What do they look like? Do you use special connectors to string fairy-light festoons together or standard household plugs?

I'm interested particularly in the British light-sets. Are they also series-string like the USA-type midget sets or parallel with a power transformer? I'm trying to imagine tiny 24-AWG wires going into a huge white plastic glob of a plug...or is there something tidier (like a shaver plug) and connected to the mains via an adapter?

Any pictures of what you use?

Series light chains were the mainstay of British fairy lights for many years, usually twenty 12-volt lamps for use on our 240V supply.

These would be connected to whatever plug was needed, which in modern times may well be the BS1363 13A fused plug.

I have a lot of these chains fitted with the less bulky 2-pin 5A round-pin plugs, used with suitable adapter leads.

Some modern sets use electronic flashers and sequencers, and these are generally parallel low-voltage run with the same sort of molded double-insulated cord and p;lug as you would find on any other modern appliance.

In Ireland at the moment the vast majority of sets on sale are either 12 or 24V with a plug in transformer. They're wired in series but with a by-pass so the bulb going won't take out the whole set.

The irritating flashing type strings have multiple circuits to allow them to chase etc

The older sets were the same as paul described. Usually dark green or semi-seethru green twisted pair cabling. And yes we do use the BS1363 plugs on them.

I have even seen a set wired to a 15A BS546 plug!! It does look comical.

Some sets also arrive with "Europlug" 2-pin flat plugs which are quite often just jammed into a 4-way BS1363 power strip under the tree.. or as I've also observed into 4 shaver adaptors on a powerstrip.. meaning they were all fused at 1A ! Seemed to work fine though and actually can't see a huge problem with that arrangement.

Outdoors CEE-17 is required and in anything which is within reach of people safety extra low voltage is now compulsary.

http://www.noma.co.uk/christmas/faq/christmaslightingsets.htm

explains everything about xmas lights

[This message has been edited by djk (edited 12-10-2003).]

Simple sets are usually classic series strings, with or without bypass, fitted with a Europlug, thin dark green wire. Old ones had a round ungrounded plug. Fancier lights usually have round 2-conductor cord and a contour plug. Old sets had bulbs with real screw threads, newer ones have some weird connector, cheap sets have soldered bulbs. Usual hookup for outdoor sets: Cord squeezed through a closed window and extension cord reel wrapped in a plastic bag. Better way to do this is a connector cover (a plastic box with rubber seals that snaps shut around a plug-and-trailing socket connection). Those boxes are listed for outdoor use. I once had a set with an ungrounded plug. Some genius took it off, fitted 2 pieces of solid 1.5mm2 conduit wire (purple for some weird reason) to a bulky outdoor Schuko plug and connected the setup to the lights with a strip connector. No tape or anything. Thankfully he included the old plug in the box, so I removed all the bullshit and refitted it.

Normally in commercial buildings here you install CEE-17 IP rated socket outlets in the eves of the building and also perhaps at various points where xmas trees may go.

On the streets you'll see blue CEE-17 sockets up high on buildings or even suspended on tightly pulled wires (non-electrical) that cross over the street to hold up xmas decorations. So when it comes to installing the xmas lights guys just hook them onto these wires and plug them in.

It's easier as the wiring only has to be done once.

Also strangely enough our PoCo, ESB installs most of the city's street xmas lights. Their linesmen and lineswomen were up in "cherry pickers" decorating various xmas trees around the city! Might explain why things are done so tightly to code.


[This message has been edited by djk (edited 12-12-2003).]

The thin, green-colored twisted cord wired to a huge BS546 15A plug certainly looks out of balance. Just imagine it going into a CEEform plug!

The older sets here used to have a tiny screw-in bulb, but these days the wedge base with wires just folded over is the most common, like the one illustrated in the link above:




Don't hold back now -- Why not tell us what you really think?!

