The Do’s and Don’ts of Outdoor Holiday Lighting

As the holiday season quickly approaches us, you’re probably excited to start decorating your Christmas tree. Before you start hanging up stockings above the fireplace and adorning your tree with ornaments, you may be thinking about installing holiday lights outside of your home. In this article, we’ll look at some common do’s and don’ts of holiday lighting, so you can avoid some common issues when it comes to stringing your decorative Christmas lights.

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Do Remember Safety First

While you may be eager to jump on that old ladder, it’s important to take the time to inspect it for issues before you start hanging your lights. When you’re ready to start hanging your Christmas lights, make sure that your ladder is on level ground before you lock it in place. Our lighting experts recommend using surge protectors and heavy duty extension cords to protect you and your circuits from power fluctuations or spikes in your lighting system. It’s also very important to ensure that the lights you are using are rated for outdoor use, especially in wet and damp conditions. There’s nothing more disheartening than putting up lights only to realize that they don’t work well outdoors.

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Don’t Throw Away Your Extra Bulbs And Fuses

As you may already know, Christmas lights often come with extra bulbs and fuses. While you may be tempted to throw these things out, our lighting specialists encourage you to save them. Those little packages of replacement bulbs and fuses are not just for a possible breakdown of your lights straight out of the box, they are also for next year when one or multiple bulbs decide to quit working.

Do Buy Extra Light Bulbs and Light Strings

When you purchase new light bulbs or light strings, it’s important to remember that no lighting fixture lasts forever. When you come across your favorite LED Christmas Light Strings or Incandescent Christmas Lights, you should always pick up an extra set of lights for reserve.

Don’t Use More Lights Than Your Circuit Breaker Can Handle

Did you know that a standard circuit breaker can handle roughly 15 amps of current? While Christmas light strings only draw a few milliamps per bulb, when you start adding each string up individually, you can draw some serious power. Unless you keep a close eye on the amount of energy you are using, you could experience a voltage drop that may result in dim or unlit bulbs.

Do Replace Burnt Bulbs Quickly

When one bulb goes out, the current for that bulb is distributed among all of the other bulbs on the string. As the other bulbs continue to burn, a large amount of current is sent to the remaining lit bulbs. The can cause strain on your LED lights, which can lead to failure down the line. Make sure you replace any burnt out bulbs as quickly as possible in order to circumvent extended maintenance time and multiple trips to the light store.

Don’t Connect Incandescent & LED Mini Light Strings Together

Did you know that incandescent light strings require a greater power current than LED lights? If you make the mistake of connecting incandescent lights to LED lights, it will cause the power that is drawn by the incandescent lights to overload, and then fry the LED strings. It’s always best to to keep your LED lights and incandescent lights separate by running each out of a separate outlet.

Do Consider Lighting Accessories For Easier Installation

When it comes to hanging up your Christmas lights, there are a variety of lighting accessories available that can help to make the installation process easier. At The Christmas Light Emporium, we’re proud to offer a large selection of innovative Christmas light accessories. From Christmas light clips to zip ties and electrical tape, you’ll find everything you need in our online store.

We hope these outdoor lighting tips prove to be helpful as you begin decorating your home’s exterior. If you’re looking for LED Christmas lights and holiday decor, be sure to visit The Christmas Light Emporium’s large array of lights and more online. From net lights to strobe lights and Christmas decor, we’re confident you’ll find everything you need in our online store.