I am trying to wire up a tree light. All that comes out of the light is a Black White, and Ground wire. The instructions say you are supposedddd to install a Conduit and conduit connector which i dont have or really know what is. Can i install it without one. (AKA could i just splice it to a cut extension chord that also has a white black and ground?
heres the deal. to make code no you cant do that. any electrical splice needs to be in an enclosure with a cover. what they want you to do is this. run your wire in a metal or plastic conduit (pipe, most likely 1/2), the pipe protects your live wire from rodents, or human tampering, potentially dangerous obviously. then put a threaded connector on the end of the pipe and install a weatherproof box, most likely a round bell box, assuming its a round base on your light. there is more to it to make sure you use the right rated wire for the pipe and so on most likely what you will do is avoid the conduit and just run your chord up the tree (although it isnt legal or safe). i would recommend 2 things. first find a junction/mounting box for the light. a better description of the light would help point you in the right direction. this will protect your splice from the elements. secondly, when running the chord staple it or secure it loosly, both to the tree and up the tree (allow some slack), this is because simply the tree will grow, alot of people dont think about that but realize it 5 years down the road.
An indoor extension cord exposed to the weather, even for ' just a few months' is asking for trouble. If you use a high quality construction type 'orange' cord, and a cable fitting to attach it to the box on the fixture, and don't damage the cord fastening it to the tree, you should be OK.
conduit is a metal pipe made for electrical use a connector is a pc made to attach 2 conduits together, yes just splice a ext cord to it,
No, it's never ok to cut an extension cord and splice it into a light especially without a raintight junction box on an outdoor circuit. The only way that you could safely install this without conduit would be to connect a junction box to the nipple on the light in a manner that would provide a watertight seal, then to connect UF wire to the junction box using a similarly raintight connector and run that wire along a path that would not put it at risk for damage by foot traffic, pets, or landscaping equipment to an existing power source or electric panel, then connecting the UF wire to that box using a raintight connector and connecting the hot, neutral ground, and earth ground wires to the correct wires or terminals in that box. However since you don't know what conduit is, I would strongly urge you to not take this project on yourself. You're dealing with line voltage outdoors in your yard and that's a risky situation. You or someone that you live with or your pet could get electrocuted (as in dead kaput goner) when moisture is present in your back yard. If you need to light a tree, you might consider just one or two of those $5 floodlights with the plastic stake that you stick into the ground and then run an extension cord to. The type of light that you have is made to be hard wired by an experienced electrical professional.
