Wiring Safely

[IndianaChristmas]

I was wondering how folks provide electricity to controllers and do it safely.  I know GFI is needed but the number of available GFI sockets I have might be an issue.
For instance, is it safe to run several SSR's off zip wire and vamp plugs?  If so how many (probably depends on number of strings of lights used)?
Or should each SSR have its own cord from the wall?
Can you run 3 Expresses off a single 6 plug extension with heavy gauge wire (assuming each express will use both AC inputs)?
Or should each have its own cord from the wall?

Thanks in advance,
Eric

[tbone321]

It is not the amount of sockets that is the issue, but the total power available.  A GFCI compares the total current going out on the hot wire to the total current returning on the neutral and if there is a difference greater than 5 mill or so, it determins that to be a problem and trips.  It does not care if there are multple devices such as SSR4's connected by vampire plugs or heavy duty multiple outlet cords.  All it cares about is the current going out is the same as what is comming back.  Remember that an Express is capable of pulling up tp 40 amps depending on the load it is carrying and no single GFCI outlet or even standard outlet for that matter is capable of delivering that much current.  What you need to determine is how much of a load each Express wil be carrying and base your connections off of that.  If you are using LED lights then you should be good to go with three or more Expresses connectd to a single GFCI oulet.  I currently do not use GFCI on my displays.  I draw way more curent than my existing GFCI outlets can provide and because they were not designed with this in mind, IMHO they tend to be more trouble than they are worth, especially if you have multiple strings connected to a single outlet.  Now that I am getting into light automation I may incorporate them in parts of my display that may tempt people to touch like leaping arches but if I go LED, they will probably not be needed there either.  Good luck with your display.

[magic8192]

I was wondering how folks provide electricity to controllers and do it safely.  I know GFI is needed but the number of available GFI sockets I have might be an issue.
For instance, is it safe to run several SSR's off zip wire and vamp plugs?  If so how many (probably depends on number of strings of lights used)?
Or should each SSR have its own cord from the wall?
Can you run 3 Expresses off a single 6 plug extension with heavy gauge wire (assuming each express will use both AC inputs)?
Or should each have its own cord from the wall?

Thanks in advance,
Eric

You can run 3 expresses off a single 6 plug extension with heavy gauge wire, but it all depends on your setup.    If you are using LEDs, then you can probably do it.  
If you are running mini lights or C9s then you will most likely have problems.  

Considering that a Lynx Express can have a load of 40 amps on it and most household breakers are 20 amps and considering most heavy gauge extension cords are 12 gauge ( 20 amps), you can overload a circuit real easy.  

What kind of lights are you using and how many do you plan to use this year and what gauge is the 6 plug extension?  

[Made2Rock]

At this time I have 4 20 amp breakers that feed 4 outlets. From these outlets I run multiple extension cords (Main Feeds of 10 guage wire). From these main extension cords I will breaker it down into more extensio cords to go to the different parts of the yard. I live in Alabama and our winters are WET so EVERYTHING GETS TAPED and I try and keep everything off the ground. You will need to determine how much current is going to each set of lights and get an idea of what type of demand you are putting on the circuits. An example here is the mega tree. My mega tree will pull 30 amps if all lights are turned on. The thing is this almost never happens and I have told my wife who does the sequencing that she can only work one color at a time. I think last year for 1/10 of a second I let her light the entire tree which brings me how a breaker works.

Think of breaker as a little heater that is heated up by all the current you use. If you run close to max a lot this tthing becomes very close to popping. If you are easy on the current demand and are lower you can toss in a rare spike of current. Have you ever seen what happens to the lights when someone turns on a table saw. The lights dim becuase of this HUGE demand for current by the saw. If the saw fails to come up to speed the breaker will pop. You have the same thing here. You can toss in spike every once and awhile but each time you do it you are pushing you luck and pumping up that heater. So be reasonable and keep the average demand on your breakers and extension cords to somewhere around half of what they are rated and you'll be able to toss that 1/10 or 2/10 second burst at the end of a song.

hopefully this helped instead of making it more confusing.

When it comes to GFI they are a pain in the butt but they will also protect you

here is a link to a video that will help you install a GFI outlet . NOTE they show you how to put it inline so one outlet will control many outlets down the line.

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[IndianaChristmas]

Thanks for the feedback.
Since this is my first year I have put more money into equipment than lights so I will have a large number incandescent lights.  I'll take time to check amps across my display at any give time.  I just wanted to make sure it would be OK to place multiple controllers on the same extension cord for example.  I suppose the controllers add little to the overall load drawn at any given time.
I like the idea of "arborizing" (my word), the extension cords, this makes sense to me, working from lower gauge to higher gauge wire as you move away from the wall.
Eric

[Made2Rock]

Eric,

  Here are few other things to keep in mind. You  should never feel heat from your wires. So what makes wires hot? The current that runs thru them will create some heat, If you coil up your cords the heat from each coil will add up and it will become warmer. Now I'm not talking about wire that is 10 degrees warmer then the air outside. I'm tallking about you should be able to grab hold of your wires and not have enough heat to make you uncomfortable.

  We have an unusual case with the christmas lights. Our displays are a series of current spikes over the wires. Circuit breakers react to the average current thru the wires. GFI becomes VERY sensitive to a difference in current going out the wire and back in (ie. all the current that goes out should come back and not be "leaking" somewere). All of these difference makes it hard to easily give you any rules to live by. You can measure your current and that would be good thing to do. This will give you a real AVERAGE reading of what is going on at that time. So if the show is running you will see the average current draw. If you turn on all the lights in your tree and then measure you'll have a static picture of just how much current it takes to turn on the lights in the tree. Just use your head. Think about what you asking from your wiring and show. Think about what and how you took your current measurements. Then go and grab those extension cords where most of the current is running thru. Are they cool?