Paul, who are you quoting above – has the post been withdrawn? From a South African perspective, wiring the Christmas lights to a BS546 (16A in RSA!) is quite normal – though it usually involved removing the cheesy two pin BS 5A molded plug commonly supplied with the sets. The plug pictured below is stamped “220V – 3A” and the lights are certainly bright when plugged into the 240V supply I have here! I suspect this is a set designed for mainland Europe with an old BS plug thrown on for the small South African Market.



Some would plug their lights in using the pictured adaptor that is still very common over there, although you will not find any equipment supplied with BS two pin plugs – other than Christmas lights!

These adaptors get used by people to plug in Europlugs, but they’re not the right fit and make for a dodgy connection. Having a dislike for adaptors, once I knew something worked, I cut of the molded one and fitted a proper plug.



As far as the US lights being dangerous, I don’t know that I would agree. There are enough of them about on houses all over North America in all weathers and I don’t hear of too many problems - any US locals wish to comment?. The most dangerous part is putting them up. The best doctor in town here fell off his ladder last year putting up outside lights and is now a paraplegic.

Depending on the weather, my illuminations have included an internally illuminated icicle with no tripping of the GFCI. US 115V lights should work well (and very safely) on an outside UK setup, using the work-site centre-tapped 110V transformer system.

[I have just measured the xmas plug and it is slightly undersized pin-wise compared to a BS 5A two-pin although this is compensated by a slightly wider pin spacing. By further comparison, I can see that an old BS 5A - 2 pin has the same dimensions as a modern UK shaver plug (BS 4573) and the South African xmas plug does indeed fit very nicely into a UK BS 1363 1A shaver adaptor!]


[This message has been edited by Hutch (edited 12-15-2003).]

It's supprising as that's from an xmas light company and I don't really see any huge differences between European and US setups to be honest other than the supply voltage and frequency and some countries may have slightly stricter guidelines on outdoor electrical installations but generally these wouldn't have any bearing on the actual lights.

E.g. in Ireland I can't see why using 110V centre tapped supply ~55V on each leg would be any problem with US lights. You would just use yellow CEE-17 plugs and sockets and an appropriately rated xformer. They would actually be much safer in that setup than they would be in the USA where it would be 115V to ground and possibly without all of the safety features that a site xformer provides here. In fact using that setup is one way of complying with the outdoor electrical safety requirments without resorting to 12/24V sets.

As for mains voltages in use outdoors here we do have tougher requirements than the USA but also tougher than most of the rest of Europe too. If you were to use 220V (230V) lights here you need to take a few steps to ensure they don't cause shocks.

1) The fittings have to be enclosed / fully weatherproof e.g. you need to use lanterns or specially designed fittings
2) Where 220V lighting is used it should be out of touch reach of the general public.
3) All fittings must be outdoor rated.. i.e. blue CEE-17 sockets/plugs and proper outdoor junction boxes.
4) It absolutely must be RCD protected and circuits need to have appropriately rated overcurrent protection e.g. neozed fuses / MCB. Ring circuits are also not acceptable outdoors other than where an outdoor circuit is connected into an interior ring as a 13 or 16A fused spur.

However, you'll find that the vast majority of older iinstallations don't quite meet all of these requirments but are generally quite safe. Public buildings, street displays etc will generally conform though.

In a public display here you'll generally find a mix of 2 or even 3 voltages in use.

Strings that are up high over streets etc tend to be 220V (230V)
Large outdoor Xmas trees tend to be 110V centre tapped and other smaller displays are generally 24V. Building site displays e.g. on the top of tower craines are all 110V centre tapped.

Most domestic outdoor lighting is 24V or even 12V on smaller runs with individual plug-in xformers for each set.

For some reason ETCI does not approve of the use of 13A BS1363 weatherproofed sockets in any fixed wiring situation so you'll find a lot of CEE-17 outlets in use here where as in most other countries you'd find a simple weatherproofed schuko or BS1363 outlet. They get used for everything from providing powerpoints in gardens, xmas lighting, temp outdoor displays, outdoor PA systems, camping sites etc etc.

