With Thanksgiving tomorrow, it’ll be time to deck the halls before you know it! If you’re a big fan of holiday season decoration and celebration (we know we are!), there’s a good chance you’ll be handling some lights. That’s great! Holiday lights are a fun and fulfilling way to get into the spirit of the season, but, before you get started, there are a few things to consider.
At Jack Lehr Heating, Cooling & Electric, the safety of our consumers is always on our minds. This holiday season, take the time to observe safety rules, and understand that electrical accidents are a very real threat when installing lights. We’ve built a list of the most common concerns when handling lights, and would like to give our consumers some tips to stay safe this year!
Holiday Lighting Tips: Safety First
The holidays are no time to go visiting the ER! Keep these tips in mind when you decorate:
- If stringing lights in high places, use a wood or fiberglass ladder. Metal ladders pose a threat to handling electricity. Yes, the chances of something going awry may be small, but taking the risk is just silly!
- Use GFCIs. “Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter”. Why? Because these will protect your lights and electronics from a potential overcurrent. Lights are great, sparks and shocks are not. If you don’t have access to an outdoor GFCI, have one installed. It’s worth it!
- Inspect your lighting, new and old. Whether you’re using last year’s lights, or just purchased new ones, inspect the cords for any damage carefully. Small cuts or breaks in a cord could spell a nasty shock, or at the very least a useless strand of lights (Which you do not want to find out after you’ve pinned them thirty feet up!).
- Use LED lighting when possible. LED lighting is more cost-effective, and burns cool. This means less risk of hot bulbs coming into contact with flammable materials, and less risk of fire or sparking.
- Use the right lighting. Outdoor for outdoor, indoor for indoor. Yes there is a difference, and yes it can impact the safety of your lights.
Practical Pointers: Tips for Easy Installation
Don’t ever say we’ve never taught you anything!
- Dealing with frozen ground. Trying to drive stakes into frozen ground is an exercise in frustration to be sure. Try using a hammer and thin screwdriver to create a ‘starter hole’ to save you time and stress!
- Panel upgrades. We’ve discussed this point in the past, but getting everything installed and ready to roll, only to find out that your panel can’t handle the load safely is a quick way to put a huge damper on your holiday plans. Check with our experts to ensure your panel is up to snuff!
- Set up a game plan. Whether it’s sketching a diagram, or simply listing what you need and where, a solid plan makes for an easy, stress free installation.
- Stringing the strands. For traditional light strands, never string together more than six. For LEDs, you can comfortably strand twenty together without straining your electricity.
Quality Lighting Tips and Services with Jack Lehr in Greater Lehigh Valley
Holiday lighting should be fun, and most importantly safe! At Jack Lehr, we are dedicated to providing our consumers with the very best in service and skill. Have questions, or concerns about your holiday lighting plans this year? Contact us today for assistance! And for more tips, tricks, ideas and information, keep up with our blog!
