Holiday Lighting Safety Tips

The holiday season can bring a lot of joyful events to your home. One of the most memorable for many is spending time with family members to decorate their homes with holiday lighting. To ensure that everyone stays safe, you’ll want to implement the many tips that we’ll cover below.

Learn About Outdoor- vs. Indoor-Rated Items

One of the most important things to keep in mind when installing holiday decorations is checking their label to determine what they’re rated for. Some decorations will only be rated for indoor use, while others will be rated for outdoor use. Don’t ever use indoor-rated decorations outdoors, as they’re not built to withstand excess moisture. Each decoration’s rating should be clearly visible on the tag on its electrical cord.

Inspect All Electrical Cords

Make a habit of checking every electrical cord — your extension cords as well as every cord attached to each decoration that you have. Look for any sort of damage, like burnt wiring, exposed wiring, or even cuts in the wire insulation. It’s never a good idea to use a decoration that has a damaged cord, as it could pose many risks including that of an electrical fire. It’s best to have an electrician repair the cord for you.

Use Outside GFCI Outlets

If you find that you don’t have enough outdoor outlets to supply power to all your decorations, you may consider running an extension cord from inside your home to the outdoors. That isn’t the best idea for a multitude of reasons. It’s best to rely only on your outdoor outlets to power your outdoor decorations. Additionally, every outdoor outlet should be a GFCI outlet. This is a special type of outlet that responds quickly to electrical overload to prevent electrocution. If you don’t have outdoor GFCI outlets, or you need more outlets around the outside of your home, ask an electrician to install them.

Don’t Coil Electrical Cords

It’s common for outdoor decorations to have a fairly short cord on them. In many cases, you’ll find that you need to run an extension cord to power your decorations. Never use an extension cord that is way too long for your application. Leaving the excess of that extension cord coiled up can allow it to overheat and potentially lead to an electrical fire. Avoid this issue by using extension cords of the appropriate length for your application.

Check Cord Amperages

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to extension cords is their overall amperage. Each extension cord is rated to handle a maximum amount of amps. This rating should be clearly listed on the tag attached to the extension cord. It’s important to check the amperage rating for each decoration that you plan to plug into the extension cord to make sure it doesn’t exceed the maximum amperage limit for the extension cord. If you use a decoration with a higher amperage draw than your extension cord is rated for, it may overheat and result in a fire.

Avoid Pooling Water

Most homeowners will pick a nice day outside to put up their holiday decorations. However, it’s important to keep in mind where water will pool around your home. Avoid running any electrical cords through those locations so that they won’t sit in standing water. Water and electricity don’t mix and can lead to electrocution.

Read Daisy-Chaining Limits

Daisy-chaining is the act of plugging multiple cords into one another back-to-back. This is a common practice when it comes to holiday lighting, especially when you’re hanging outdoor lighting around your entire home. While daisy-chaining can certainly be safe in some instances, you need to be mindful of the maximum daisy-chaining limit for the products that you’re using. For example, many incandescent light cords limit this to a maximum of three, while LED lighting may have a maximum limit of six. It’s important to read the box that your lights come in to determine the daisy-chaining limit, so you don’t exceed it.

Don’t Replace Powered Lights

It can be extremely frustrating when you turn on all your lights and find out that some of your decorations aren’t working. It can be tempting to simply unscrew a light bulb and screw in a new one while the decoration is plugged in. This isn’t the best idea as it could lead to harm in certain scenarios. Make it a general rule to unplug any decorations before replacing light bulbs or fuses.

Choose Appropriate Ladders

If you plan on going all out during your holiday decorating, you’re likely going to need to use a ladder to bring your design to life. Whenever using a ladder, it’s necessary to look up for any power lines that are overhead. You should always give yourself at least a 10-foot space between the power line and your ladder. Also, consider using a wooden or fiberglass ladder, as these won’t conduct electricity in the event that your ladder slides into the power line. Avoid metal ladders, which conduct electricity and can electrocute you if you fall into the power line.

Be Mindful of Combustible Sources

Another good rule of thumb to keep in mind is always looking for combustible sources at your property. Don’t let any of your decorations near these combustible sources in the event that a fire does break out. Combustible sources can include things like your fuel storage tanks, gas cans, paint containers, and even firewood. If you plan on having a live Christmas tree in your home during the holiday season, make sure to water it on a consistent basis. A dried-out tree coupled with the heat created by incandescent lighting can lead to a disaster for any homeowner.

Have a Usable Fire Extinguisher

While you may not want to think about it, there’s always a slight possibility of an electrical fire at your home. In fact, there are more electrical fires during the winter months than at any other time of year. For this reason, it’s vital that you have a usable fire extinguisher at your home. Type C fire extinguishers are specifically rated to deal with electrical fires. You can also opt for getting a Type ABC fire extinguisher that can handle all different types of combustible materials. Be sure to check the expiration date on your fire extinguisher, as they don’t last forever.

Look for Certification Labels

It’s a good idea to ensure that every decoration you use has some sort of certification on its label from an independent testing laboratory. One of the most common is the UL certification from Underwriters Laboratories. Having a certification ensures that the product has been successfully tested for safety.

Hire a Reliable Lighting Service

At Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we offer reliable lighting service to customers in Los Angeles, CA and the surrounding areas. We can help with all your plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical needs.

Call Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today to learn more or book an appointment for electrical services.