So you'll find BS1363 extension reels with a blue CEE-17 plug on the end or in some cases even full blue CEE-17 extension reels in use in newer buildings.

Supprisingly enough a CEE-17 reel made to a much higher standard than a typical BS1363 equivilant tends to retail at a much better value price and give you a much more flexible supply outside as it can supply up to 3KW safely.

We had a lot of problems vacuuming the car with various extension cords that tripped at less than 1900W (which is what the vacuum cleaner pulls at full power) so CEE-17 reels made a huge difference.. (you just use a short adaptor lead for the hoover.

Hutch, what's that wire that looks like gold colored flex for? Did you splice that onto the thin wires of the light string? Wouldn't it have been better to just connect the green wires directly into the plug?

Also, what's this thing I see on some light-strings that say the product contains lead? Do they add lead to the rubber insulation? For what reason and is this the case with all types of parallel two-conductor cord-sets?

Sven said …

Quite right – technically – on both counts Sven. South African households, like UK ones, do not have sufficient sockets (receptacles) available and so, as usual, an extension cord was going to be required. The Xmas wire was also rather short to start with! Now there is nothing subtle about a South African extension cord. All ready made ones are three core x 1.5 mm2 and with their final insulation, have a diameter of about 8 mm. Add on to this the 16A socket (70x40x100 mm) and plug (or socket and adaptor pictured above – even larger) and one has a piece of wiring that is likely to pull the tree over as well as looking – imposing or b**t ugly depending on your choice.

Hence the splice which is under the wrapping board in the picture. The zip cord, though thin, was still a considerably thicker gauge than the Xmas lighting wire. Kept out of harm’s way over a few weeks at Christmas, I felt comfortable with this arrangement.

[having just gone into the workshop and dismantled/measured an RSA extension cord, I have down-scaled the wire cross-sectional dimensions a bit - still largish though]


[This message has been edited by Hutch (edited 12-15-2003).]

Geez, that's not a residential extension cord, that's a monster! Domestic extension cords here are usually 3x 1mm2 or even 3x 0.75mm2. Sometimes you'll also see 2x 0.75mm2 Euro extension cords, though they're rare.
Talking of butt ugly christmas lighting setups, I saw one just a few minutes ago. Returning from a hard day at the University I entered our front yard, gladly noticing the (cosmetically) ugly light string above the door had gone out. However looking right I was in for an even worse shock. A small bush is now decorated with flashing bulbs all over. Power supply: Some thin extension cord squeezed through my cousin's window at about ankle-heigth, plug-and trailing socket connection lying on the ground in wet snow, only wrapped into a translucent shopping bag. Gotta take a pic of that setup as soon as it has stopped snowing so i can get out with the camera.

I'll take a few of some installations around here too.

I've even seen strings of small dainty outdoor lights going into a brute of a CEE-17 (blue plug) makes that south african set look like they've a neat plug.

No, nothing has been withdrawn. It's a quote from the link that Dave posted above:
http://www.noma.co.uk/christmas/faq/christmaslightingsets.htm


My sentiments as well, hence my somewhat sarcastic comment!

in germany, its mostly like texas ranger said before.

Mini lights indoor: Europlug with 0,75mm² wire, all lamps in a row, mostly with bypass bridges (they usually work), white or green wire.

Mini lights outdoor: None available for 230V, only with transformers to 24V. then thin 2x0,25mm² or so wires, connected usually in groups, means for example 10x 2,5V lamp in series, and these series in parallel at 24V. mostly white or mulit, very few in single color, i paint mine myself. wide spread quality and lifetime differencies.
Bypass bridges, but often dont work so one fails, 10 are down.


Bigger candle lights indoor:
usually all in series, 0,75mm² wire, that plug thats like Schuko, but without the grounding. Often one wire is plugget into the back of the plug, can be removed for easier tree wiring and then be plugged back in.

