For example, say a string of small LED lights only uses 12 watts. Just follow the instructions on the package of the lights you are buying. Math to the rescue, again! The lowest amperage rating sets the limit for the number of Christmas lights you can plug into a single outlet. You connect a heavy-duty gauge extension cord into one of the outlets and a amp power strip at the end of it.
The gauge extension cord is rated to 20 amps. Now, that does not mean every outlet in the strip can handle 15 amps. For example, if you have 5 strings of All of that being said, if you do want to know the steps and the formula, you can read it in depth below. Please keep in mind that this is not super easy math for most people, which is why we have the calculator above. First, we will give you the steps by themselves, then a more detailed explanation below of how and why the steps work.
So, you need to know whether your breakers are amp or amp circuits. This is an important part of figuring out the safe number of Christmas lights you can string together on your home. An important note: Power strips will not let you plug more strings of Christmas lights together if the power strip itself is connected to a single outlet, because the circuit will be receiving the same number of watts either way.
Your amp circuits can safely take up to watts in total 20 amps x volts. In turn, this tells you how many Christmas lights per outlet is safe for your home. Summary: Never use more than watts on a single amp home circuit or watts on a amp home circuit.
To find your total Christmas lights wattage, simply multiply the total wattage per strand by the total number of strands. This is the total number of Christmas lights that you can use for any one circuit in your home. Next, you should never exceed watts with any set of connected strands of Christmas lights. This is a result of the UL Standards that electrical products follow, whether indoor or outdoor.
While some lights can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings, you will want to make sure the tag indicates the right environment for your use. Another, related question is whether indoor or outdoor lights use more power. Incandescent bulbs will look incredible, but will take 2, watts to power. LED bulbs will also look impressive, but will only require 29 watts. The wattage difference is extreme! Both LED and incandescent lights in this example have 25 bulbs per string, which is very common.
With incandescent, only 2 strings can be connected end-to-end, which means you'll need 6 different plug outlets. With the LED option, up to 87 strings can be connected together, which means the 12 you need for this project can be connected end-to-end and then plugged into a single outlet. Tip: Because the incandescent option requires 2, watts, which is more than most household circuits can handle, you will need to separate your light runs onto different household circuits.
This is not difficult, but it requires you to know which plugs in your house to use The other planning consideration with this scenario is that you can only run 2 incandescent strings end-to-end. This means you have a maximum of 50 ft. Often times this method involves the use of extension cords or carefully planning various rooms in your house that have access to roof lines. There are easier planning options that include going with commercial grade, heavier gauge wiring so you can include more bulbs in larger runs, but this is also more expensive.
Why even consider incandescent? Granted, they're more difficult to properly plan for, but incandescent Christmas lights tend to be less expensive than LEDs, so if initial cost is a critical planning aspect for your project, incandescent may be a good option.
While LED lights save money long-term, they often cost more up front. If you only use your Christmas lights sparingly a few weeks out of the year, you may not see the energy savings for several seasons which makes incandescent bulbs a popular choice. Also, many people like the look of incandescent bulbs because of the unique light halo they produce. They have that nostalgic quality that LED bulbs do not.
Both bulb options can look fantastic, but incandescent options like this simply require more planning to do properly.
Some people purchase "prelamped" light sets where the bulbs are hardwired into the socket, which means you cannot replace them. This is usually the least expensive option. For those who like the freedom to customize their bulbs or replace bulbs that go bad, buying stringers and bulbs separately is also a very popular option.
This second option is more expensive depending on what you buy, but it gives you the flexibility to buy brighter lights if you want, or to use your lights with custom colors. Also, many people use their string lights year round and simply swap their Christmas lights out with patio light bulbs.
During the Spring and Summer, your C9 or C7 stringer can be used for backyard enjoyment. During the holidays, you can swap your bulbs out and move your stringers to other areas of the home for your Christmas light display.
Like a light bulb filament when a bulb goes out. Replacing any blown fuses should fix the problem. If not, there may have been some damage to the wiring harness es. My icicle lights are rated at 72 watts a set so I can only connect three sets together. Can I connect three sets to both plugs? Merry Christmas, I have two strings of rice lights and 2 strings of the regular little pointy bulbs. Can I run all four together safely on my indoor Christmas tree? I would not run the rice lights and the regular lights in series as they more than likely have significantly different electrical specifications.
Keep the different styles of lights plugged in separate circuits not into each other. I would be most concerned that the rice lights are LED and a higher current draw created by running the sets in series could instantly damage them. Hey Julia, that is a weird spec!! Is that volts or possibly watts? Do they have a standard male plug?
How many strings of electrical lights powered by fuses can you have without effecting the lights and stop them from lighting up.?? That depends on the style of the light string — how many bulbs, how many watts they are rated at. Check the tags near the bases of the light strings and use the UL specification there to determine the max number of strings you can run in series.
The current UL spec is watts max. I have 6 strands of single bulb LED icicle lights hooked together. I have 1st, 3rd and 6th stand working, 2nd, 3rd and 4th are out. Where do you suggest I start to look first?
Pull the non-working strings and plug them into a separate outlet one by one as a place to start to see if the issue is in the plug of the light string before it. Then check the fuses and replace them if necessary. Be sure to plug your LED lights into surge protectors. They work for about 5 minutes and then they all go out.
Sorry for my slow response but that is exactly right — you cannot mix LED and traditional lights in the same series circuit since glass, incandescent light strings pull MUCH more current than your LED sets.
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