[crazyhalloweenguy]

Hello!
This year I was planing on putting some sort of decoration on my roof. It always looks SO BORING with everything going on in the yard and nothing up their.I was thinking about a big spiderweb or some sort of lighted 'picture' everything would be flat but I was wondering If i should make frames to keep the stuff out of the rain. If any christmas enthusiasts like me reside on here lol, it would be like the people that put the snowflakes on their roofs for christmas. The other question i had was how should I cover the cord connections? I was thinking about making some of these(pic below) to use in the yard and thought they may work on the roof to. let me know what you just think . Thanks in advance!
-Scott

 

[J-Man]

When I used to do Christmas lights on the roof, I never covered the cord connections and never had a problem. I would be more concerned with those containers filling up with water, THAT would be a problem.

 

[Bosco P. Soultrane]

I would agree with J-Man, I never covered my cords, either.

Just make sure that the outlet you are plugging into is GFCI protected.
Typically, exterior outlets should be GFCI and water protected by code but this is not always the case with older homes. I upgraded mine to code.

And, remember, don't do this:

 

[Restless Acres]

I third the motion to not do that. But I would loosely knot the ends together.

I have a high roof and the perfect chimney for decorating. It is enormous and has a flat slate top. Last year I put Home Depot's 12' Inflatable Purple Ghost (scary, not cute) up on top of the chimney. It got noticed. Pretty sure you could see it from a plane landing at Logan.

 

[J-Man]

On the subject of GFI receptacles, though they may be code in some areas, they can be a PITA for outdoor displays because they tend to trip whenever a connection just gets damp. Halloween and Christmas displays usually see their share of damp days. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't use GFI receptacles, merely pointing out that they can be a lot of headaches in damp weather.

 

[Bosco P. Soultrane]

well, GFCIs are supposed to be used in damp/wet locations, that is what they are designed for. They must be rated for outdoor use and properly installed by a trained professional. They may be a headache, but the alternative is electrocution. If they are tripping because it's damp, then there is a problem with them that needs to be addressed. Think of the GFCI you have in your bathroom, nowhere do you have more concentrated humidity... if your GFCIs are not tripping there, why would they trip outside in the weather? I am just saying, safety is important for our holiday displays.

 

[HauntedWyo]

well, GFCIs are supposed to be used in damp/wet locations, that is what they are designed for. They must be rated for outdoor use and properly installed by a trained professional. They may be a headache, but the alternative is electrocution. If they are tripping because it's damp, then there is a problem with them that needs to be addressed. Think of the GFCI you have in your bathroom, nowhere do you have more concentrated humidity... if your GFCIs are not tripping there, why would they trip outside in the weather? I am just saying, safety is important for our holiday displays.

I agree with what you said. If your GFCI's are tripping then there is more likely a problem with the GFCI. I live in WY and we get feet of snow in the winter and so it is not unusual for our cords to be under a couple of feet of snow and we have never had our outside GFCI's trip. That or there is something wrong with your cords. Thankfully my husband is an electrician, so he can trouble shoot if anything trips.

 

[J-Man]

well, GFCIs are supposed to be used in damp/wet locations, that is what they are designed for. They must be rated for outdoor use and properly installed by a trained professional. They may be a headache, but the alternative is electrocution. If they are tripping because it's damp, then there is a problem with them that needs to be addressed. Think of the GFCI you have in your bathroom, nowhere do you have more concentrated humidity... if your GFCIs are not tripping there, why would they trip outside in the weather? I am just saying, safety is important for our holiday displays.

Bathroom GFI's are for protection if an electrical device falls into the sink or the tub when full of water, humidity will not affect them. When you have outside cords that are laying on the ground, just getting rained on can cause the GFI to trip. Again, not suggesting you shouldn't use them, by all means, do what makes you feel safe. Merely pointing out that they can be problematic in the rain.

 

[Mapleton Manor]

We use these on all of our cords. They are sealed so no water can get inside. They are around $3 each but well worth it.

 

[Zombie4*]

I always use the heavy outdoor cords. I tie them in a loose knot, plug together and electric tape around the plugs. Never had any problems.

 

[Kev730]

Here are my roof decorations.

werewolf (i want to remake in paper mache)

clown

clown and werewolf


I saw some ideas online I want to make in the future.

huge spider

hanging bat

foam boarded up windows

 

[Matt12378]

Last year I put a vulture inflatable from Home Depot on my 2 story roof it looked great!
I really think that some inflatables can do extremely well on roofs as long as there not too big.

 

[thehoghunter]

This is the first thing I put up (Oct 1st) on the roof...lit up with a spot light set up behind the dryer roof vent.

 

[Stochey]

Great thread! Keep posting pictures and advice! This is my first year with a roof I can decorate!

 

[Mapleton Manor]

I built this two years ago, she is 15 foot from tip of toe to tip of toe. Google earth even shows her on the roof of our garage from a satellite photo from last year. That makes me so proud to know she can be seen from the satellite.

This one is from google earth.

 

[giantstogie]

I built this two years ago, she is 15 foot from tip of toe to tip of toe. Google earth even shows her on the roof of our garage from a satellite photo from last year. That makes me so proud to know she can be seen from the satellite.

View attachment 424593

View attachment 424601


This one is from google earth.

View attachment 424609

I love the spider. can you describe how you built it? l have been wanting to build on for our house. you did a great job on it.

 

[Mapleton Manor]

Here is a link to the thread I made when i built it. You can get a good idea from the thread how i made it. The only thing I didnt get pictures of was when i made the body form. But it does say how i did it.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/142237-15-foot-spider-my-big-prop-year.html