Electrical Tips : Holiday Lighting Safety

Electrical Tips : Holiday Lighting Safety

With the arrival of the holiday season many people are decorating their homes inside and out with electrical lights and accessories to celebrate the season. As with any electrical lighting or accessories, it's important to ensure that they are installed correctly to avoid electrical shock and fires. The following are a few tips to avoid some of the most common electrical hazards during the holidays.

1. Don't string too many lights together. Check light strings to see how many strings can be safely connected end to end. As a rule of thumb, don't string together more than three midgets (push-in bulbs); strings with screw-in bulbs (C7s and C9s) should have a maximum of 50 bulbs total.
2. Inspect electrical accessories before installation - Before stringing lights, inspect for cracked sockets, frayed, loose or bare wires or loose connections. Unplug light strings before replacing bulbs or fuses.
3. Always turn off electric decorations before leaving home or going to bed, and be sure all smoke detectors are in working order.
4. Don't use high wattage bulbs in low-wattage ornaments
5. Avoid overloading extension cords.
6. Never run extension cords through water, even those labeled for outdoor use.
7. Replace damaged ornament parts with matching parts. Bulbs with too-high wattage are a fire hazard.

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