Christmas light Setup: Safety first and always
Christmas lights brighten the holiday season. We use them to decorate our trees, homes, and even cars. With these holiday light safety tips, you can avoid accidents and make sure your season is merry and bright. These lovely decorations, however, are not without risk. Falls, electrocution, and short-circuiting are all real dangers. You can avoid dangerous situations while decorating with proper planning and safe practices.
Here are some important preventive measures to keep in mind:
- Beware Broken Bulbs
Avoid using broken bulbs to decorate up this festive season. A missing or broken bulb can result in shocks, fires, or nasty cuts. Before you decorate your house or tree, check for any missing or broken bulbs. Replacement bulbs are included with most lights, but you can also purchase them at your local home improvement store.
- Use wooden Ladder
If you want to decorate the outside of your house, you will need a ladder to get to those high spots. It is essential to select an appropriate Ladder for the work. Metal ladders conduct electricity, posing a risk of electrocution. To avoid electrical shocks, better to use a wooden or fiberglass ladder when hanging lights.
- Choose lights Wisely
It's self-evident that you should use indoor lights for your indoor and outdoor lights for your outdoor lights for obvious reasons, but there's more to it. Outdoor lighting is built to withstand cold and wet conditions. Indoor lights have been safety tested and are not a fire hazard for trees, but they are not durable enough to be used outside. If you live in a wet area, make sure you use outdoor lights, and these lights are also labeled as waterproof. Also, look for the UL seal no matter what climate you live.
- Use right cord
Use an outdoor-rated extension cord at all times. Indoor extension cords are not intended to be used in cold or wet conditions. Please make sure they're in good condition and don't overburden them. Please place them in a location where they will not be a tripping hazard or topple your Christmas tree and decorations. Also, don't leave your cords lying around. Check that the connector of your light chord and extension cord is not in touch with puddles, moist soil, snow, or ice.
- Avoid tripping
To prevent tripping hazards, secure extension cords to the ground on either side of a walkway with anchoring pins or ground staples. Thread the cord through the center and push the pin or staple ends into the dirt. You can make your staples in a pinch if you have some wire hangers, pliers, and wire cutters on hand. Cut 8 inches (20 cm) of wire and bend it into a U shape.
- Elevate Light pieces
Also, keep your light strands off the ground. Stick them in the ground, and the lights clip to the top of the stake to create a cool runway effect down your walkway. Also, to keep the cord off the ground, you can make a simple cord protector out of a plastic container. Cut a notch in each side's edge and run the cord through the notches. It would be best if you never hung lights with staples, tacks, or nails.
- Lights are not long-lived.
Sure, they're lovely, but don't leave them on for too long. Many lights, including smart lights, aren't designed to be used indefinitely. Check the light's box for instructions on how long you can safely leave your lights on.
- 3 Strand rule
It is recommended that no more than three strings of incandescent lights be connected. If you're using LEDs, most UL-labeled lights will tell you how many strings of lights you can safely string together on the package.
- Safe Plugging
Only use ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets to power your lights. If too much current flows through the circuit, these outlets will shut it down, preventing fires. A GFCI outlet will have a reset and test button in the center. If you don't already have one, you can get a portable GFCI outlet from your local home improvement store. You could use a waterproof in-line GFCI or a portable GFCI.
- Avoid running cords through doors and windows.
Do not feed extension cords through window or door frames. The cord could become pinched, causing the insulation around the wires to deteriorate and a nasty shock.
- Careful Decoration of cars and creatures
Even if it's only for a shot, never hang a human or animal from the lights you plugin; they might suffer an electric shock or burns if the lights grow too hot. Most stores that sell Christmas lights also sell battery-operated light strands. These aren't hot to touch and won't electrocute the wearer. They come in various shapes. Snowflakes, candy canes, and gumdrops are among the strands.
When decorating your vehicle for Christmas parades, use a power inverter to produce enough power for lights with a voltage greater than 12V. Most holiday lights are 110V AC, while your car is generally only capable of 12V DC.
- Vehicle Safety
Always make sure your lights are securely fastened to your vehicle, so they don't fall off and shatter. Strong magnets, such as those found in craft stores work well. When removing the magnet, be careful not to drag it across your car's finish. To avoid scratches, always pull up. Use your car's holiday lights only when the weather is dry. When wet, 110V AC lights can give you a fatal shock.
Holiday seasons are meant to bring merry, and happiness to lives, and a few precautions can help you make it merrier without any fatal incidents. If you are on the lookout for an expert to light up your holiday season, call our handyman experts at 800-3487. Just give us a call and bang in on to your holiday season.