# How do you hide your extension cords and across sidewalks?



## texmaster (Aug 25, 2008)

So here in Dallas we are rejoicing in temps under 100 degrees and I'm adding a Light O Rama light show this year which brings me to a basic question.

How do you hide all those freakin extension cords? Drives me nuts every year. I actually had an electrician install outlets on each side of my lawn which helped but light o Rama means I'll have to have everything plugged into one unit putting the sidewalk back in play.

So, how do you do it?


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## Kelloween (Jun 8, 2012)

omg I hate those cords also! I actually dug down the edges of our drive and through the yard and buried mine one year..only other thing I can think of is a huge piece of astro turf over them and the drive..I am like you though, they drive me nuts!


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## Gym Whourlfeld (Jan 22, 2003)

They used to make flat cords in dark colors, this can help much. Maybe you could dig a small hole opposite each other ,then dug and push a piece of PVC condiut under the sidewalk to run drop cords through?


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## TheMayor (Sep 3, 2011)

I use dead leaves from my tree...


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## Gothikim (Jul 25, 2005)

As far as sidewalks go, I duct tape the cord down all the way across the concrete to prevent trips. The silver tape blends in tolerably well with the concrete. I may pull out the wooden strip between the sections of concrete and bury conduit in there for future use. 

In the yard, I use green extension cords and have never really noticed them being really obvious. I have a 3.5' tall wooden fence around my cemetery though, so that helps screen the view I guess. I let the grass grow once my cemetery is up, so the grass eventually takes care of cords showing 

I hate having all the cords running everywhere too, mostly because I'm a goof and I trip on them. I'd love to have some outside outlets installed in the front yard someday.


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## mendar (Sep 2, 2009)

I cheated when I put in a new Sidewalk, I installed a 4 in PVC Pipe before they poured the new concrete, so I have a conduit under the sidewalk.


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## texmaster (Aug 25, 2008)

mendar said:


> I cheated when I put in a new Sidewalk, I installed a 4 in PVC Pipe before they poured the new concrete, so I have a conduit under the sidewalk.


That is cheating. And Brilliant!

There is a machine, expensive as heck that uses high powered water to cut through dirt under a sidewalk but that would probably be about 300 bucks if I let my sprinkler guy do it so I'm not sure its worth all that.


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## trentsketch (Aug 4, 2009)

At my new haunt location, I can actually run the extension cord under the doormat at the front steps to light the sidewalk. The rest goes through the yard that the ToTs can't walk through thanks to path markers.

At my old haunt, duct tape, duct tape, and more duct tape. I ran as much as I could under the lip below the front door and kept it contained with the door mat; the rest was duct taped into the corners of the stairs or (in one very strange year) over the awning covering the steps. Then I could just run the cords through the yard on both sides of the sidewalk without crossing wires on the flat part.


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## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

Ive used duct tape with success, but another idea is using the Halloween patterned tape from DT if you can find it.


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## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

black gorilla tape

the end


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## diggerc (Sep 29, 2005)

First I cut the grass short and lay out the cords as early as possible (green and blacks) and let the grass grow up around them.


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## texmaster (Aug 25, 2008)

diggerc said:


> First I cut the grass short and lay out the cords as early as possible (green and blacks) and let the grass grow up around them.


And I agree. How do you water your plants and grass? This has always kept me from putting out our haunt earlier than a few weeks.

The wife is asking


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## Defenestrator (Jul 27, 2009)

I also use a Light-O-Rama, and really couldn't do without it anymore! 

However, the cord situation does get a bit irritating. I could almost just say 'ditto' to Gothikims response in terms of how I deal with them; I use 100% green extension cords, and they are staked down with an elongated 'U' shaped stake that is designed to keep weedstop secured to the ground. 

Whenever they must cross over concrete (driveway, sidewalk, front porch, etc), the cord is run into the seam as deeply as possible, and then a strip of duct tape holds that in place.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Buy a pet gopher and tell him to dig.  I just run my cords in the cracks and cover them with rugs. But it sounds like you will have a lot more cords than me.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I've strongly considering running the electrical wires, underground, through various parts of our yard. We have zero outlets outside in the front and its not gonna be hard to dig out a 4" by 2" (deep x wide) trench. Then I was thinking a steel, hollowed pipe, but pvc is also a good idea, just dont like that it can be broken under pressure, for the wiring.


