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Outdoor fairy lights with a regular plug?

3 replies

MaggieFS · 19/12/2021 11:30

PLEASE save me from trawling a thousand pages of Amazon. I want lights to hang across the back patio door, ideally full length rather than icicle style, sometimes called curtain lights. Max 4.5m wide x 2m long, but happy to have wider or narrower. Preferably warm white.

BUT to use our outside socket, they need to have a regular 13amp plug. All of the ones I can find have a transformer on the plug (often with remote control that we don't need) and won't work.

Anyone found any?

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 19/12/2021 14:03

Our outdoor light have the cable feeding in through a downstairs window and plugging in indoors. Think most will have a transformer type plug

NannyGythaOgg · 19/12/2021 14:44

I can't use my outdoor plug for Christmas lights either.
I have 2 solutions.

1 I plug in inside the window easily closes over the thin wire without problem and as I am not using that window regularly there is no issue with wear.
2 For lights further away from the house, I have a plastic, tupperware style box that is deep enough to take the plug and transformer. I have an extension socket that I have sealed into the box. Cut a groove in the side and sealed the socket in at one side (with bathroom sealant) with the transformer plugged in. Then a hole drilled in the other side big enough to take the end of the cord that plugs into the transformer once the lights are plugged in I seal this hole as well with the sealant. Then replace the lid of the box. Needs to be a good quality box that forms an air and water tight seal. At the end of the season, I can remove the sealant round the lights lead and remove it.

I have been doing this with good success for years.

squashyhat · 19/12/2021 14:50

I use lights that are meant for indoors, plugged into an outside extension lead with built-in RCD which is plugged into an outside socket also with an RCD. Never had a problem.

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