Great year to start!

[zvacman]

This is my first year with LOR and what a perfect year to start. I live in Northern Michigan, (if you look at the palm side of your right hand I'm at the tip of your ring finger). It has been unseasonably warm this year so putting up lights and interacting with viewers has been nice. It was 45 degrees last night and my brother and I were out there handing out candy canes and getting feedback from viewers. I got a wide range of comments, all positive. One guy asked if I was an electrical engineer, I told him no but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last week. We all had a great time. One little old lady thanked me for putting on the show with tears in her eyes, I told her I did it just for her. Another car load beeped and said Merry Chrismas Clark as they left, I of course said come again Eddie. Just a few nights ago I was saying to my wife that I might not do it next year and she said she wouldn't blame me. We came in last night after the show ended and she asked, so, still thinking about not doing it next year? The answer was not only am I doing it but it's going to be bigger with more songs and props. It only takes a few smiles and tears to make you realize what this hobby is all about. I started out doing it for me because I love Christmas, but Christmas is about sharing and I am sharing what I love. Merry Christmas fellow fanatics!

Z

[zvacman]

I spoke too soon! After a whole day of heavy rain I'm popping a GFCI that runs 3/4's of my show! Crap!

Z

[Orville]

Got a suggestion for you for that, I was having those issues constantly on damp nights, even in light rain the GFCI would trip.   I solved my issues by purchasing those child proof electrical outlet covers, they have prongs like a male plug and plug directly into the pass through {male/female plugs} and the female ends.  I also cap my LOR unused channel dangles with them.   Ever since I started using them, my GFCI rarely trips, even in a harsh downpour, show kept running right on through.

 

They are a white plastic, so I also suggest buying a can or 2 of cheap flat black spray paint and paint the backs {unpronged side} of them, this way they aren't as visible after dark or when light hits them, as they are somewhat florescent in nature  Took me about 5-10 minutes to paint over 3,500 of these things, and another 5-10 minutes dry time.   I got mine at Wal-Mart.   Best inveatment I ever made for my display!

 

BTW: your first post hit the nail directly on why we all keep doing this, I keep saying I'm not going to do it the next year, but neighbors, friends and visitors always end up changing my mind. LOL

 

Have a Wonderful and Merry Christmas!

 

EDIT: Goofed, hit a 1 instead of the 3 for the number of these covers I painted at one time.  *corrected above*.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Orville

[mcha]

I ended up popping the GFCI last night as well.  Almost 3 inches of rain when it should be in the 20 and snow! The unseasonable weather is nice for working on set, but it is driving me crazy that we have no snow and it's not cold. I don't like dealing with all the rain.

 

Glad to see that you are getting feedback and the positive results from your work. For everyone that you hear, there are probably 5 others that are in awe and you never hear from them either!  

[rcktpwrd]

Another sugestion is to get the plugs off the ground if they are laying there. We had some issue with tripping the GFI because some of the plugs were on the ground and very wet. Once we elevated them no more issues.

We got a box of the C9 bulb holder spikes to lift the plugs up with.

like these: http://www.lowes.com/pd_138853-1364-9104-99-2930___?productId=999916219&pl=1&Ntt=holder

[mpageler]

While  the warm upper midwest  has been nice, the rainly fall has been a PITA with tripping GFCI.


Would trip when the halloween show started and only took a re-set to get it going.

But for Christmas, it seems that with colder temps, it would trip a handful of times at the start of a show before settling down and playing continuously.  

Had 2 AC and 2 DC controller on same GFCI and started to  plug controllers into different outlets to see which controller might be the problem.  Figured it was one of the AC controlers but now think it's a DC controller but it stops raining and couldn't confirm it.  Raining again so maybe I can now.  

Initial just figured it was an AC controller because of the 110v.  Never had issues with 12v landscaping wiring/lighting and it gets wet all the time.  So figured no way that it was one of the DC controller.

I do know that powering up something in the cold can trip GFCI.  This appends with my table show sometimes when the garage is really cold.  So having 4 controllers initial on 1 GFCI as themp got below freezing at nightg, might have been some of the issue.




 

[copotay]

Over last few days, before this cold front came through, my gfi was tripping with 100% humidity and dewpoints near 80, not even rain yet. The minute the southern wind out if the gulf would stop blowing, which it did all day for 3 days, right after dark, the dew would wet everything, and I mean dripping wet, I could take a mini tree and shake it like it had just rained. Finally, night before last, the southern wind blew into the night not letting wetness and dew get all over the plugs and wires. It stayed on all night.