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## Terror Tom (Nov 3, 2008)

How wide is your sidewalk? You could dig a trench on both sides of the sidewalk. Get a piece of 4" PVC pipe, lay it in the trenchup against the dirt you want to remove. Put a garden hose inside the pipe with a concentrated spray nozzle and blast the dirt out with water pressure. As the hole keeps deeper under the sidewalk, drive the pipe under the sidewalk. After the pipe is under the walk, Glue some long bend 90 degree elbows pointing up. Glue a couple of short vertical pieces on. Back fill your trench. You can pull the wires through the pipe by tying some string to the wires and tying a plastic bag to the string. Shove the plastic bag in the pipe on one side of the walk. Now, go to other side and stick the hose of your shop vac down in the pipe and suck the bag and string out. Pull the wires through with the string.


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

Easy solution, build a PVC arch. Slip 2" PVC over the green fence posts and feed your cords thru it.


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## Terror Tom (Nov 3, 2008)

That is a great idea Scatterbrains!


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## Madhatter00 (May 24, 2012)

I use a combination of dead leaves, sticks and such on the lawn, and on the sidewalk I use doormats and the ever popular black gorilla duct tape.


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## James B. (Oct 8, 2009)

My outlet is on the side of the house so I no longer run cords over the sidewalk. I taped my the first year.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Scatterbrains said:


> Easy solution, build a PVC arch. Slip 2" PVC over the green fence posts and feed your cords thru it.


I also go up and over, but with a more rustic approach, this grass arch doing the job.


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## Deadview (Aug 9, 2011)

Terror Tom has the best idea of jetting under the side walk. It won't make too much of a mess and once the pipe is there you don't have to worry about trick or treaters tripping over exposed lines, a liability.


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

Last year my husband installed 7 new outlets in the front yard for me, and I had our electrician add 5 more in the back when we put the gazebo in. However, I still find I occasionally have a cord crossing the ToTs path. I usually either bury it a few inches or go up and over depending on the location. When it is on a sidewalk then it becomes a problem. Perhaps I will try duct tape next time, or the pvc pipe under the sidewalk idea..


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## The-Dullahan (Feb 26, 2011)

Never had this issue. Never will. I refuse to live someplace with a sidewalk. The concept of even having neighbours to even SEE my Halloween display is still new and alien to me.

Realistically, if I had this problem though, here is what I would do.

Get a piece of wire conduit, they type Electricians use (Which is entirely why I am so familiar with it). They sell benders for it as well, should you buy the stiff kind and desire to bend it, but you can also bend it by hand with enough force. Very lightweight, rust-proof, tolerable, cheap and tough. There are also flexible conduits.

As many people said before, you can run it under the lawn. Now here is the thing. This conduit comes in many sizes. You can get the large type and feed the cords back and forth every year through it, but that is not what I would do. I would feed it through once and wire a cord into there. A male end on one end and a female end on the other. Cover each with a wind-resistant protector and bury them each year. Dig them up for Halloween displays or whatever other holidays you decorate for, or just to settle bets with neighbours that you even HAVE such a thing. Rebury each year after use. Now you just run an extension to them from each side when you desire to use them.

Of course, that's just me. Personally, I have never run out of extension cords and have sockets on every side of my house, as well as both the left and right of the driveway, on kitchen counters, ceilings, the floor, the walls...Everywhere, really. Was an excellent selling point of my old house that I had a conveniently hidden socket for any task or chore one could imagine.

As for hiding cords in the grass, I have never had this issue. I can run white, orange, green, brown or black ones. I don't put my decorations out until Halloween itself, but it never matters. I just make sure to skip the last grass-mowing session prior to the holiday. Living in Florida, it rains here every single day at least once. We also get a lot of sunlight (Which I have no tolerance for and an inability to function in, as I go blind if I step in it, but meh. At least there's rain.) so grass thrives here. That classic "overgrown cemetery" can be achieved with literally no planning or effort at all.


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