Considering these shortcomings, I question the value of strain relief on high-voltage neon wiring. I'm not an electrical engineer, but I think it's a mistake to assume that every priniciple applicable to lower voltage wiring should automatically be extended to neon wiring. At the very least, someone needs to develop a non-conductive method of strain relief. Loading refers to the size and length of tubing in a particular neon circuit operated by a given transformer. Both overloading and underloading a transformer can cause failure.
Overloaded transformers provide inadequate current for the length of tubing operated.
This frequently causes the GTO insulation to break down and the wiring to short-out. It can also burn out the transformer. Underloaded transformers create excessive heat throughout the system. Turn on the power and observe the milliammeter reading. For a typical 30mA transformer, a low reading of 15mA indicates overloading, while a high reading of 29mA indicates underloading.