Recommendations on Extension Cords and Light Strings

[a31ford]

Hmmm, recommendations on extension cords?

 

#1.     Buy twice as much as you think you're going to need.

 

#2.     Budget another 50% beyond that number for what you're actually going to wind up using.

 

#3.     Scramble for another 500' sometime around the 2nd week of November because you somehow managed to use everything up already.

 

Yep, that should about do it.

 

 

Describes 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 to the letter.

2015, well already bought on 2 pre-sales and will still probably wipe out local Lowes in November.

 

 

 I gota Agree with these guys, my fist show went 100 % this way with cables.....

[Tony Shepherd]

I agree with SPT2 but stripping out old strings works well. You can make a good 50 foot lead from a 200 string set. These are ideal for that one prop which is a distance from your controller.

[Jefffrompawpaw]

Does anyone have any recommendations as to maximum length I should use SPT1 wire?  

[a31ford]

SPT1 comes in 2 gauge sizes (# 18 and #20) the normalized ratings are ( 9 amps for #18 ) and ( 6 amps for #20 ). Looking at a current to wire gauge chart we see that using  the NEC (National Electric Code) set point of 3% total voltage drop (3% of 120 volts is 116 volts maximum drop, that gives us 4 volts to play with).

 

So drawing an imaginary line at the 4 volt mark in the table below we see that #18 ga. wire will support 1 amp of current for 315 feet.

 

HOLD ON !!!!

 

That is ONLY 1 amp..... 2 amps would be roughly 155 feet, 4 amps would be roughly 80 feet, 8 amps would be roughly 40 feet.

 

Looking at the chart, we also see something else... Temperature.... ( 68 F )

 

If you live  in a southern state (example Florida) you would have to de-rate the amperage slightly for the higher temperature, where as where I live, I could increase the amperage a bit.

 

You can go with a slight more voltage drop HOWEVER... TWO things happen... your display gets dimmer (less voltage to the bulbs. AND you run a chance of running your cables so warm (they start to act like giant heat loads) that the insulation melts AND YOU CAUSE A FIRE !!

 

Another consideration is that cables running parallel and/or crossing each other cause inductance between themselves and create "hot spots" on the cables where the insulation will melt easyer. 

 

the long and short of it is.... KNOW HOW MANY AMPS you are putting on each cable. ( you should know anyhow so you don;t fry triacs in controllers )......

 

 

 

 

Greg

[Mega Arch]

Greg's example above is another perfect reason to go all LED. Box of GE C-9 LEDs says that you can connect 25 sets at 12 ft each. And that's only 22 awg.

Tell Archer (Kevin) :

LEDs rule!

LEDs tule!

[Archer]

Please note that he was not telling the world how cheap it is to go to LED. He had/has power issues and I wholeheartedly agree with the responses in this topic. If he had stared telling us that it is cheaper to go LED I would have said bull#$@% as the math does not lie. I have over 1,200 strands of mini's in my display. I do not have power issues and if I were to convert to LED and maintain my desired look I would have to purchase over 2,000 strands of LED's as they are packaged at 70/strand in most cases and triple the cost on a good day. So to say across the board they are cheaper is not true. The math does not lie....I stuck with mini's and was able to build up to my current level of 44 controllers with the savings. kevinkolak.com

MEGA....Someday we need to meet in person and share some coffee and ideas....I'll buy since I have mini's.

[Mega Arch]

...MEGA....Someday we need to meet in person and share some coffee and ideas....I'll buy since I have mini's.

Awesome. I spent way too much on LEDs for my Mega Tree Makeover this year. So I'll take you up on your offer. I'm not fancy when it comes to coffee though. Black from 7-11 is the best. No way do I touch @&$bucks, or whatever you call them. $6 for coffee- no way. I'm a cheap date.