Non-motoring > Outdoor Christmas lights	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: RattleandSmoke	Replies: 36

New Sun 11 Dec 11 15:53   Outdoor Christmas lights - RattleandSmoke

Got a fur tree (don't know the correct name) in the back garden which is about 10 foot tall. I thought it would be nice to put some lights on it. The tree is 20 meters from the nearest power point (in the shed) and I have no intention of carrying any mains electricity outdoors (too many regulations to follow) which leaves me with a dilemma. Ideally battery LED ones would be best, then I could use high capacity rechargeable batteries. I did use solar ones in the past, but I found that it never got enough sun light so I used my own rechargeable batteries in it it won't ok but the solar base is not rusted out. The other solution would be to buy some standard low voltage out door lights, and use the power socket in the shed to power them, but can you buy any with a long enough lead? It would need to be 20 meters from the first light to plug and I am not sure they exist. Any suggestions? Don't want to spend any more than £20 on this unless they will last years. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:02   Outdoor Christmas lights - Runfer D'Hills

A hairy tree ? Fantastic ! What about one of those lawnmower type extension reels with a weather resistant connector? Plug the business end into an RCD equipped socket? Dunno. Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Sun 11 Dec 11 at 16:02 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:06   Outdoor Christmas lights - RattleandSmoke

I did think about that, I suppose if it has the correct IP rating it would be ok. The problem is the transformer would have to be in in the waterproof casing and they may be a bit too bulky for it. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:16   Outdoor Christmas lights - Bigtee

A mains cable is insulated so use a circuit breaker inline and crack on with your lights for a permanent thing next year bury a cable in plastic pipe do it right if you want it. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:17   Outdoor Christmas lights - spamcan61

I would get one of those LED sets with a 'wall wart' PSU, extend the cable between the PSU and lights using 3A mains flex or bell wire or summat similar and plus it in in the shed. If I was feeling particularly methodicalIi'd solder the connections and use self amalgamating tape to cover 'em. Just looked at the PSU on the set we use, output is 24V 100mA so not very demanding in terms of cable at all, provided the volts drop is not too huge. Last edited by: spamcan61 on Sun 11 Dec 11 at 16:21 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:26   Outdoor Christmas lights - RattleandSmoke

I would need to do some calculations re voltage drop. I think one of the issues of extending it myself is thse sets often have multiple wires as the controller has a microprocessor but I think you actually mean keep the box near the tree but then extends the cable going into the transformer. That might work providing I can find a small and neat enough waterproof box to make the connections in. I will have a look in B&Q tomorrow and see if I get any ideas. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:29   Outdoor Christmas lights - -

Shove the connections in biscuit tin Rattie, you should find yourself a scrap booker or crafter lady, always got something handy for such events as they never chuck anything out. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:35   Outdoor Christmas lights - Runfer D'Hills

Old "Tupperware" lunch box to protect connections and transformer maybe? Cable width hole in each side and a bit of sealant round the cable once pushed through? Could get quite Biblical mind. Burning bushes and so on ! :-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:31   Outdoor Christmas lights - BobbyG

Just run an extension cable and hide it inside a carrier bag under the tree to keep the rain off it?? As long as it is plugged in via RCD worst you will do is trip it? Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:31   Outdoor Christmas lights - Zero

With your inevitable ease you are complicating things again Rats, This was answered a couple of weeks ago in a very similar thread. You buy a low voltage set of lights. Keep the mains transformer inside the house and extend the low voltage side with bell wire. You just cut it and extend it. You dont need to calculate voltage loss its of no consequence, just how how much bell wire you need to buy., Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:35   Outdoor Christmas lights - Armel Coussine

>> just how how much bell wire you need to buy., ... or disentangle from that box of wire, plugs, sockets and bits of old reading lamps under your bed or in the attic... waste not want not innit? Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:38   Outdoor Christmas lights - RattleandSmoke

Just looked at the ones we have on the tree, and what you're suggesting will be be very easy but I wonder if I am better using slightly thicker cable? Might offer more protection from the elements? I don't main from a safety point of view but from a wear and tear one. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:38   Outdoor Christmas lights - spamcan61

>> I would need to do some calculations re voltage drop. I think one of the >> issues of extending it myself is thse sets often have multiple wires as the controller >> has a microprocessor but I think you actually mean keep the box near the tree >> but then extends the cable going into the transformer. That might work providing I can >> find a small and neat enough waterproof box to make the connections in. >> >> I will have a look in B&Q tomorrow and see if I get any ideas. >> >> The set we have has a 2 core cable from the wall wart to the control box a few feet long, then 4 core from the control box to the lights, I'm indeed suggesting extending the 2 core. I would suck it and see volts drop wise unless I was buying cable specially. Only downside of my approach is you would need to keep the control box somewhere waterproof, I'd use a small tupperware box or similar as it's only a few volts we're playing with here. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:33   Outdoor Christmas lights - CGNorwich

Chop down tree and move it nearer shed. Reply to this message | Report message       2

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:37   Outdoor Christmas lights - Runfer D'Hills

Couldn't chop down a rare thing like that. It's furry. Got to be a protected species. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:38   Outdoor Christmas lights - spamcan61

>> Couldn't chop down a rare thing like that. It's furry. >> Monkey Puzzle? Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:39   Outdoor Christmas lights - RattleandSmoke

