[deleted]
Comments
kaisertralfaz t1_iw371sl wrote
All this, the outside outlet should be a GFCI, and cover any exposed female ends of plugs that might be exposed with electrical tape.
jlanger23 t1_iw3hlac wrote
Those controllers are great. I got about four from Home Depot and have them set for six hours once the sun goes down.
brock_lee t1_iw3hu3f wrote
I have one for the market lights over my patio. Currently, set for dusk to six hours later, in the summer, it's dusk to four hours later. It also has a remote to override the on or off at any time. I love it.
jlanger23 t1_iw3i5lx wrote
I'd love to upgrade to remote timers next year. I went a bit cheaper since the electric bills killed us this last year and I spent quite a bit on outdoor decorations.
jswitzer t1_iw3hn4o wrote
If you go LED, you can typically string a ton of strands together per 20A breaker. I think I typically string 20 strands of 100 bulbs together without issues. They make waterproof surge protectors and waterproof extensions for snow and rain. Make sure you plug into a GFI outlet and if your waterproofing fails, you can reset the GFI outlet and look for the failure.
Colin1876 t1_iw39zyu wrote
Just in case this wasn’t clear from the other comments, basically the answer is, it doesn’t matter that much. I have dozens of extensions cords plugged into each other just sitting in the rain and snow, it’s never been a problem.
Should I worry about it? Yeah probably. It’s good you’re worrying about it. Just don’t aim for perfection. If you start thinking about it like “if a drop of water falls in here it’ll be a crisis” you’ll drive yourself crazy. Take a few reasonable precautions and remember that I had a full power strip, facing up that I forgot to tuck under the deck, powering a few hundred watts of Hue outdoor lighting that was just sitting in the rain for a week before I noticed, and it was fine. Do better than I do, but remember that water is WAY less conductive than people think. (Perfectly distilled water is actually not conductive at all. You could cut the end of an extension cord, hook it up to 277v power and drop it in a bathtub you were in and you’d be fine so long as you were in distilled water. Though don’t test that)
surSEXECEN t1_iw5qv2v wrote
Canadian here - don’t worry about it. Plug into GFCI and go to town.
Colin1876 t1_iw5xd7x wrote
Haha I love this answer. I work in this field and am so concerned about liability that even anonymous on the internet I’m scared to just say that. But I agree 100%
skippingstone t1_iw38wyj wrote
Just make sure the outdoor outlet or breaker is GFCI, and you'll be good to go.
touche112 t1_iw3c0xc wrote
I mean, imma be real with ya, for years I've plugged strings upon strings upon strings of lights together outside and left them unprotected in the snow and rain.... Just them plugs raw doggin the outdoors
kellyguacamole t1_iw3onu5 wrote
Did the same. Ran a 100ft extension cord from my garage to timer, my Halloween lights with at least 7 different strings, and two inflatable decorations. Nothing bad happened and my house was built in ‘49 so you know the outlets are extra shitty.
hitachi13 t1_iw36zi3 wrote
If you want to make plugs waterproof coat them in dielectric grease before plugging them into each other
Luke_Orlando t1_iw3a4tm wrote
Water is a terrible conductor. If your outdoor outlet has flaps and is gfci, you're fine. Outdoor string lights will string together. They also have fuses in them for added protection.
[deleted] OP t1_iw3aad8 wrote
[deleted]
Luke_Orlando t1_iw3am1c wrote
You're still probably fine. Millions of people plug outdoor lights into their outdoor plugs every year with no issue. Water really isn't a major concern. :)
You're more worried about build ups of dirt and grime.
zapurvis t1_iw3rb7x wrote
malice_aforethought t1_iw3dlsx wrote
It's generally pretty easy to swap out a regular outlet to a GFCI. Just make sure it's an exterior rated GFCI.
Rxyro t1_iw3fzvx wrote
Ahhhh this explains why my 3 pack was $21, not 1 for $17.
ElephantiasisNuts t1_iw3pe8t wrote
You can get an 'in use cover' and it allows you to have a weatherproof cover and still plug in
MarvinHeemyerlives t1_iw3hzaj wrote
Three prong cords plugged into receptacles with a ground fault interrupter or GFCI
Lopsided_Web5432 t1_iw450m9 wrote
If they’re outdoor lights plug them in and enjoy. Better yet buy a timer set it to your liking and you only have to plug in once
ThisUsernameIsTook t1_iw4ka3n wrote
I just use one of these https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-Socket-with-Outlets-White-R52-01403-00W/100184555? in my garage outdoor light and plug the strings together. The light fixture is enclosed except for being open on the bottom, so I'm not worried about moisture there. I string the lights along our gutter and try to keep the plug connections out of the gutter so they won't sit in water. That's all the weatherproofing I normally do.
whyliepornaccount t1_iw4nxsw wrote
The real answer is likely below.
My policy has always just been "send it"
reggiecide t1_iw51j7s wrote
I actually did have a problem one year with the lights tripping a gfci outlet. It turned out some water got into a plug gap, froze, and bridged the hot and ground. I made little gaskets from foam sheets I had laying around and that seemed to be enough to fix it. I also wrapped the connections in electrical tape, but I think that just trapped any water that got past the tape. The other thing is to just keep the plugs off the ground so they don't sit in the snow.
poofrt t1_iw5fusr wrote
All these answers are right, but if you really want to do a power strip, my approach is to use an IPX6 power strip inside a Sockitbox. It’s a bit overkill maybe but I feel pretty comfortable with it
Reaganson t1_iw5na2l wrote
Also remember to plug in your lights to make sure they all light before you string them.
aZamaryk t1_iw35qsk wrote
Whilst floating.
brock_lee t1_iw2p1qt wrote
Depends on the lights, but most strings can daisy chain together. They also make weather proof extension cords with a few outlets on the end, as well as weatherproof power strips. But as an exterior illumination veteran, I think you can likely do what you want without a power strip.
Also a suggestion I'd have is look into a "dusk to dawn" xmas light controller. They are cheap and can turn the lights on at dusk, and off at any number of hours later, or it can just wait until dawn to turn them off. I have a few and love them.