LED Strip for house outline

Jon_101

Apprentice elf
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
53
Hi Guys, I'm wondering why everyone is using strings for house outline? LED Strips are much easier to install and I'm thinking to hang them on a fishing line around the house to avoid drilling holes.
 

Mark_M

Annoying Elf
Joined
Dec 30, 2018
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914
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Christmas Light world
Reason many do not like strip light because it is VERY hard to repair when a section goes out and to waterproof.
Once you cut it down to size, you've got to waterproof the ends and do it well otherwise water will wick into it.


I got given this lot of strip from someone;
strip.PNG
You can see there is a lot of corrosion.

Using Bullets and square trunking makes it look neat for a permanent installation. The Americans like to call this "Permatrack",
This is a video showing it;

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGbRbYt_fZM




But I'm not going to scare you away from strip. It looks great and works if you put the maintenance into it.
Another person in NZ uses strip for almost everything in their display. There is occasional issues with the strip bending and breaking. With good care they'll work.
 

Mark_M

Annoying Elf
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Dec 30, 2018
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914
Location
Christmas Light world
I'm thinking to hang them on a fishing line around the house to avoid drilling holes.
I use conduit and clamps so I don't drill holes into the house.
It hasn't fallen down and won't leave marks if you're careful.
[7:26]

View: https://youtu.be/bo3bPXVVwMU?t=446


You could drill holes in the conduit for bullets or zip tie strips. I've used C9's because they look nice.
 

i13

Dedicated elf
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
1,172
I use both strips and nodes in my display. I've used sheathed strips since 2013 and I have never had water get into them. You just need to take a few precautions so that they last:
  • Check that the ends of the strips have been properly sealed by the supplier. Add more silicone glue when needed.
  • Keep the strips away from sharp things.
  • Don't squash them too hard with cable ties. This pinches the sheath.
  • Make sure your silicone glue hasn't gone bad before using it.
  • Don't crush or kink them.
  • Mount the strips in such a way that the wind doesn't blow them around.
  • Use neutral cure silicone glue.
I have found that strips fail when they can blow around and bend in the wind. If you use fishing line, it would need to be anchored in multiple places and pulled tight. The 12V WS2811 strip seems to last better than the 5V WS2812B strip but my sample size is very small.

I don't think strip is difficult to divide, join or repair but I have had practice. When I first started using strip, I overheated some of its solder pads which caused the joins to fail the following year. Don't heat the strip for too long when soldering it, especially if it doesn't have double-sided solder pads with a hole from one side to the other.

There is a thread with strip mounting ideas here https://auschristmaslighting.com/threads/10364/
 

Jon_101

Apprentice elf
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
53
Thanks Mark, I thought IP76 inside silicon tube are 100% waterproof!!!!
 

Jon_101

Apprentice elf
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
53
Frontage of my house is aluminium panels, I cant drill on it.
 

Ava_Garcia

New elf
Joined
May 17, 2021
Messages
1
Hi Guys, I'm wondering why everyone is using strings for house outline? LED Strips are much easier to install and I'm thinking to hang them on a fishing line around the house to avoid drilling holes.
You don't need to drill or hang them there are led strip lights that come with 3M tape (that's very reliable). So you can just paste them on the wall and enjoy.
 

SmartAlecLights

Im a SmartAlec what can i say!
Community project designer
Joined
May 4, 2010
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1,533
Location
Murray Bridge, S.A.
i find repairing strips quite simple, silicon + clear heatshrink makes it waterproof again when you cut off the offending section.
 

Adsy

Full time elf
Joined
Aug 10, 2018
Messages
203
Location
Sheidow Park SA
Silicon cable tie mounts(350-600mm spacing) minus the provided sticky back to almost any surface
Led Strip cable tied to conduit
This is a tried and tested method as others would agree.
Nothing wrong with strip, it just needs a little more TLC
 

HertzSwift

Apprentice elf
Joined
Sep 16, 2019
Messages
89
Location
Perth
I'm upgrading from fairy lights outlining my house to dumb IP68 and IP67 RGB strip lights. To prevent the strip from moving when installed, and to keep the lights rigid to get that nice neat lighting effect, I'm planning on installing it inside aluminum channel. The frosted cover will help diffuse the light instead of seeing a dot of light as well.

I may or may not have to drill holes in the channel to allow water to drain if its able to seep between the cover and the channel, I'll need to do a test.

channel.jpg
 
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