light wireing

[Eric_H_E]

The wife found a super bright color changing submersible led light to put in the pond. The only problem so far is that the pigtail is too short. Any ideas how to make a water proof (submersible) electrical connection? :dunno:

 

[fishin4cars]

Making sure it is water tight is a big key for the DIY. Only take my advice if you feel comfortable with working with electricity and at your own risk. , I AM NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICAN! That being said, I would probably get a length of tubing aprox 18" long, ( use a size large enough size to cover everything once completed below) slide it on the long end of the cord, in your case not on the wire connected to the light end. Push it up the line for later on. Use scotch lock connectors from an electrical supply store. This in itself will make a water tight connection. use one for each wire, Once the wires are connected separate one of the scotch lock connectors as far up one in one direction of the wire as possible without actually pulling against the wire itself. The other as far in the other direction as possible, In other words not one right on top of the other. You'll understand why in just a bit. Now tape the two connectors down start at one end taping toward the other then come back across, go back and forth several times going just a little further out with each pass to make a black tape tail connection. If you do this as explained earlier you'll make less of a HUMP (See Above) in the middle so the tubing will slide on easier, before sliding the tubing over I use fishing string or wax string and tie the ends of the black tape down to the wire at each end, Now slide the tubing over all this and fill the end of the tubing with silicon. yes this is a triple connection, but considering it's a DYI project, the whole thing might cost $3 and the safety of you, the fish, and any other living creature visiting the pond, I don't think it's that much over kill.

 

[sissy]

They sell water tight shrink wire protectors in most hardware stores .You have to use heat to make it shrink tight around the connector .Just ask in the electrical department .I usually use 2 of them outside and make sure the ones you buy say in water use .

 

[Catfishnut]

Eric,

All LED lamps operate on low voltage direct current. It only requires about 0.6 VDC to operate the LED itself, but they usually use something like 5 volts with a current limiting and voltage dropping resister (usually 2.2 Kohms) in series with the LED (4.4 volts would be across the resistor and 0.6 volts across the LED). A power supply which converts 110/120 VAC down to 5 VDC would be utilized.

If your LED lamp is set up with the power supply externally located from the actual LED assembly (the portion that goes underwater), then you would only have this low voltage direct current supply going through your wiring in the pond water. This would make it very simple and would alleviate any safety concerns if you knew how this particular LED lamp was set up.

If it is low voltage DC, you won't have to fret over any safety concerns for yourself or your fish. You would only have to worry about possible corrosion of the wires and maybe damaging the DC power supply if it should short out under water (although that would be unlikely).

The heat shrink tubing that Sissy mentioned is the direction I would go in either case. You have to be sure to get the water sealing style as Sissy stated. On the interior walls of this heat shrink there is some sort of a plastic resin which melts and flows around the wires and the connections when the rest of the tubing is heated to shrink it. You'll see it ooze out as you heat the tubing with a heat gun. You can use an ordinary butane lighter, too. It doesn't take much heat, but a hair dryer isn't enough and a LP gas torch is too much.

I would buy several diameter sizes so you have what you need on hand. Strip the insulation back on each wire end about 3/8" and then mesh all the copper conductors together to form a butt splice (think about meshing the fingers of your hands together) and then solder the wires. You'll want to have the heat shrink tubing already slipped over all the wires ahead of the soldering of course. Slide them down the wires and away from the splice area so they don't start shrinking from the heat of the soldering.

Buy one size of heat shrink tubing which fits each individual wire and the splice you made and one size that can cover both wires/splices with the first set of heat shrink tubing covering them. Cut each heat shrink tube long enough to allow plenty of sealing over the length of the wires on each side of the butt splice. Approximately 3"-4" on each side ought to be fair.

I think you should be set.

Catfishnut

 

[sissy]

yep forgot to state to get several sizes so you know you get it really water tight .I would check it every year also to make sure it is holding up .That being said the one in my stock tank has not been checked in 2 years :cheerful: .I think I should sometimes follow my own directions .I don't use the up lights in my pond anymore they leak and I really don't care for the harsh light shining up and making the water cloudy .I prefer down led lights shining into the water .Makes viewing them much clearer .Plus I can see the whole pond better .But stock tank is just for plants