It’s the holidays, folks! It’s that most wonderful time of the year when 32 million families across the United States resurrect ornaments, holiday lights, artificial Christmas trees, and motorized Santas from garages and basements and get ready to tackle that favorite December pastime: decorating!
While holiday decorating is all about adding fun, sparkle, and warmth to a special season, it’s important to remember that many of our favorite decorations risk fire or electrical injury if not used carefully. Don’t let a preventable accident take the enjoyment out of your holidays. Whether you’re excitedly preparing for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, please read our decorating safety tips for a few minutes.
Don’t Overload Your Circuit!
This is less of an issue with modern LED holiday lights, but it’s still something to consider. And, if you’re still using the classic incandescent lights, then overloading your circuit is something to be re-conscious about. Before you start plugging in, please find out the wattage rating of your extension cord and the power requirements of any lights or decorations you plan to plug into it. A wattage rating is the amount of electricity an extension cord is built to carry, and if the combined power requirements (or “pull”) of your lights and decorations exceed that rating, overheating and fire can occur.
Safety Tips For Holiday Lights and Decorations
- 1: If you plan to decorate outdoors, make sure you use lights and decorations rated for outdoor use. Putting indoor-only products outside in the weather can result in electric shock and fire hazards. Check the color-coded UL mark on the product’s package if you’re unsure whether light strings are rated for indoor or outdoor use. A green holographic UL mark says, “indoors only, please,” while a red one indicates that the product is safe for indoor and outdoor use.
- 2: Whether they’re brand-new out of the box or seasoned veterans from holidays past, before you put them up, inspect all lights, electric decorations, and extension cords for signs of damage to wire insulation, plugs, and bulbs. If the damage can be repaired (e.g., broken bulbs replaced), do not use the item until the repair has been made. If cords and plugs are damaged, discard and replace the decoration.
- 3: Always unplug lights before changing bulbs, replacing fuses, or making other repairs.
More Tips For Holiday Decoration Safety
- 1: If you need to replace a bulb in a string of Christmas lights, make sure that the replacement bulb’s wattage rating matches that of the light strand. Using a bulb with too high a wattage can cause the light string to overheat, creating a fire risk (especially if you use incandescent lights).
- 2: When hanging holiday lights and Christmas lights outdoors, avoid metal ladders in favor of ladders made of non-conductive materials like wood or fiberglass-reinforced plastic, which will reduce your risk of electric shock.
- 3: Only use lights and decorations per manufacturers’ instructions.
- 4: Before you begin decorating, verify how many strands of lights it is safe to connect end-to-end (as a general rule, it’s 3).
- 5: Check holiday lights every so often to ensure the wires are not warm to the touch.
- 6: Always turn off all Christmas lights, holiday lights, and decorations before going to bed or leaving the house.
Worried? Contact The Professional Electricians At Brothers!
Here at Brothers Plumbing Heating and Electric, we can install convenient outlets to make setting up your holiday lights a breeze! Our professional electricians will ensure that the outlets installed are in well-thought-out locations and that they are grounded and weather-resistant. So, if you’d like to cut time off your holiday light setup, call us! For more information on electrical outlets, visit our page here.
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