Please tell me if I’m being too safety conscious.
Please tell me if I’m being too safety conscious.
People nearby have strings of electrical xmas lights all over on a wrought iron fence and in several outdoor trees, all exposed in the rain. Is that a shock hazard ready to zap someone at any minute?
It looks like full 120VAC, although maybe there are really big bright low power lights.
Is that even allowed under the electrical code?
Either Way
Either way, it will be their trees and fences and yards and houses turning into big outdoor campfires enough for the whole neighborhood to gather round, roast some marshmallows and sing Christmas carols.
Though very neat to view and watch, even listen to the synchronized music tracks via Part 15 FM, some of them tend to get WAY excessive.
And I thought the goal was to outdo the neighbor with the fanciest car in the driveway.
Good thing the bright lights are only around for a little while once a year.
RFB
Shock
The code regulations stop at the outlet (at least here). The lights should be connected to a GFCI protected circuit but don’t bet your life that it is! Older dwellings may not be up to code.
I have two outdoor floods and when it rains both of them trip out the GFCIs. My son reports the same thing. I know of some who will seek and use an indoor outlet which is not on a GFCI for the outdoor stuff and the extension cords add another fire hazard. Note: the GFCI is not intended nor does it protect against conditions which could result in fire such as arcing from line to neutral. They sense the current balance between line and neutral and if the currents are not equal they trip. The assumption is that if the currents are not equal then some is going to ground such as through a person.
Be safe.
Neil
Info Falls On Deaf Ears…Well Some
I have been spending the last couple of weeks posting valuable information about these systems over at the DoItYourself.com forum, where a bunch of folks have gathered together and formed groups to do group buys for lighting systems, controllers, synchronized to music fed through Part 15 FM transmitters, most of which they use are NOT FCC certified, most they use are those inferior China transmitters that spit out tons of spectrum garbage, no low pass filters and most there are using simple 1/2 wave dipole antennas with no means to verify antenna tuning or checking for VSWR or any other issues relating to the antenna or coax.
I tried, and tried and tried. A few took my info to heart and have begun taking steps to solve their on-going problems that the “experts” over there seem to think is unwarranted and unneeded. Too “detailed” as one put it. Another stated “who has ever had a visit by the FCC or local power utility about their systems”.
Well I replied..”You mean who has yet to be visited”. These folks have put a lot of time and money into their light displays but take the cheap approach to resolving interference issues, noise issues and tripping breaker issues all the while asking for answers, then turn around and balk at the right answers given if those answers require spending a few bucks to solve the problems the right way.
Some of the problems they encounter wont have to have one dime spent, but the excuse there is too complex for simple DIY’ers.
Now I may have been born at night but I was not born last night. Too complex? WHAT?? HUH?? You people are messing around with very COMPLEX computer controlled light sequencers, synchronized music to 160 plus channels of 200 plus foot long light strands strung all over your yards covered in rain, snow, ice with 120VAC on them, sending out a wireless signal from a non certified transmitter known to generate spectrum garbage, install RDS encoders onto these transmitters not designed to have RDS encoders, etching PC boards and installing parts for wall wart adapter filtering, cutting copper pipe for two 1/2 wavelength radiating elements, and one of my solutions like installing Radio Shack Snap-On RF chokes on your wiring or coiling the excess a few turns is too complex and sophisticated???
AHHEMMMM
Well most of these fancy dancy light systems are still new and steadily growing over the last couple of years. I give it another season or two and more media exposure, and then eventually it will grab attention of both the FCC and NEC and local safety people and these over-confident dancing light display owners will start singing a different Christmas carol.
I’m just not sure anyone would be able to help them. Too complex and too detailed.
RFB
Not Going To Kid Myself…
I’m not going to kid myself,
I’m one of the ones that looks for non GFCI outlets.
Which, is hard to do. All my outdoor outlets are GFCI.
I’ve also taken the liberty of removing those damn Backflows on the hose faucets.
(Those lousy backflows leak)