Allow your Christmas lighting to make this festive season one to remember- but not for all the wrong reasons. Let your lights spread the Christmas joy, with confidence in their safety, by following the few Christmas lights safety tips below.
Don’t Leave Lights Unattended
Anytime you will not be around to monitor your Christmas lights, they should be turned off. Be it running to the shop for last-minute Christmas presents, or jumping into bed eagerly awaiting Santa’s arrival, your home is safer with the lights turned off.
Consider LED Over Incandescent
Although slightly more expensive now, the LED lighting option will help you to save later on. Not only do they last longer than incandescent lighting but they use up to 75 percent less electricity. Producing less heat, LEDs are a safer option for all your indoor or outdoor decorative lighting.
Indoor Lights vs Outdoor Lights
Imagine a scenario where you have extra indoor Christmas lights that you think would look fantastic outside. What do you do? I’ll tell you what you do; you keep them inside. Indoor lighting, while it may be cheaper, is not properly equipped for outdoor weather conditions. A label should be present, distinguishing between indoor or outdoor purposes of the lights. If there is no label, it is safer to keep them indoors.
It May Be Time For Retirement
Old age affects Christmas lights in a similar way it does us – it leaves us with blown fuses and loose connections. Before hanging your lights this year, you should check that they are all still in good working condition. To avoid any accidents, frayed wires and broken sockets need to be repaired or replaced.
Securely Fasten All Light Strings
Loose light strings are a potential fire hazard and an accident waiting to happen. Outside, it is best to securely fasten loose strings to a firm object, like a tree or wall. Loose strings inside should be secured in an area unreachable to curious babies and pets. Securing these strings ensures the effectiveness of your decorations, by keeping them where they belong.
Check out our blog on how to baby-proof your home electrical outlets.
Three Strings Per Outlet
Figuring out how many strings of lights can safely be plugged into one outlet, requires a bit of maths. For those automatically put off by the word ‘maths’, plugging no more than three strings into one socket is a general rule of thumb that can be applied.
For any further lighting questions or advice, please don’t hesitate to call Wayne on 082 924 4775.
