Safety Tips For Outdoor Christmas Lights

Replace old or damaged christmas lights before plugging in last year s christmas lights inspect their condition to make sure they re up to par.

Safety tips for outdoor christmas lights.

Most of us have some lighting outside our home that belongs to us and that we control. One sometimes overlooked aspect of outdoor christmas light safety is avoiding injury while hanging the decorations in the first place. Here are 13 safety tips to follow when decking the house with christmas lights. Lights should be approved by underwriters laboratory.

A house lit up with christmas lights is a beautiful sight to behold. They operate at extra low voltage which significantly reduces the risk of electric shock. Securely fasten all outdoor light strings. Not all lights are rated for outdoor use.

Modern lights are much safer as they have fused plugs to prevent sparks in the event of a short circuit. Also if you have a string of lights with a blown bulb be sure to replace it with a bulb of the exact same wattage. Ul will be clearly displayed on the tag signifying the product has been inspected for potential safety hazards. Porch lights or security lights for example a lot of people also like to add outdoor lighting as part of decorating for the holidays some at halloween and even more at christmas.

Check for cracked or frayed cords wires poking through the insulation and sockets without bulbs. Winter storms can easily catch and blow loose outdoor christmas light strands causing potential electrical hazards. Check that lights have been rated by a testing laboratory. But stringing lights across your roof and around your home can be a real safety hazard if you re not careful.

Electrical safety first recommends the use of led over traditional filament christmas lighting because. Make sure the strings of lights you re using outside have built in fuses on the lines. Between 2000 and 2003 there was an annual average of about 5 800 injuries from falls occurring while people were hanging their holiday decorations with 43 percent occurring on ladders and 13 percent on roofs. Sometimes these fuses are located in the actual plug.

We all like to be safe too and to keep our house our family our pets and our guests safe too even if they re only. Indoor lights often have thinner insulation which can become cracked and damaged when exposed to the elements outdoors. 13 expert tips for dazzling christmas lights follow our expert advice for using outdoor holiday lights to create a winter wonderland. You can see a list of federally recognized labs on the occupational safety health administration s website.