Your Central Ohio electrician guide to holiday lights

It’s December and that means holiday lights! And your friendly Central Ohio electrician has a few simple guidelines to share so you can stay safe and enjoy this season.

Sometimes, holiday lights can bring safety issues, so knowing how to troubleshoot and prevent them is key to a happy and healthy holiday season.

Here are some tips from your Central Ohio electrician. Read on.

1. Mitigate risk: Everyone loves a gorgeous outdoor light display during the holidays and if you understand what risks there are, you can prevent most of them – and safely enjoy the season. First, make sure you don’t overload your circuits. And also, make sure your lights are in good condition and there are no old, fraying or damaged wires or plugs. Make sure your lights wont be sitting in water or snow, either. While they are made to be outside, moisture and electricity don’t mix!
2. Check your lights. Taking some time to look over your décor from last year before hanging it to inspect for broken bulbs, empty sockets, frayed cords or damaged wires can save you. You can prevent electrical shock or other damage – including a fire. Also, make sure your lights have a UL safety rating – or better yet, switch to LED lights. That can save you money as well!
3. Watch where you hang your lights. This can apply to indoor and outdoor lights, but hanging them with care can keep you safe! Make sure you don’t over use an extension cord or power strip – we recommend no more than 3 light strings each. And don’t use nails or staples, hang your lights with clips. Finally, if you are using a real tree or greenery, keep it watered so it isn’t dry – and a fire hazard.
4. GFCI is your friend. When you hang your lights outdoors, make sure you have a ground-fault circuit interruptor or GFCI to prevent electrical shock if someone touches your lights when they are wet from rain, snow or ice. Don’t have one? Your Ohio electrician can easily install one!

Quality Electric

If you have questions about holiday lights, we can send an expert Central Ohio electrician out to do an inspection. Contact us today and let one of our experts explain your options.