Holiday Lighting How-To Guide

Holiday Lighting

Overview
Maintenance
Questions/Answers
Articles

To maintain the safety and useful life of your holiday lights, it is important that your home maintenance program include the proper maintenance for your holiday lights.

More home fires occur during the winter than at any other time. Damaged or low-quality holiday lights, improper usage, and lack of water for fresh trees are among the most common causes. See also: Outside Lighting.

Shown in the "Maintenance" tab above are the recommended routine maintenance tasks for your holiday lights. The "Questions / Answers" tab above shows our answers to related questions. And the "Articles" tab above provides links to related informational articles and sources.

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		Maintenance Task #1: Inspect and set-up holiday lights

		How do you inspect holiday lights?
		Check light strands for worn insulation, bare wires, lost or broken bulbs, loose connections, or broken plugs and sockets. A string of lights with any loose bulb connections should be replaced immediately. If a bulb is burned out, unplug the strand of lights and replace the bulb with a new bulb of the correct wattage as specified by the manufacturer. NEVER try to bypass an empty socket with aluminum foil or other objects. Instead, place a new bulb in the socket or replace the complete set of lights. Always purchase lights that are labeled by a testing laboratory (such as "UL") and follow the manufacturer's instructions for use.

		Why is it important to inspect holiday lights?
		safety.

		When should you inspect holiday lights?
		Perform annually (November) when you set them up.

		How does Home-Wizard rate the costs and benefits for this task?
		The cost of this task is moderate from an investment of time standpoint. It is estimated that this task should take about an hour to carefully inspect your lights, depending on how many lights you have. No specialized tools are required.

		The benefits of this task (inspecting your lights) are safety.

		Overall Home-Wizard benefit-versus-cost rating (one 'hat' = low and four 'hats' = high):


		Maintenance Task #2: Take down and store holiday lights

		How do you take down and store holiday lights?
		Take down light strings and decorations, being careful not to damage the wires, bulbs, or sockets.

		Why is it important to carefully store holiday lights?
		safety.

		When should you take down and store holiday lights?
		Early spring (March).

		How does Home-Wizard rate the costs and benefits for this task?
		The cost of this task is moderately low.

		The benefits of this task (carefully storing your holiday lights) are safety.

		Overall Home-Wizard benefit-versus-cost rating (one 'hat' = low and four 'hats' = high):

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS from "Ask-a-Wizard":

QUESTION from "joel.schacter":

I have an exterior plug in my soffit area which is switched and is intended for plugging in my exterior Christmas lights. I plugged in one string and the GFI circuit "popped" on the other exterior plug located on my front porch a few feet away. Obviously the lights now won't work. I have checked the switched plug with a polarity tester and it states that all is correct. I have tired other appliances in the switched plug and everything causes the GFI to pop. Any ideas??

ANSWER:

Joel:

As you may know, since the GFI is "popping" nearby, these plugs are most likely on the same circuit, and there is something shorting out the circuit. It could be the switch, it could be the plug, or something could be shorting the wires in this circuit inside your walls (a nail, mice chewing on the wires, etc.).

You want to be very careful with this. The GFI (ground fault interrupter) is there for a reason, to protect your house from short circuits, especially in areas where there could be water that could conduct electricity to a person, for example in bathrooms, kitchens, and exterior locations.

I would think you would want to call in a qualified electrician to inspect your plugs and wiring.

And in the meantime, if you can, to be safe you should consider turning off the breaker at your fusebox, if there is a separate breaker for this circuit.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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