Bigger candle lights outdoor:
As above, but double insulated wires, water-tight plug, rubber rings between socket and lamp for water protection.

C7 and C9 lights are not used here, (sadly, i like their shape), only these ones for example:

the diameter of the red shaft is about 0.4 inch.


[This message has been edited by :andy: (edited 12-17-2003).]

Years ago there were light chains sold here using the larger MES base bulbs.

I still have some of these, now arranged for parallel operation on a transformer and underrun a little to lengthen bulb life. Replacements for the plain candle type are still obtainable, but some of the fancy-shaped ones are very hard to come by now.

I have a few of these bulbs which I know for sure have been used almost every Christmas for the last 40 years!

I've got two fancy old strings that use bulbs with threads that look like standard flashlight bulbs. I still have a few replacement bulbs but if they ever blow... I doubt I'll get those fancy yellow, purple, green and blue bulbs any more. The sockets are a bit loose, so i have to retighten all bulbs each time I use the strings (pretty rare). IIRC 16 bulbs in series, no bypasses. Round ungrounded plugs. I'd never put them onto a christmas tree (most people here don't really consider colored lights on a christmas tree really high culture, still lots of real candles here) but they make real great party lights, I think the last time I used them was a birthday party. They always somewhat remind me of "Eyes Wide Shut".

An observation I've mae in USA vs Canadian lights is that A: I have rarely noticed fused Canadian strings (either minis or parallel outfits). I belive the large part of US sets to
be fused.

USA outdoor mini strings sometimes use thinner wires, where all approved Canadian outdoor mini strings use an extra heavy insulation.

SCHWWEEEEEET!

Can't wait to see pictures.

So, Mr. Trump, what do New Zealanders do in terms of X-mas lights?

Yep, they're the MES (Miniature Edison Screw) bases.

The fancy ones I still have include a white & green twisty candle, a pink & white, and a couple in red & white shaped like Santa Claus!

Sven,
Well, for your normal old Xmas tree, you'd pretty much have the same sort of thing as the UK, albeit with different plugs
But, Boy have I got some pics to upload to ECN on a few Fireworks Xmas lights, that I have recently been involved with installing.
Rated at 8kW a piece(pulsed current) they are something to be seen!.

Sven, Please check your email as given on your profile.

Thanks, Happy New Year!

Sven,
Sorry that it has taken me so long to upload all of these photo's.
But, here we go I have only one good one but at least it is clear.


[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 01-31-2004).]

Just as a note there guys,
The size in the photo is rather deceiving,
the arms on this light actually measure 7 metres each (21ft).
The whole thing wieghed 650Kg.

Quite a show. Where was this located?

I've noticed structures like that on the top of 110kV wooden poles here in Ireland!

Obviously they're not multi coloured nor or they there for decorative purposes...

Strange lightening protection?

a german manufactor makes these stick light stars. (Smaller, i guess 3m diameter)
I was trying to get one on ebay when these !$#* quit the auction early with no comment, because the prize was so low.
Why are they allowed to???? GRR

[This message has been edited by :andy: (edited 01-31-2004).]

Paul,
Sorry but there is a typo in my earlier posting.
The whole thing is 7metres in diameter.

Paul,
There are two of these installed in Ashburton here.
One at work and the other up on a local Bank.

Just an addendum to this,
The lights actually came from Vietnam, but were manufactured in China.
The speed controller that came with it was not Double-Insulated neither was it earthed, considering that it had a metal case on it.
Also, the controller was made to run on 220VAC, which is a bit low for my liking, so the thing is run through a Variac, I just hope that the Variac windings never short!.
The light is run by millions of 5mm grain of wheat incandescent fairy lights in the plastic rods and a cluster of them at the ends of each rod.
Mind you, we all know how long incandescent bulbs last, I wonder how bright it will be in a year or so?.

Grounding seems to be considered an unnecessary complication in the Far East!