With the holiday season comes many light usages, both for decoration and the early nights. It’s also a good time to remind yourself to remain safe with electrical appliances and fixtures. As you decorate, be sure you stay safe and keep your electrical fire risk low.
Keep Indoor Lights Indoors
Always check user instructions on electrical holiday decorations and ensure the lights you put up outside are meant to be there. Using indoor lights outside your home will cause their wires to wear down from the weather and could lead to exposed wires.
Power Down at Night
Leaving your holiday lights on when you’re away from home or sleeping can cause a serious electrical hazard. It can also add a lot to your lighting bills. It’s simple to buy an outdoor timer switch so that your lights turn off after a certain time after dark. You can enjoy the holiday glow at night without creating a safety hazard later.
Keep an Eye on Breakers
If you trip any breakers, you have too many lights plugged into one outlet or circuit. The breaker tripping is your electrical system’s way of preventing an electrical fire. Homeowners often don’t realize that their outdoor outlets are on the same circuit as the indoor outlets they frequently use, which can cause breakers to trip.
Try spreading your lights out across more circuits or consider an electrical panel upgrade.
Never Throw Lights Into the Trees
When decorating outdoors, it can be hard to reach the tops of trees, even with ladders. If you plan to throw the lights in the hopes of successfully decorating them, be careful and look above and around yourself. You could risk electrocuting yourself if the tree is near a power line.
Electrical Panel Upgrades
If your home can’t keep up with the electricity requirements of your holiday display, consider upgrading your electrical panel. Contact Winters Electric today.