The holiday season is a time of warmth and happiness. Many of us enjoy decorating our homes, both inside and out, with bright lights, inflatable lawn ornaments, decorative candles, and – of course – real or fake Christmas trees. Not sure if your holiday decorations are safe? Consider these tips and then ask your Delaware electrician for advice on how to make your home safer from an electrical standpoint this holiday season.
Check Your Old Lights
Purchasing holiday lights for your home can be an investment and you’ll want to preserve the lights you have for at least a few years before replacing them. Make sure you check your light strings, one by one, every single year. Look for cracked or damaged lights and make sure the wires are in good condition. Throw away any light strings you are unsure of and replace them with new ones.
Holiday Light Safety
When buying new holiday lights, you’ll want to check the boxes to see if they have ETL or UL labels. These are the labels associated with the safety organizations, proving the lights have been tested for quality and safety.
Don’t Over-string Your Lights
Yes, holiday lights are designed to be strung together. The light strings you buy will include instructions as to how many you can safely string together. Most electricians in DE will advise against stringing together more than three light strands at a time.
Use Surge Protectors
It’s easy to overload your circuits during the holiday season, especially if you live in an older home. Plugging too many things into the same outlet can cause overheating. Consider using a surge protector in areas where you are trying to plug in multiple decorations – especially outside.
Install Timers
While it is important for you to turn off and unplug holiday lights while you are not at home, you can also plug them into timers so that they will turn off automatically if you should happen to forget. Ask your electrician which timers are best for indoor and outdoor use.
Keep Wires Exposed
Placing wires under rugs can create a fire hazard if they overheat. While you may want to do this to prevent tripping, the best solution is to simply run the wires along the walls and away from the places where people in your household may be walking.
Live Christmas Tree Safety
Are you considering a live Christmas tree this year? If so, make sure the needles on the tree you choose are not brown and look closely to make sure they aren’t breaking or falling off easily. Test the needles by attempting to bend them in half. If the needles snap, the tree is very dry and should not be put up in your home.
Make sure you put the live tree you choose in a strong, supported stand that has been filled with water. Check the water level in the stand every single day. The heat inside your home can contribute to the drying of the tree and dry trees can quickly become fire hazards, especially if the lights you string are old, damaged, or overheated.
Buy Safety Caps
All of the extra activity associated with turning lights off and on may draw your little one’s attention to your electrical outlets. Make sure all of your unused outlets are plugged with safety caps to ensure your children are unable to access them with little fingers or other objects.
Make sure your holiday season remains a joyous occasion by talking to your Wilmington DE electrician about the things you can do to make your home safer. You may need to simply revise your wiring methods or you may need to upgrade your circuit breakers. Either way, make safety your number one priority this holiday season!
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