With the Christmas holidays right around the corner, many will begin to decorate their home with lavish light and holiday displays. Most Christmas lights and the displays will require the use of electricity. To ensure that your lights and other holiday decorations don’t short out or cause an unwanted fire, Sentry Electric will share a safety checklist you can use to ensure that your home stays safe and one that will reduce if not eliminate the possibility of an electrical fire.

Christmas Light Safety Tips

1. Inspect each strand of lights that you will be using, both inside and outside of your home. Check for broken or cracked sockets and frayed or exposed wires along with any loose connections. If any of the strands of light have any of these problems, don’t use them or you will risk a fire hazard.
2. Avoid connecting the lights together while you’re hanging or wrapping the lights around a tree. Instead, unwind the lights and stretch them out. Inspect the plugs and then plug them in all together before hanging them.
3. Lights that can be used for either inside or outside use should have been tested for safety. Lights that have been tested and approved will be labeled with a (UL) or Underwriters Laboratories right on the box.
4. Lights on the tree should never make direct contact with the tree or the needles. The bulbs can create enough heat to start a fire. You can use paper clips to help keep the bulbs away from the needles.
5. Always unplug all lights and electrical decorations, both indoor and outdoor, each time you leave your home or go to sleep for the night.
6. When buying an artificial tree that is pre-lit, check the label and make sure it clearly states that it is flame resistant.
7. Make sure that cords and plugs stay dry and out of water. Additionally, make sure that the plugs don’t make contact with metal objects to prevent blow outs or electrical fires.
8. Often extension cords are used for elaborate outdoor and sometimes indoor decorations and displays. If you’re using extension cords, make sure that they are UL approved.
9. Before using your extension cords, inspect them first. Make sure that none of the wires are exposed. Additionally keep the cords away from any heat sources.
10. Don’t cover any of the cords with door mats, rugs, or other materials that are not approved to be used. Don’t feed extension cords through windows or squeeze them through door ways.
11. Never over use one outlet. Often over using a single outlet causes sparks which often results in electrical fires.

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Many fires break out each holiday season and cause house fires. This ruins such a joyful holiday. Due to the extra demand on your home power usage, you will want to make sure to take every precaution and make sure your home is safe. Sentry Electric hopes with this checklist that you make sure your holiday display is safe and that you won’t have any mishaps this holiday season. For all of your commercial and residential electrical needs, contact Sentry Electric today!