It’s that time of year again - outdoor Christmas decorations.
I have two areas for decorations and would like to use one GE Outdoor Smart Switch to control on/off for both (my outdoor outlet can only fit one plugged in so I can’t use two).
Would it be safe to connect an outdoor rated single to double (or triple) plug to the GE plug and then run extension cords from it to each area of decorations?
TIA.
Yay! An Ohms Law and Kirchoff Law type question! Pardon my enthusiasm, but despite my engineering background, this is possibly the only question ill every be able to answer, so…
I assume you have some idea of the total current load of both your lighting areas? That total needs to stay below the max rating of your 1) circuit branch 2) outlet rating 3) zwave relay rating, and 4) extension cord ratings. Never operate with any one of those at or near maximum for any of the components. You likely have a 15 amp circuit, but you also probably have it
loaded to some degree at other outlets in the house running on the same branch. you need to account for that demand in your power budget. If youre using UL rated cube taps and cords, youre looking at 16 or 18 awg stranded wires… under 50 ft that translates to roughly 7 and 10 amps max for each. splitting the load closer to the zwave switch would give you the best case losses, esp with even split loading. If any component in your setup feels at all warm to the touch (aside from the active devices like bulbs) something may be wrong… corrosion or a failing light etc.
Now some one teach me coding. 
Thanks for the reply - another option would be to use an outdoor rated drop cord and then attach the GE plug to the end of it - that would solve the problem of both GE plugs not fitting in the outlet.
Assuming the GE plug was mounted to prevent water from entering, do you see any potential issue with this approach?
And, BTW, coding is much easier than all of this electrical mumbo jumbo 
Let’s hope you are not one of those who has tons of tacky outdoor Christmas decorations 
Haha. Not TOO many
When you have kids you can get away with some things
That would be me. My display requires 4 GE Outdoor modules!
LOL I believe the title would have gone to one of my former neighbors. They had over 40 of those blowup, lighted decorations crammed into their small lawn. Plus he had a 20 foot board cutout of Santa in his sled. Each shrub had a different color of lights covering them. I could go on.
It was really, really bad.
The user manual for the GE outdoor plug specifically says not to plug it into anything except a grounded outlet. And not to plug it into an extension cord.
Mostly that’s because under UL ratings the GE plug counts as an extension cord itself and you’re not allowed to daisychain extension cords and keep the UL listing.
There is also a slightly higher possibility with a Z wave device that improper grounding can cause issues with the radio that you obviously wouldn’t see with a nonnetworked Device.
UL would not have liked the diplsay I put on at my former home. Over 1k feet of extension cords covering 2/3 of an acre. 
Blowups are very tacky. FWIW I don’t have any.
I am in 100% agreement! I believe Christmas decorations should be like girlfriends…never inflatable. But, given the choice between none, and them, fine…
I also think that one moonflower effect in the center of your yard projecting on your house is cheating. But, again, it is better than none.
I have 2,400 lights on my 800 sq ft home and all are LED but the white is warm white, not that cool white. Trying to get someone to go up on my roof to put up the C9s. I am a little nervous. I crushed my tibia in a motorcycle accident a year ago and only have been walking for 6 months this year. And, yes, it is controlled through SmartThings and Alexa if need be.