Glitches are a fact of life for the Haunter...
I'm sharing this to make everyone feel better about any mistake they made this year
Ok I have to share this here because I wont admit it to the wife 
So each year when we put up our decorations I have been making a make shift fence to really keep the kids from touching the props on the lawn after a few were damaged. Over the years I've added the dancing lights to give them some character but this year I decided to replace all the pumpkin lights for the fence with rope lights. So I go online, find what I thought was a really great price and buy. Get them this weekend, plug them all in and they work! For about 20 minutes. Then they shut off. ? Check the breaker....all good. So I go to the switch and turn them back on. Took a while but I got them back on! For about 2 minutes.
Now the switch is totally dead. And I just put it in! Its one of those new fangled Z wave switches you can turn on with your phone! (those with electrical knowledge are probably laughing and realized what I did)
So I'm really confused. No issue with the breaker and the lights work fine when I plug them in to a regular outlet. Think more and more and more then look at the rope light box. Not LED as I intended but incandescent rope lights. So basically I was throwing over 1000 watts at a switch that can handle 600 max not including the rest of the props. Not only that, the LEDs are a WHOLE lot more expensive. So I call the company back, get an RMA and ask if I can pay the difference in cash They agree, I tell the wife I'm returning them for a better deal which is essentially true since the new switch I had to buy can handle the LED rope lights
But we are back up and running. yay!
If you've made it through this far congrats. And if it made you feel better about yourself then success!
So each year when we put up our decorations I have been making a make shift fence to really keep the kids from touching the props on the lawn after a few were damaged. Over the years I've added the dancing lights to give them some character but this year I decided to replace all the pumpkin lights for the fence with rope lights. So I go online, find what I thought was a really great price and buy. Get them this weekend, plug them all in and they work! For about 20 minutes. Then they shut off. ? Check the breaker....all good. So I go to the switch and turn them back on. Took a while but I got them back on! For about 2 minutes.
Now the switch is totally dead. And I just put it in! Its one of those new fangled Z wave switches you can turn on with your phone! (those with electrical knowledge are probably laughing and realized what I did)
So I'm really confused. No issue with the breaker and the lights work fine when I plug them in to a regular outlet. Think more and more and more then look at the rope light box. Not LED as I intended but incandescent rope lights. So basically I was throwing over 1000 watts at a switch that can handle 600 max not including the rest of the props. Not only that, the LEDs are a WHOLE lot more expensive. So I call the company back, get an RMA and ask if I can pay the difference in cash
They agree, I tell the wife I'm returning them for a better deal which is essentially true since the new switch I had to buy can handle the LED rope lights But we are back up and running. yay!
If you've made it through this far congrats. And if it made you feel better about yourself then success!
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Someday, someone will create a reality show about haunters. It will be called Trial and Error because that is the nature of our existence. I think this every time I'm in Home Depot or Lowe's and the cashier asks "did you find everything you needed?" I always have to tell them "I'm making a such and such prop from scratch, so I have absolutely no idea what I need, so expect me back again soon."
People are always asking how it is I am so good at immediately switching to a plan B every time something bad happens. "Halloween" as the answer really confuses them, but this is just a case in point. Adapt and overcome.
"We both know I'll be back tomorrow for whatever I forgot" is my normal response. Doesn't help that the hardware store is practically across the street now.Someday, someone will create a reality show about haunters. It will be called Trial and Error because that is the nature of our existence. I think this every time I'm in Home Depot or Lowe's and the cashier asks "did you find everything you needed?" I always have to tell them "I'm making a such and such prop from scratch, so I have absolutely no idea what I need, so expect me back again soon."
I told my husband just yesterday that I wished I didn't have to learn everything by trial and error, I should have a little Halloween elf sitting on my shoulder and guiding me. My Husband said "You will remember the lessons better this way", I hate it when he's right.
Like having to dry all the electrical connections after the sprinklers come on (notice sprinklers!! not rain - nothing happens when it rains) and then cellophane wrap the connections - I forgot to do this this year!
I know the feeling. Over the past two weeks I've lost track of how many times I've told my wife "I need to run to Lowes for one more thing..." I've probably been there a dozen times (no exageration) this month.Someday, someone will create a reality show about haunters. It will be called Trial and Error because that is the nature of our existence. I think this every time I'm in Home Depot or Lowe's and the cashier asks "did you find everything you needed?" I always have to tell them "I'm making a such and such prop from scratch, so I have absolutely no idea what I need, so expect me back again soon."
It's a sickness, I can't leave well enough alone.
You must not have read my signature line:
"There are no mistakes, only happy little accidents." - Bob Ross
So you had a "happy little accident,' but NEVER a mistake!!
"There are no mistakes, only happy little accidents." - Bob Ross
So you had a "happy little accident,' but NEVER a mistake!!
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