christmas lights - sealing connections

Guest
Hi everyone,

Every Christmas when I hang my lights I seal all male/female
connections between cords with electrical tape so that water should not
penetrate and short out the circuit. I was wondering if anyone objects
to doing this. Also I was wondering if I should just not bother
sealing the connections.

Thanks,

Carl
 
<carlbernardi@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1132439146.981166.227160@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Hi everyone,

Every Christmas when I hang my lights I seal all male/female
connections between cords with electrical tape so that water should not
penetrate and short out the circuit. I was wondering if anyone objects
to doing this. Also I was wondering if I should just not bother
sealing the connections.
Click to expand...
Can't hurt and the electrical tape manufacturer's love you! Merry XMAS.
 
carlbernardi@gmail.com wrote:
Hi everyone,

Every Christmas when I hang my lights I seal all male/female
connections between cords with electrical tape so that water should not
penetrate and short out the circuit. I was wondering if anyone objects
to doing this. Also I was wondering if I should just not bother
sealing the connections.

Thanks,

Carl
Click to expand...

I usually don't bother, but it certainly won't hurt anything. I've had a
few of the fused plugs on C9 strings burn up from water collecting in them.
 
Every Christmas when I hang my lights I seal all male/female
connections between cords with electrical tape so that water should
not penetrate and short out the circuit. I was wondering if anyone
objects to doing this.
Click to expand...
I object. Please don't do that anymore.

**kidding** I do it too.

On a related note can someone recommend a brand of LED xmas lights that are
as bright as typical miniature incandescents? I bought some last year but
they are noticably dimmer. I always put white lights on the roofline of
the house (using clips so each is positioned just so) and it looks nice.
But I'm one of those people for whom incandescent light looks yellowish so
white LED's look great--really really white--plus they look different than
anyone else's lights. I want them brighter though.
 
Plus, they blink! I don't understand
why they don't put in full wave rectifiers.
Yes I do, it's all $$$$, but I'd gladly
pay an extra $1 for the rectifier.
Most of them that I have seen are on for
120th of a second and off for the
same.

Steve Kraus wrote:
Every Christmas when I hang my lights I seal all male/female
connections between cords with electrical tape so that water should
not penetrate and short out the circuit. I was wondering if anyone
objects to doing this.


I object. Please don't do that anymore.

**kidding** I do it too.

On a related note can someone recommend a brand of LED xmas lights that are
as bright as typical miniature incandescents? I bought some last year but
they are noticably dimmer. I always put white lights on the roofline of
the house (using clips so each is positioned just so) and it looks nice.
But I'm one of those people for whom incandescent light looks yellowish so
white LED's look great--really really white--plus they look different than
anyone else's lights. I want them brighter though.
Click to expand...
 
[This followup was posted to sci.electronics.repair and a copy was sent
to the cited author.]

In article <GkWff.7$A23.5@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
screen@SPAMBLOCKfilmteknik.com says...
On a related note can someone recommend a brand of LED xmas lights that are
as bright as typical miniature incandescents? I bought some last year but
they are noticably dimmer. I always put white lights on the roofline of
the house (using clips so each is positioned just so) and it looks nice.
But I'm one of those people for whom incandescent light looks yellowish so
white LED's look great--really really white--plus they look different than
anyone else's lights. I want them brighter though.
Click to expand...
I have some ForverBright sets. The 35-light sets are a single circuit.
I put a bridge rectifier in a small outlet box with a combo
switch/outlet. The rectifier came from my junk box, and is a giant 1.5"
or so square with a bolt hole through middle, way overkill. You could
obviously use something much smaller. Just don't forget a fuse rated at
or below the rectifier's rating.

Running off of unfiltered 120V DC, it is noticeably brighter, and no
obvious flicker. You could string several sets together. The newer sets
also have a nicer green. One set is older, and the green is dim and sort
of that puke lime-green color.

Be careful of longer sets. I have a 70-light set, and it is basically
two 35-light sets connected with opposite polarity. Running on DC, it's
one half or the other lit. I haven't looked close at it yet to see if
it's possible to reverse one circuit so it would be DC friendly.

Some sets run off of a transformer. They probably work similar to the
above. You'd just need a DC supply at the right voltage and current.

