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Welcome to PC, another BC'er, getting a large contingent from the west coast of Canada.
Your question, this is a Canadian thing, having lights rated for indoor/outdoor use (in the US they use the same lights inside or out). The difference is the wire, our outdoor wire has heavier insulation but the gauge of the actual wire is the same as indoor.
I use Canadian indoor rated lights outside and I use American lights outside as well in our harsh Canadian weather (joke, the sun of Florida or Texas, or cold of Minnesota is worse than what I see). What you do is you decision, If you do, don't leave the lights up for more than 90 days and follow the rule of three, don't plug more than 3 strings together.
Doug C.
____________________ It all started with a string of C9's
The biggest thing I have to cope with is rain. We don't get much snow but the rain is plentyfull. No problems with my LOR as this was my first year. I put them in industrial all weather boxes. The only color for outdoor minis I have found is clear but the indoor come in all colors just smaller stringg ie:25 or 50
Craig Rivers wrote: Is it ok to use indoor mini lights outdoor and what is the difference.Indoor lights are mostly that same as outdoor lights, they just missing a white tag saying they can be used outdoors. Have you ever seen mini lights made for indoor only? If you do it was because they buyer got them cheaper because they did not have to pay for the certification.
____________________ Darryl Brown http://www.Christmaslightshow.com
**New** Complete Mega Tree Kit. Home of Virtual Santa, Strobe Lights and PVC Christmas Tree
darrylb wrote: Craig Rivers wrote: Is it ok to use indoor mini lights outdoor and what is the difference.Indoor lights are mostly that same as outdoor lights, they just missing a white tag saying they can be used outdoors. Have you ever seen mini lights made for indoor only? If you do it was because they buyer got them cheaper because they did not have to pay for the certification.
Darryl -- at one point the pre-1999 (or whenever the UL standard changed) lights with the thinner wires were being sold as indoor-only. I thought they weren't sold anymore, but then someone told me they were still available at Wal-Mart in some places. Haven't seen indoor-only mini's here in awhile, but I wouldn't say they don't exist because I haven't hunted them out.
I bought some green ones from Target around 1999ish to use on my palm tree. They were indoor only. They came in a white box and had one of those plastic holders that all the lights snap into. Don't see those anymore. Those were good for wrapping lights on.
Brad, there is a store here that still sells the lights that come in the box with the plastic holders. I run the other way from them, those s***ers are a pain to get out! I just hate them and refuse to buy them. IMHO overpackaging at its absolute worst! (But the real reason I don't buy them is because they are $6.99 a box--all that packaging! LOL )
Wasn't there a year back in the late '90's when, at least at Walmart, every single box of mini lights they sold was "indoor only?" I remember a year like that, and I just threw up my hands and said to heck with it, and bought them anyway and put them outside. I remember a lot of talk on here about that during that season, too.
Needless to say, I have several strings of indoor only lights that get used outside, and I have no idea which ones they are, because I pretty much stripped them of their indoor only identity so that dad, the "must be outdoor to go outdoor" man, would not see that they were indeed indoor only!
____________________ OK, take hands four from the top of the set and pass it on down to the bottom of the hall. Get ready to dance!
Kenny Greer wrote: Wasn't there a year back in the late '90's when, at least at Walmart, every single box of mini lights they sold was "indoor only?" I remember a year like that, and I just threw up my hands and said to heck with it, and bought them anyway and put them outside. I remember a lot of talk on here about that during that season, too.
Yeah see my comment above. That was the year the UL standard changed, and the 'old' lights that didn't meet the new standard were labled as "indoor only". At the time we said it was ok to use them outside since we all were using those very same lights in our display from previous years which had been labeled as "indoor/outdoor"...
The newer lights are a little safer, but the 'indoor only' shouldn't cause problems when used outside.
Well, I will give you all something to thing about . . .
In this country "Indoor" means always 230volts and in series - that is 100 lite set will be 100 x 2.4v lamps, 50 lite = 50 x 4.8v lamps, 20 lite = 20 x 12v lamps
"Indoor - Outdoor" means they usually have a transformer reducing the voltage to 24 volts (a local chain store sell some that are 35v), and the wire is lighter in gauge and insulation. Typically a set of 80, 100 or 120 will be lots of 10 x 2.4v lamps. However, the lamps are NOT the same wattage as those above.
What the 24 volts means is rain is not an issue - you can actually repair lamps live in bare feet - but most people have all these little transformers everywhere - me I use 3 big transformers.
I have modified a few NZ "Indoor" lights to 24 volts, and also done the same to some imported US sets, but not done as you might think. I found 12 of US lamps could go across 24 volts and be very little dimmer than 10, but consume only 66% of the current. I can't explain why US lamps are so inefficient but it does explain why US current consumption is thru the roof!
____________________ John Muldrock
Hawera - Taranaki''Why would anyone not want to be here'' - Tom Cruise during the TARANAKI filming of the 'last Samurai Movie'
NEW ZEALAND http://www.kamahilights.com
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