire – 18/2 – the 18 refers to the size of the wire which in this case is 18 gauge. The 2 indicates that the wire is made with two wires.The SPT-2 wire has a thicker insulation. Because of the thicker insulation with the SPT-2 wire the user can power more lights and decorations than the SPT-1 wire SPT-1 is rated a 7 amps or 770 watts and has an insulation thickness of .030″.SPT-2 is rated at 10 amps or 1100 watts and has insulation that is .045″ thick.Use this information to help you evaluate your power needs. Do not exceed the recommended amperage, this will absolutely cause the wire to fail and be a hazard.If you are using LED’s to make your customized light strings, we recommend that you do not run more than 400’ of the 18/2 wire. The reason for this is that your chances of getting some voltage drop is likely and your bulbs will not illuminate to the best of their ability.If you are using Incandescent bulbs we recommend that you do use the SPT-2 wire.In a Nut Shell – The difference between SPT wire is the thickness of the insulation over the wires, not the amperage of the wire. The wire gauge or AWG rating is how much current the cable can carry in amperes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sanch Mafia Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 http://www.christmas-leds.com/category_v3.aspx?categoryID=372Quick copy & paste from the Christmas-leds websiteWhat’s the difference between SPT-1 wire and SPT-2? When making and installing Christmas lights or making your own extension cords, SPT wire is often used. These are usually made from 18/2 wire. When identifying the two numbers for the wire – 18/2 – the 18 refers to the size of the wire which in this case is 18 gauge. The 2 indicates that the wire is made with two wires.The SPT-2 wire has a thicker insulation. Because of the thicker insulation with the SPT-2 wire the user can power more lights and decorations than the SPT-1 wire SPT-1 is rated a 7 amps or 770 watts and has an insulation thickness of .030″.SPT-2 is rated at 10 amps or 1100 watts and has insulation that is .045″ thick.Use this information to help you evaluate your power needs. Do not exceed the recommended amperage, this will absolutely cause the wire to fail and be a hazard.If you are using LED’s to make your customized light strings, we recommend that you do not run more than 400’ of the 18/2 wire. The reason for this is that your chances of getting some voltage drop is likely and your bulbs will not illuminate to the best of their ability.If you are using Incandescent bulbs we recommend that you do use the SPT-2 wire.In a Nut Shell – The difference between SPT wire is the thickness of the insulation over the wires, not the amperage of the wire. The wire gauge or AWG rating is how much current the cable can carry in amperes.That clears it up.. thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C. Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 That clears it up.. thanks for the info. No problem, us Cali. folk got to stick together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sanch Mafia Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 No problem, us Cali. folk got to stick together.haha.. you know it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james campbell Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 I used spt 2 my first year and then spt1 my next.Now it's only spt 1 because it takes up less space in storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasmadrive Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 That clears it up.. thanks for the info.yeah.. but it is technically inaccurate. The insulation is not the deciding factor in current carrying capability, it is the gauge of the wire. Here is an interesting table http://www.houwire.com/pdf/article400_5.pdf Note the A and B designations. Also note that SPT-1 and SPT-2 are rated the same for current allowance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmonkman Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 yeah.. but it is technically inaccurate. The insulation is not the deciding factor in current carrying capability, it is the gauge of the wire. correct and very important! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sanch Mafia Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 yeah.. but it is technically inaccurate. The insulation is not the deciding factor in current carrying capability, it is the gauge of the wire. Here is an interesting table http://www.houwire.com/pdf/article400_5.pdf Note the A and B designations. Also note that SPT-1 and SPT-2 are rated the same for current allowancethe link is causing a 404 error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasmadrive Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 (edited) uuummm.. it opens from my iphone but not my computer..Try this. http:/www.houwire.com/pdf/artical400_5.pdf Edited May 5, 2013 by plasmadrive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidPeterson Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Ok, so this is an "older" thread but I can't help myself. I do agree with the stp cord, and wish I had done it myself originally. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. A lot of what we do draws very little power per element. It might be one or two flood lights, two candy canes with a total of 50 mini lights. It makes no sense to use an outdoor cord for that kind of draw. I would spend some money on the main feeds to the controllers if you need extension cords there, or of course things like house outline c7/c9 incandescent. Those are your largest power draws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Musil Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I wish I had known about this a few years ago, BEFORE I bought 1 1/4 miles of extension cords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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