Twinkling lights on a beautiful home is a lovely sight during the holiday season. However, according to the National Fire Protection Association, Christmas lighting is responsible for 210 home fires per year in the US alone. Fires started by holiday lights can cause significant and costly damage to your home.
So how can you prevent electrical damage or fires caused by your Christmas lighting? There are a few safety precautions that can be taken to ensure your lights aren’t dangerous.
Types of Lights
Over the years, there have been more and more Christmas lighting options, including LED. If you have incandescent holiday lights, considering replacing them with LED. LEDs are not only cool to the touch, making them safe to hang near ignitable things such as leaves, but they are also more energy efficient and less likely to overwhelm your electrical system.
Know Your Limits
There’s only so much a home electrical system can handle before it fails or catches fire due to overloading. While you may think decking out the entire yard as well as the inside and outside of your home with Christmas lighting is a good idea, know what your electrical system can handle first. Plugging in too many holiday lights can be dangerous.
Conserve energy
Give your electrical system a break by switching off your holiday lights sometimes, rather than running them 24/7. Try only turning them on at night and keeping them off during the day when they’re less visible. Christmas lighting can put a heavy strain on electrical systems, so keeping them off when they’re not needed can save you costly electrical system damage.
Generally speaking in any lighting situation, the more precautions you take, the less likely you are to deal with a hazardous situation. Especially if your home is older, you should know your electrical situation’s limitations before suddenly plugging in a slew of holiday lights. While Christmas lighting is enjoyable to look at, no one wants to wake up to a smoke alarm due to electrical fire.
If you suspect your holiday lights are causing issues with your electrical system, turn them off and/or unplug them, and call TriStar Electric to take a look and make sure your home and family are safe.
Holiday lights causing electrical mayhem in your home? Call TriStar Electric!
No matter the job, big or small, the professionals at TriStar Electric will be happy to discuss your project and answer any questions or concerns you may have.
If you have any questions about your Christmas lighting safety concerns, or if you have electrical issues caused by holiday lights, please contact TriStar Electric, Maryland’s premier residential and commercial electrician, by calling 410-799-5791 or 301-384-8880 or fill out the contact form on our website.
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