When the festive period arrives, most property owners experience an inevitable rise in their electricity expenses. After all, supplying power to all those LED holiday lights, net lights, C7 and C9 bulbs, and mini lights around your residence and yard demands considerable electricity. Christmas is already pricey, which is why it’s wise to utilize a line divider for holiday lights this year. This straightforward gadget can assist you in calculating the electrical load from your lights and other seasonal decorations, helping you monitor your energy expenses more closely.
This blog offers a concise guide on line dividers and how they can aid you in managing your light sets and holiday bulbs to identify overdraw and understand how much power your festive display is using. Armed with this knowledge, you can design a display that doesn’t overburden any outlets, keeping your festivities safe and economical. We provide a variety of electrical supplies, hardware, and accessories to help you create a stunning and captivating holiday display.
What is a Line Divider?
A clamp meter is one of the most invaluable tools for ardent holiday light enthusiasts and professional installers. A clamp meter enables you to measure the number of amps flowing through the electrical circuit. While this is useful, there are times when you need to isolate your amp drawdown to a single cord.
Though clamp meters are designed for use directly at a breaker panel, adding a line divider allows you to take amp readings at the outlet, providing a fantastic tool to prevent overloaded circuits. A line divider separates the hot, neutral, and ground wires on your standard 120-volt outlets. This separation allows current measurements to be made with a current clamp. Without a line divider, the current clamp will measure currents in both directions, effectively nullifying the measurement. A line divider includes both a standard measurement and a multiplier section, catering to less accurate or even high-range clamp meters.
Where Can I Purchase A Line Divider For Holiday Lights?
Line dividers are available at most electrical supply and hardware stores. However, many holiday installers prefer crafting their own. Not only do DIY dividers tend to be more durable, but using a 3-way extension cord, you can create a line divider that lets you measure multiple cords simultaneously.
Can I Create My Own Line Divider?
With some basic materials and a bit of technical knowledge, you can effortlessly create a DIY line divider for your holiday lights.
To make your own line divider, you’ll need the following tools:
- A two or three-foot 3-way extension adapter.
- Wire cutters.
- A utility knife.
It only takes a few minutes to make, and the result is a line divider that performs better and is more flexible than a store-bought version. This not only saves you money but also tends to offer superior quality. With your own line divider, there’s no better way to manage your commercial holiday lights and make the season shine even brighter.
You can compare the store-bought and DIY Line Divider in our YouTube video where we demonstrate amperage reading.
Become A Holiday Lighting Pro with a Line Divider for Your Electrical Decorations
The lighting professionals at Gift All Season are here to help you create an outstanding holiday display this year. We also supply the tools and accessories to help you accomplish the task right and calculate the electric load from your Christmas lights and other seasonal decorations. Your Christmas tree lights and outdoor holiday string lights can consume a lot of energy during the festive season. A line divider can help you better manage your electrical components over the holidays.
Contact us online with any questions or to explore our full range of commercial-grade lights, decorations, and electrical supplies and accessories. Don’t hesitate to call us at (855) 464 6665, or check out our YouTube channel for more tips on creating a memorable holiday display.