How does everyone protect their extension cords from the rain?

kim moore said:

This is a really sad post! Due to the extreme wet weather in TX, I have not been able to put up my yard and it is the 26TH!!!
It will be dry for the next few days , so am going to get the yard up over the weekend - HOWEVER there is a chance of Thunder storms on Halloween. How do you protect your extension cords from the rain? I was thinking I would try ziplock bags and Tape. My video How about any video equipment for those of you who also use ?

Any Ideas would be greatly appreciated !

Click to expand...

This is the biggest fight every year! There are some connections that get some natural protection from our trees (Huge ring of 40' conifers) but then you have the splitters and end connections to worry about, right? Like some have said, plastic wrapped and taped works okay if you are vigilant with your tape. For protecting the splitters and power strips, I've had good luck using disposable plastic containers with a slit cut down from the lid side about half way down with a hole cut out for the cord itself on both ends. From there, I place the splitter/strip inside the container, plug everything in and run the cords out through the slits and holes. I like to tape the slit closed inside and out for a little bit more protection. From here is where I do something a little bit different, I flip the container over so the bottom is now the top (with the slits on the bottom half now) and place a small block of wood between the lid and the power strip for a little more insurance against it resting in any water if the tape doesn't seal all the way. Now to hide it if it's sitting in the middle of the yard or somewhere obvious, you can scuff up the outer plastic and paint it to match your grass/bark/gravel, whatever you need it to blend into. I'm lazy and I have a big yard so I go with green but use whatever is going to blend the best in your location. I use more of the small square containers with the 3 way taps because they are easier to hide and try to limit the number of the bigger containers with power strips until I get some large crypts made next year when I'll hide them inside those.

Single cord to single cord connections that are exposed get wrapped in electrical tape. Three plug cords that are exposed get covered with a gallon ziplock bag over the connection, then hidden under green freaky fabric. My main power distribution box on the back of my with hut is a tote with a locking lid that has one end cut out to let the two main extension cords come in and connect to the power strips and splitters. From there the 12v, 5v and extra extension cords go back out to the rest of the props.

I use the sockitbox for multiple tap outlets. This has kept my electrical wiring dry during storms. Go with the largest box, you can put multiple taps inside. I also add a GFCI triple tap outlet at the at the exterior house outlets for added safety.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/13-5-in-Weatherproof-Powercord-Connection-Box-Green-SBMG/207203920

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tower-M...PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-202510242-_-202510257-_-N

We tend to use both plastic boxes with holes cut out and then taped, and plastic wrap and duct tape for others. But the one thing I haven't seen mentioned is that we put a lot of our cords and lights under additional cover by using our tombstones. Many are hollow underneath, so slipping a wrapped up extension cord under the tombstone gives it another layer of protection. Dee Kayed's tombstone also has an opening at the back that allows for a light to be put into it for the tombstones behind it.

We live in the Northwest, so rain is pretty much a given come Halloween season. So far, even though our methods are a bit primitive, we haven't had any shorts and everything lasts through the season.

I had problems last year with the GFCI blowing due to water getting in an extension cord. So I bought some plastic boxes and single connection cord covers on-line to keep the H2O out and it seems to have worked. I am thinking about a better way to get power to all the animatronics but the other problem is the fact that most animatronics are not designed for wet weather, or alternatively, they are for covered or indoor use- not helpful. I have been using spray on rubber sealer to try to weather proof the electrical mechanisms or paint on liquid electrical tape. I have also covered some mechanisms with plastic and duct tape. This seems to be working for most but some are more difficult to fully protect than others. With regard to projectors, I wanted to do the prop version of the pumpkins from AtmosFX but did not this year due to wet weather and the fear that the projector would be vulnerable to theft. I'm not sure what to do next year yet but I think I may have to go with a covered porch use or project on windows from inside. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Good luck and hopefully climate change will not cause wet pre-Halloween weather next year as well.