It is indeed rare, it said on the packaging maximum height 4ft, its now 10ft! Probably will need to be chopped down sooner or later :( Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:39   Outdoor Christmas lights - BobbyG

Park the Panda next to it, get one of those inverter things that allows you to plug low voltage mains into cigarette lighter and Bob's your Aunty's husband? The Panda does have a cigarette lighter doesn't it???? Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 16:40   Outdoor Christmas lights - RattleandSmoke

Ha I would have to knock a few walls down to get the Panda onto the garden though. And yes my Panda is one of the very rare Actives which has the cig lighter or least the socket.t Most Active spec ones didn't have it. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 17:26   Outdoor Christmas lights - Fursty Ferret

>> too many regulations to follow What is this, a theme park? There are no regulations! Jeez... 1. Shed. 2. RCD. 3. Cable running under door or through window. 4. Cable terminates in waterproof box. Transformer goes inside box. 5. Job done. At least 200 LEDs, preferably blue, and flashing. Hop to it and take photos. (2) and (4) available from B&Q for less than £20. * You will not electrocute yourself. ** You will not burn the shed down. *** You will not achieve anything impressive using batteries. Edit: You do realise that the voltage drop you're calculating will probably be on the order of about 0.5%, don't you? The distance is usually measured in kilometers even for DC systems... Last edited by: Fursty Ferret on Sun 11 Dec 11 at 17:30 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 17:49   Outdoor Christmas lights - Zero

My local garden centre sells a box for just this purpose. Its one of those large plastic storage boxes with a snap on lid, large enough for an extension reel, and it has some slots cut in the side with a rubber flap glued over them in some failed pretence to keep the weather-tight. And how much do they want for a £2.50 B&Q storage box? £22.50 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 18:48   Outdoor Christmas lights - Ted

A fur tree...nice. I've seen a furry bush ! I put lights on our 10ft high ' smoke bush ' in the back garden. I plug the mains lead into the garage or the caravan and put the socket/transformer end into a spare wheely bin......lid down, job sorted. Seemples. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 22:34   Outdoor Christmas lights - MJM

Have you calculated the temperature rise in the Wheely bin due to the transformer inefficiency? Don't want it to melt. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 22:46   Outdoor Christmas lights - Zero

Yeah - he might need a 500 watt Wheely bin Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 Dec 11 23:59   Outdoor Christmas lights - Ted

Hmmmm....good point. Perhaps the usual black bin might absorb and retain more heat. Haven't got a white one so mebbez the green one might be better...and more ecologically sound. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 06:44   Outdoor Christmas lights - sherlock47

>>Hmmmm....good point. Perhaps the usual black bin might absorb and retain more heat.<< The black bin will reradiate the heat more efficiently than a white one :) Dont we all know that we should paint our house hold radiators matt black. (Never really thought about whether my refigerator should be repainted shiny white rather than 'quartz gray. Last edited by: pmh on Mon 12 Dec 11 at 06:46 Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 08:10   Outdoor Christmas lights - Dave_

>> Dont we all know that we should paint our house hold radiators matt black >> Never really thought about whether my refigerator should be repainted shiny white At work we had a shiny stainless steel tea urn, "insulated" by shrouding it in a spare black corporate polo shirt. Surely that would have made it waste energy even more quickly? Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 09:39   Outdoor Christmas lights - sherlock47

>> At work we had a shiny stainless steel tea urn, "insulated" by shrouding it in a spare >> black corporate polo shirt. Surely that would have made it waste energy even more quickly? Only if the thermal conductivity of the T shirt was was similar (or greater than) to the metal container. You should really put it inside the fridge to keep the heat in. :) (But turn the fridge off!) Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 12 Dec 11 at 10:33 Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 10:26   Outdoor Christmas lights - madf

Rats should insulate his furry tree to save energy loss. A blg black builder's sack will keep it warm. Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 10:34   Outdoor Christmas lights - VxFan

>> Rats should insulate his furry tree to save energy loss. Surely the fur is already doing that? Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 11:18   Outdoor Christmas lights - madf

Not when wet.. Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 13:57   Outdoor Christmas lights - Fursty Ferret

Could be a polar bear tree. Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 15:08   Outdoor Christmas lights - madf

Must be a green polar bear then.. Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 22:05   Outdoor Christmas lights - RattleandSmoke

Ended up buying a pair of 240 white LEDs from Wilko's and also bought a 20 metre extension cable for £3.97 much cheaper than what B&Q wanted. Saved a lot of messing about 20m metres of bell wire must be at least £4. Looks brilliant :). Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 23:07   Outdoor Christmas lights - rtj70

Tesco had Christmas lights on offer a few days ago. I think it includes the outside variety too. Last edited by: rtj70 on Mon 12 Dec 11 at 23:07 Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 23:14   Outdoor Christmas lights - Zero

It Included everything, lights, Decorations, trees, the lot. 1/3 off. Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 12 Dec 11 23:23   Outdoor Christmas lights - rtj70

I'd actually bought some coloured lights (100) for the tree. Wife wanted clear so took back but none in stock. So refund of £8. I then bought the clear ones when in stock for £5.28. Not my fault honest. But the existing lights are clear. The ones over the road are annoying... flashing in the window etc. I'd even risk removing the copper cable to the house I think ;-) Nah not that bad. Last edited by: rtj70 on Mon 12 Dec 11 at 23:24 Reply to this message | Report message