Everything I have wire frames with are suspended from the ground with fiberglass rods for that reason I had last year. Also have every plug off the ground with those plastic christmas stakes. I even went around using a tester, the next day when I could keep the lights on, on each wire frame to see if I had a ground fault or major leakage, but I did not. Tried 3 different gfi receipts and splitting my one box between two gfis, but no go until everything finally stayed dry enough to run.

Orville mentioned those child proof plugs for the open ends of the strings which I do use on my mega tree but not all the other strands. I just ordered some more and will plug every opening on the strands.

I know that it's hard to believe but our pea soup we get with humidity and dew in southern Louisiana is just as bad as when it rains.

After the front passed us last night the dryer cold air came in, I went outside with my blower and dried off all the plugs from the 1 inch of rain we got, it ran all night like a champ. So it doesn't take much to trip them.

One other note I would mention is that I have some commercial led strands that have sealed bulbs on my mega tree. But on a lot of other stuff I use the store bought leds that have replaceable bulbs. The moisture does penetrate these and I know from experience that these cheaper made and less costly strands are not that great because I have found rust on the contacts of the bulbs after being in the weather awhile. Wish I could afford all commercial but can't do it. So I think that once our high moisture and dew penetrated all the plugs and cheap strands, it overwhelmed the gfi because there was too much ground fault that added up. I added a stock picture from the internet of what the inside of a replaceable led bulb looks like after a couple of weeks in the weather. LEDs do not use copper contacts, the use steel which corrodes.

I only have LEDs and I am only pulling 8 amps off of a 20 amp breaker, so the LOR box is not over loaded. I guess all we can do is try different things until it works.

Edited December 14, 2015 by copotay

[Orville]

Another sugestion is to get the plugs off the ground if they are laying there. We had some issue with tripping the GFI because some of the plugs were on the ground and very wet. Once we elevated them no more issues.

We got a box of the C9 bulb holder spikes to lift the plugs up with.

like these: http://www.lowes.com/pd_138853-1364-9104-99-2930___?productId=999916219&pl=1&Ntt=holder

+1 for this as well, I use these as well as the child proof outlet covers, and in rainy Florida, it works out very well.

 

BTW: Occasionally we've had below freezing temps for several days in a row in Florida in my area {Orlando}, never had my GFCI trip due to freezing cold{and sometimes even rainy during those times} weather, but my water fountain bird bath froze up, but the pump kept right on pumping water up and onto the ice, making a hole and allowed the water under the ice to continue circulating!   That was an interesting sight to see, watching water fall from the icicles from the feeder bowl above the larger bath bowl below.

[mcha]

Typical winters are not the problem in my area for the rain and I think Zvacman is in the same situation.  My cords are typically out for a rain event or two ( less than 1/2") and usually buried under a foot of snow and keeping them slightly raised wouldn't do much as they are still in the snow.  This rain storm dropped 3" in our area over the past 2 days and is completely abnormal and not welcomed. We are having localized flooding and it is way too warm!

[zvacman]

When I was resetting the GFCI last night the show would run all the way through. It wasn't tripping at the same spot each show so I was unable to narrow down the culprit. Since the show kept going after resetting it I decided to move the power supply to a non GFCI outlet to see if it is serious enough to actually trip the breaker in my panel. The word is out regarding my show, it runs every half hour from 6-9 and there is always at least two carloads of viewers watching, I can't have 3/4's of the show going down even for a few seconds, plus going out in the rain to reset it. It was all over Facebook last night about my technical difficulties. The people, who I don't know, we're very understanding and still highly recommended coming to see the show. I just hope that I don't trip a breaker and the show goes on. We have rain in the forecast everyday for the next week at least.

Z

[zvacman]

After moving the power supply and puring rain all day the show is running perfectly. I just hope if something catches on fire it is on the last show to give it a grand finale effect.

Z

[mcha]

I like the thought process of going out with a bang!

 

Hope it starts drying out by you.

[kiplorenzo]

I use Long tupperware bins to cover the big plugs (120 ac orange cable) I cut a small hole in each end and then place the connection inside with enough cable to make it stand up. the holes let a little water in, and out...but because the Cable is Arched inside the container, no cable gets wet at all... and we get snow here in Colorado...