--
If there is a no_junk in my address, please REMOVE it before replying!
All junk mail senders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law!!
http://home.att.net/~andyross
 
Art Todesco wrote:
Plus, they blink! I don't understand
why they don't put in full wave rectifiers.
Yes I do, it's all $$$$, but I'd gladly
pay an extra $1 for the rectifier.
Most of them that I have seen are on for
120th of a second and off for the
same.
Click to expand...
You are really fast with that stop watch. :)

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit
 
Steve Kraus wrote:
Every Christmas when I hang my lights I seal all male/female
connections between cords with electrical tape so that water should
not penetrate and short out the circuit. I was wondering if anyone
objects to doing this.

I object. Please don't do that anymore.

**kidding** I do it too.
Click to expand...
I don't object but then I don't see the point in doing it either. I
haven't done it ever (over 30 years), put out lots of lights in the
past, have had them up for a month, never had a short. Looks like
wasted time/effort and make a mess pulling them down.

Harry K
 
I don't object but then I don't see the point in doing it either. I
haven't done it ever (over 30 years), put out lots of lights in the
past, have had them up for a month, never had a short. Looks like
wasted time/effort and make a mess pulling them down.

Harry K
Click to expand...
My neighbors must be getting lazy because they have permanent outdoor
Christmas lights. Actually it's a good concept. Why not have them
built in?

30 years ago we lived in a neighborhood where the homeowners were
shuned if they didn't get the lights down by say Feb 1.

Beachcomber
 
The town where I live has a March or
April 1st ordinance for
Christmas decorations/lights removal,
although I have seen
lights up all year on some houses. BTW,
some colored lights will
loose their color much faster if left
out all year.

Beachcomber wrote:
I don't object but then I don't see the point in doing it either. I
haven't done it ever (over 30 years), put out lots of lights in the
past, have had them up for a month, never had a short. Looks like
wasted time/effort and make a mess pulling them down.

Harry K



My neighbors must be getting lazy because they have permanent outdoor
Christmas lights. Actually it's a good concept. Why not have them
built in?

30 years ago we lived in a neighborhood where the homeowners were
shuned if they didn't get the lights down by say Feb 1.

Beachcomber
Click to expand...
 
Joseph Meehan wrote:
Art Todesco wrote:

Plus, they blink! I don't understand
why they don't put in full wave rectifiers.
Yes I do, it's all $$$$, but I'd gladly
pay an extra $1 for the rectifier.
Most of them that I have seen are on for
120th of a second and off for the
same.


You are really fast with that stop watch. :)

No, but, if you move your head, you can
Click to expand...
definitely see it.
And, it is irritating to some.
 
"Joseph Meehan" <sligojoe_Spamno@hotmail.com> writes:

Art Todesco wrote:
Plus, they blink! I don't understand
why they don't put in full wave rectifiers.
Yes I do, it's all $$$$, but I'd gladly
pay an extra $1 for the rectifier.
Most of them that I have seen are on for
120th of a second and off for the
same.

You are really fast with that stop watch. :)
Click to expand...
Once you've seen a few pulsing LEDs, it's easy to tell. There are
only two common possitiblities - full wave or halfwave and they
are trivial to tell apart. There's no microcomputer in there to
produce other rep rates! :)

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name is included in the subject line. Or, you can
contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.
 
Andrew Rossmann wrote:
[This followup was posted to sci.electronics.repair and a copy was sent
to the cited author.]

In article <GkWff.7$A23.5@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
screen@SPAMBLOCKfilmteknik.com says...

On a related note can someone recommend a brand of LED xmas lights that are
as bright as typical miniature incandescents? I bought some last year but
they are noticably dimmer. I always put white lights on the roofline of
the house (using clips so each is positioned just so) and it looks nice.
But I'm one of those people for whom incandescent light looks yellowish so
white LED's look great--really really white--plus they look different than
anyone else's lights. I want them brighter though.


I have some ForverBright sets. The 35-light sets are a single circuit.
I put a bridge rectifier in a small outlet box with a combo
switch/outlet. The rectifier came from my junk box, and is a giant 1.5"
or so square with a bolt hole through middle, way overkill. You could
obviously use something much smaller. Just don't forget a fuse rated at
or below the rectifier's rating.

Running off of unfiltered 120V DC, it is noticeably brighter, and no
obvious flicker. You could string several sets together. The newer sets
also have a nicer green. One set is older, and the green is dim and sort
of that puke lime-green color.

Be careful of longer sets. I have a 70-light set, and it is basically
two 35-light sets connected with opposite polarity. Running on DC, it's
one half or the other lit. I haven't looked close at it yet to see if
it's possible to reverse one circuit so it would be DC friendly.

