Portable outdoor lighting problems.

[dndv3]

Hello,

I'm not hugely knowledgeable on such things so thought I'd ask.

I'm looking to light a large ex- cargo container, both inside and externally. The lights need to be portable and water resistant (i.e. work in light rain). There is a main plug accessible 50ft away, but the cable will be running over a field.

Ive seen advertised tripod mounted halogen floodlights and floor standing lights which seam cheap and robust (they are designed for site use). they also have hand held inspection lamps - which would all be ideal. The big lamps are 500W and 110V (they also have 240V units) with 16Amp plugs (i.e. the big industrial plugs not domestic ones).

If I was to get these lights how could I power them.

I have seen "outlet transformers" but are unsure how well they work, would there be sufficient power to use the light for 1-2hours at a time?

I have seen two advertised on a site for around £60 each, the first is rated at 1500kVA the second at 3.3kVA apparently but I have no idea what either value realistically means. (I can supply more detail on the site upon request)

Any help/incite is appreciated.

cheers

Chris.

[sparkydude]

The transformers you talk about are for stepping the voltage down to 110V which is standard site voltage (Yellow plugs and sockets)

IN your cas this would be the best idea as the distance to your unit is a fair way. You will need an extension lead of at least 2.5mm cable preferably 4.00mm to allow for the volt drop over the distance.at the transformer end you will put a yellow 16A plug and the container you will need a splitter box, with four 16A outlets, this will allow you to plug in any of the site lights you previousley mentioned. The cable from the transformer to the container should be of the yellow arctic flex type. Depending upon how many lights you are planning upon using, it might be worth getting a transformer with a 32A outlet instead of a 16A this will allow you to run more from the splitter box end. The rating of the transform in KVA is the same as in KW , so you can rum 3300W from a 3.3 KVA transformer.

Hope this helps

Nick