Some people prefer the holiday season to start the day after Halloween, while others prefer to carve it into Thanksgiving birds and wait until the house is decorated in red and green.
Whether you’re an early riser or a week-long decorator, most homeowners find hanging Christmas lights to be one of the most time-consuming and dangerous tasks during the holidays.
Knowing how to properly install and maintain your holiday lights can make a difference between a happy holiday season and more than just baking roasted chestnuts. Here are safety tips to follow when decorating your home with Christmas lights. To avoid the fire risks of Christmas illuminations take help of professionals.
Tip 1: Replace old or damaged Christmas lights
Before connecting last year’s holiday lights, check the condition to make sure it meets the standards. Check for cracks or frayed wires, for wires that have passed through insulation, and for sockets without bulbs.
It may seem like a hassle, but damage to a cord or light bulb can cause an electric shock when plugged in, or worse, an electric fire.
Tip 2: Switch to LED light
If you are in the market to buy a new holiday light, consider LED lights with epoxy lenses. Compared to traditional Christmas lights, LED lights are cooler to the touch and consume less power, making them ideal for lowering your electricity bill.
Most Christmas fires are caused by overheating of the Christmas tree lights, so switching to LED lights can prevent the tree from catching fire.
Tip 3: Follow 3 rules
Most manufacturers agree that plugging three or more sets of holiday lights into a single extension cord can cause overheating problems. However, it depends on both the wattage of the wire and the maximum wattage of the plug.
If you don’t know how to check the wattage of your house, you can use a power strip with a built-in circuit breaker instead of an outlet. Be sure to cross-reference the Christmas light wattage and power strip amount before plugging in.
Tip 4: Find UL Safety Certified Christmas Lights
Some Christmas lights include UL safety certification. This means that it is designed and manufactured to meet the industry safety specifications of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), an independent source of product safety certification.
These certified lights are safer to use at home than non-certified lights. If your current light is not UL safety certified, especially if the light is more than a few years old, we recommend investing in one that is UL safety certified.
Tip: 5 Hydrate the Christmas tree
In addition to overheated Christmas lights, it also ignites a dry Christmas tree. Dry trees are more flammable than those that are properly watered. If you prefer a real Christmas tree, check the water daily to keep the tree dry.
However, if you’re not too obsessed with real Christmas trees, it’s actually safer to buy an artificial Christmas tree made of refractory material.
Tip 6: Use external and internal lights, respectively
Indoor-only lights are not as insulated as outdoor lights and do not work outdoors in damp places. When electricians go digital we trust them more. In fact, exposure of interior lights to water, snow, or other external elements can be dangerous.