Some sets run off of a transformer. They probably work similar to the
above. You'd just need a DC supply at the right voltage and current.

Using the full wave rectifier without
Click to expand...
any other current limiting could, depending
on the wiring, put too much current
through the string and shorten the LED life.
But, that said, it's probably not that
significant. And, as you pointed out,
they are somewhat brighter. I have a
set of 70 "L.E.D. Lights" that is actually
2 sets of 35, not alternated, but 35 in
a row, followed by 35 more. One
diode string is in one direction and the
other is opposite. A full wave bridge on
this set will cause 35 light not to
light unless you modify the wiring. I
tried wiring
all 70 lights in one series circuit
(with the diodes in the same direction)
and it was
much too dim even through the rectifier
bridge. Wiring the 2 groups of 35 in
parallel with the diodes in the same
direction, works but the string has a much
higher through current. A series
resistor of about 700 ohms corrects
this. The
resistor should be 1/2 or 1 watt
(preferrable). Of course, you are
wasting this
power, about 1/2 watt. Boy, do I have
too much time on my hands or what?
 
"Art Todesco" <actodesco@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:YR1gf.734$Zb2.530@newssvr23.news.prodigy.net...
The town where I live has a March or April 1st ordinance for
Christmas decorations/lights removal, although I have seen
lights up all year on some houses. BTW, some colored lights will
loose their color much faster if left out all year.

Beachcomber wrote:
I don't object but then I don't see the point in doing it either. I
haven't done it ever (over 30 years), put out lots of lights in the
past, have had them up for a month, never had a short. Looks like
wasted time/effort and make a mess pulling them down.

Harry K



My neighbors must be getting lazy because they have permanent outdoor
Christmas lights. Actually it's a good concept. Why not have them
built in?

30 years ago we lived in a neighborhood where the homeowners were
shuned if they didn't get the lights down by say Feb 1.

Beachcomber
Click to expand...
The National Electrical Code now says (Article 590.3) that temporary holiday
decorative lighting can only stay up for 90 days. Don't know how many NEC
lighting police are around to check, but the stuff does deterioriate
especially from moisture and UV in sunlight.

TKM
 
"Art Todesco" <actodesco@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fY_ff.1148$rq3.530@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com...
Plus, they blink! I don't understand why they don't put in full wave
rectifiers.
Yes I do, it's all $$$$, but I'd gladly pay an extra $1 for the rectifier.
Most of them that I have seen are on for 120th of a second and off for the
same.

SNIP
Click to expand...
Mounting a hefty rectifier bridge in a box with an outlet is something that
you could do yourself for a few dollars. I'd also install a DPDT switch so
you could change the polarity of the output.

TKM
 
Art Todesco wrote:
Joseph Meehan wrote:

Art Todesco wrote:

Plus, they blink! I don't understand
why they don't put in full wave rectifiers.
Yes I do, it's all $$$$, but I'd gladly
pay an extra $1 for the rectifier.
Most of them that I have seen are on for
120th of a second and off for the
same.



You are really fast with that stop watch. :)

No, but, if you move your head, you can definitely see it.
And, it is irritating to some.
Click to expand...

Yes it really is very noticeable, it was my main objection to LED
lights, but I picked up a pack of Philips LED's this year since they
were on sale and they're fairly bright so I'm gonna solder a bridge
rectifier into them just after the plug and seal it in heatshrink tubing.
 
I can see the 30hz flicker from those LED strings. (60hz rectified
with one diode chops half the sine wave in half). Love the low power
but not the flickers. Drives me nuts and hard on my eye.

Cheers, Wizard
 
Beachcomber wrote:
I don't object but then I don't see the point in doing it either. I
haven't done it ever (over 30 years), put out lots of lights in the
past, have had them up for a month, never had a short. Looks like
wasted time/effort and make a mess pulling them down.

Harry K


My neighbors must be getting lazy because they have permanent outdoor
Christmas lights. Actually it's a good concept. Why not have them
built in?

....
Beachcomber
Click to expand...
My neighbor had a small unrelated fire in the middle of the summer. The
fire department had the fire out in a few minutes with minimal damage to
their home. However they say the Christmas lights on it and put up an unfit
for occupancy sign and told them the sign would come down after they had
removed all the Christmas lights. It seems they have had problems with them
from people who have left them up all year. They got the lights down the
same day and they were back in their home the same day, with just a little
smoke and some repair work to the third floor.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Welcome to EDABoard.com

Sponsor

Back
Top