Low Voltage Deck Lighting

Question by Missinmissy: why does my outside electrical plug make the lights blow out in the rain?
I have a outside electrical socket on my patio, a silver one with like snap cover closures. Every winter we plug our two prong plug outdoor extention cords into them for Xmas lights, and the second it rains outside it blows the breakers (lights out)? Does anyone know why? How can I fix it, so I don’t have to unplug every single time it rains? Note the sockets have three prong holes but the plugs we use are 2 prongs? What can I do so it stops doing this?
************************Thank you Ronald Greene!! I will try all of that this weekend!! *************************

Best answer:

Answer by Ronald Greene
Very simply, water is seeping into your outdoor outlet, causing a short which trips the breaker. Water is probably getting in between the plug and outlet.

I recommend you replace that entire outlet assembly with a new, more watertight one. By now, the contacts in the old outlet are most likely burned and corroded.

Second, build or buy an outdoor electrical “rain hood” for your outlet to keep rain away from your plugs and outlets. These items are usually sheet metal hoods that are screwed to your exterior siding and sheathing over the outlet box. You can probably find them in the electrical department of your local hardware store.

If you do all this, you should have no more problems, provided your lights and power cords are rated for outdoor use.

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