How To Connect Multiple Sets Of Christmas Lights

This is a pretty pop question when it comes to Christmas lights. The respond is unproblematic simply simultaneously complicated.

Here are a few guidelines but for all things electrical, consult with a chief electrician when making decisions about your project.

How many bulbs or strings you can run in series depends on:

1. Respond based on your low-cal string or bulb/cord specifications

Every light string on our website should have a maximum connectivity rating.

(If the item you are looking at is missing that specification, ask a question on that production and we'll inquiry and update that information. We deport a lot of products and every once in a while, one or two will slip past us.)

Guidelines for Mini Lights and LED Light Strings

The maximum connectivity for pre-wire lite strings – mini lights, craft lights and LED Christmas lights is based on the UL (Underwriter'southward Laboratory) maximum connexion guideline of 210 watts.

DEFINITION: Maximum connectivity refers to the maximum number of strings you tin connect stop to stop in a single circuit. (Or how many plugs you lot can stack on top of each other when you are working with craft lights.)

So, maximum connectivity is calculated by dividing 210 watts by the number of total watts required by the light string you are because. For case if your calorie-free string is rated at 20 watts, then you can run a maximum of x strings together in series.

$(210 watts/run) / (20 watts/string) = 10.5 strings/run$ Now you can see why LED low-cal strings tin be run with so many more in series than traditional incandescent mini lights that crave up to 10 more times the ability to operate.

UL can alter their suggested ratings and we alter our specifications to reflect that.

Guidelines 18 and xx AWG C7/C9 Bulbs and Cords Here are the basic rules nearly our C7/C9 cords.

i. Connect no more 2 20-AWG 25-foot cords in series in a single run.

2. Our 50 and 100-foot cords practice non come with a female person plug. They just take a single male person plug. If you lot are using multiple strands, run an extension cord to the centre of your project and run a 50 or 100-foot cord from the extension cord splitter. (Remember of the cords making the top of a "T" and the extension string is the vertical line.)

three. If you are using our grand-foot spools that must exist cut to fit, consult with a Master Electrician on your project. Hash out these important guidelines with him or her:

Our maximum suggested number of traditional incandescent C7 and C9 bulbs is 200 bulbs for each style – especially if your bulbs are spaced 12 inches apart. (The wattage for our bulbs are listed in their specifications.)
For LED bulbs the maximum number of bulbs you tin can run in series has less to exercise with the bulbs specifications and more with the light line length for eighteen AWG wire which is 250 feet. This means that fifty-fifty if you lot are using a .86 watt LED seedling, you can't run more than 250 feet of cord.

We've had customers call in who have received bad data and are under the impression that if they use LED bulbs and then they can run chiliad anxiety of 18 AWG C7 or C9 stringer wire in series. THIS IS AN Electrical Run a risk. The wire itself will become a fuse and is a burn risk.

That's the biggest advantage to pre-wired LED strings is that you can run twenty-88 strings of lights in series. But that's on 20-22 AWG wire with 3-wire engineering. Totally dissimilar lighting.

(I simply can't tell you how this makes me put my caput in my hands and why nosotros're continuing our commitment not to ship your customer service calls to a random third party call center. You may have to leave a voice message but you won't receive information like that!)

Again, take time and spend $100-150 for an hr of an electrician's fourth dimension to brand certain your custom work is electrically correct.

2. Respond based on the electrical service y'all are plugging them into.

As we mentioned to a higher place, go on runway of the total number of runs of lights or cords/bulbs as you are splitting them off of your extension cords and splitters and take care not to exceed 85% of the wattage of your breaker. For a common household breaker, use a rule-of-thumb not to exceed 1400 watts per plug.

If you accept a larger breaker and have verified that your NuWave Oven or your Microwave isn't on the same circuit and electrician might tell you that you can work with a different number but nosotros like to be safer than sorry.

By the way, that doesn't mean per outlet but per breaker. <grin> You may accept multiple outlets on a single breaker so be sure to go on track. Again, improve to shoot for a lower number than risk maxing out your breaker.

Speaking of outlets….

Nosotros propose that you connect all of your Christmas lights into GFCI rated outlets when using them out of doors.

And a word nearly surge protection….

We likewise highly recommend that you utilize an outdoor rated surge protector – they brand these with congenital in timers – for your outdoor installations. LED lights are made of diodes that are similar the components of your estimator. In the same way that you would never plug a figurer straight into a wall outlet, protect your LED lights from surges on the line and apply a surge protector.

A standard surge protector (like the one you utilise for your computer) is fine for indoor usage.

Equally a random side note – which I'm rather famous for in my circle of friends – I learned from a retired New York state code inspector that the closer you are to hydroelectric power, then the more surges will announced on your line.

So all you folks who use power generated past Niagara Falls or other hydroelectric facilities would be doubly wise to use surge protectors for your Christmas calorie-free display and relieve yourself the heartbreak of seeing your sets take a hit.

Who knew?

Any stories? Share them in the comments. 🙂