Christmas Lights question

19 years ago

I have been using interior type extension cords outside to hook up some lights. They are actually more heavy duty than the exterior rated christmas lights they make. Is this a bad practice? I could not see buying heavy duty expensive extension cords to run along my roof and gutters. What I did was to run a regular exterior entension cord to the general area, plug in an adapter with 3 or 4 outlets. From there, I would run some interior cords to the actual light sets. I was using electrical type to seal them up a bit. But still, they are a million times more sturdier than the chinsey christmas lights, and the christmas lights are not sealed either at the end of the runs, they have an female outlet.

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Comments (3)

DavidR
19 years ago
The weight or thickness of the cord is immaterial in this case. Indoor cords aren't designed to resist sunlight and weather. The insulation will deteriorate. It probably won't fail in the time you'll have the decorations up (unless you're one of these guys who leave their lights on the house all year long), but it might start showing its age after a few seasons of use.
tom_p_pa
19 years ago
Go for it. They are rated for 1625 watts in general and can handle many cords of mini lights.
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rtscoach
19 years ago
Tom:
Like davidr said... it's not how much current they can handle, it's the insulation. You could use #10 wire but it wouldnt be safe if the insulation wasn't rated for outdoor use. If you're running cords through your gutter and across your roof (UV rays from the sun pounding down all day) I'd say all the more reason to use a more expencive quality cord.