Drac Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Yep. Originally it was laid out to reuse the same cords but now it's back to the drawing board. Lot of lesson to be learned the first year... Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zman Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Vince, The main point is it is not always about cost. You can always find deals on cords, and they are necessary for your power grid. However, buying cords for connections. When you get up to several thousand feet of cords, storage and weight become a huge factor. Store bought cords take way more room than the equivalent SPTx version, and weighs less. Hualing garbage cans or tote bins around year after year takes its toll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinchief Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 (edited) Mark - Thank you for the spreadsheet! This is my second year and I am up to 7 controllers and still adding (of course). This sheet will help as I already have all my lights inventoried for power usage, length, and light count...now I can easily associate them with the controllers. I also just received 1000' of SPT-1 cord and vampire plugs from radiant holidays and was pleased with cost, ease of storage and carrying from this cording. I have 2600ft of 16 gauge store-bought cords and storing and carrying is definately a good reason to use the SPT-1; already need to buy more. The good news is that we have about 4 acres we can light....bad news is that I am quickly getting out of control; and enjoying it. Thanks again Edited July 10, 2014 by Vinchief 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drac Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Majorly psyched!!! Just got my adapter in and ran a test of my 2 controllers. All 32 are up and running. Just got a couple bats to finish (waiting on lights, should be here tomorrow) and a couple ghost (setting up the coroplast) and then I should be ready for a full test of Halloween hopefully Sunday.Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehgilman Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 How do these Vamp Plugs and spt wire hold up in rain, snow? I have been using store bought outdoor cords and use electricle tape to wrap the connections to keep the water out. If you are using 2 wire with no ground then GFCI are usless? I thought they needed a ground to work properly. I prefer to keep my show running when it is snowing and raining. believe it or not people still stop and watch the show since they don't need to roll down their windows. Is this a problem? Thoughts and suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanZ Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 No issues for me yet. Try to have drip loops and make sure you plug the controllers into GFI outlets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince4xmas Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 ZMAN, I only use extension cords for power grid. All lights are connected via SPT. Believe this to be a good plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 If you are using 2 wire with no ground then GFCI are usless? I thought they needed a ground to work properly.That is a common misconception. The entire purpose of a GFCI is to protect living things when ground is not available. If an appliance with a metal cabinet is properly grounded with a 3-wire plug, then a GFCI is not necessary because the grounded metal cabinet will protect you from a fault. But if you don't have a metal cabinet (like Christmas lights), then you need something else for protection. The protection circuit in a GFCI does not use the ground. It measures the difference in current between the hot and neutral wires. If the difference is more than 5mA, then a "ground fault" has occurred, meaning a "fault" is causing current to flow from hot to ground, bypassing neutral. This fault can occur when current goes from hot, through your body, and to ground through your feet or other hand. In fact, the NEC allows you to replace an old 2-prong outlet with a 3-prong GFCI, provided it is marked "No Equipment Ground". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehgilman Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thank you Steven..... That cleared alot of things up....As far as running SPT and Vamps in the weather, As long as I keep them off the ground and wrap the connections well, I should be ok. At least that is waht I am getting.I work for a big box company that is not HD... So tomorrow I will pick up a GFCI and see what kind of price we have on the SPT and Vamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 As far as running SPT and Vamps in the weather, As long as I keep them off the ground and wrap the connections well, I should be ok. At least that is waht I am getting.There are different opinions on the "wrap" part. There is evidence that water will seep into a wrapped connection and combine with the dust inside and conduct electricity without drying out. I have tried wrapping a couple of times and it never worked. Now I leave the connections dangling and the only problems I have is where they touch the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehgilman Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Well then that is what I am going to do this year... saves time and tape... I like it... Thanks guys for the feedback....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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