Run Rules for Weather

**mschell** · 12-02-2009, 10:09 PM

John,
You can keep the weather, and the wind. several of my inflatables got water logged and since they laid on the ground most of the day in the rain, didn't want to wake up.

Had to help them up, and I'd rather not have the wind beat them up tomorrow night.

In any case, glad to hear your Vue meter poles held up.

Hmmm...I've got a case of warm white LEDs. Perhaps that's a project for next year...poles instead of arches, or maybe poles and arches!

**kidcole** · 12-03-2009, 11:10 AM

Awesome John. You have quite a nice system ! It took so darned long to wire my system this year. So next year I am only going to expand where I can place the controllers. Whether LOR or DMX, I gotta get out of the "direct wire" business.

**John** · 12-03-2009, 06:27 PM

Denny,

I know what you mean. It took so long setting up and making wire harnesses for the new stuff I built for this year (even with the controllers spread out in the display) I didn't have time to set up a lot of the previous stuff.

Maybe next year, with the new harnesses and stuff, I can get it all up (if I start earlier)

**Al in Raleigh** · 12-03-2009, 06:59 PM

Walter and I have talked about combining our displays. It is so much work doing two displays. Actually we wanted to do a monster display at church but that doesn't look possible. My neighbors are upset that I am not having a display this year. It kind of got out of control last year and needed to throttle back to normal.

**John** · 12-09-2009, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by John

I have had never shut down due to rain, no GFCI trips either.

Munch, Munch. Eating Crow. Turned the display off last night. Severe thunderstorms with lighting. Overnight we had 2 1/2 inches of rain, high winds. Schools were closed here today due to all the trees and powerlines down.

Today high winds, gusts to 50 mph. Came home from work after dark tonight. Half the display was out - one whole side of the yard that included the megatree. All the lighted packages under the megatree are scattered, so I unplugged them and reset the GFCI. It ran for about 5 minutes then tripped again. Lots of my vertical stuff is leaning way over.

Shut the display down again, probably won't run tomorrow night either. I'm taking Friday off from work, so I'll have some daylight to see what's going on and make repairs.

Guess the wind damage really is what got me, as normal rain wasn't giving me any problems.

Munch, Munch. Not very tastey.

pipelayer · 12-12-2009, 12:22 AM

I feel for you John, Spent my Birthday, instead of getting younger feel older, setting all the stuff back up from the high winds. Still have many lights I need to repair Saturday even.

Although, the good thing was had a limb fall and went right in between my arches and deers, missed the christmas signs. No damage from falling limbs, just a bunch of firewood to burn for tomorrow nite.

Robert
christmaslightstechno.com
Hendersonville, Tenn.

**John** · 12-12-2009, 02:12 AM

Glad to hear your damage wasn't as bad as it could have been with that falling limb, Robert.

Tennesee got pounded pretty hard.

Got all of my stuff fixed Friday, everything is running again here.

**kidcole** · 12-12-2009, 11:56 AM

I'm glad we're sharing this info. When I build my next "lights gadget(s)" I will seriously over-engineer them. That's why I am always asking you guys to show some daylight pictures .. looking for the best ideas for construction!

**victory402** · 12-12-2009, 01:15 PM

Looks like rain again tonight...ugh!

**John** · 12-12-2009, 02:12 PM

My problem was discovered with one connection on one of the vertical vue-meter poles.

As the heavy winds ( water saturated ground ) blew the poles over, the bottom electrical connection under the fabric cover had worked loose and was laying on the wet grass, causing the GFCI to trip.

Repounded the support poles an additional foot in the ground, re-secured the vue-meter poles, inspected the other 27 electrical connections on them, replaced the fabric covers, and all is well.