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Holiday Electrical Safety Tips

Holiday lights on house

Holiday Electrical Safety Tips

During the holiday season, everyone wants to enjoy their time with family and friends with as much peace and comfort as possible. However, you canandrsquo;t have a successful holiday with failing electrical equipment. Thatandrsquo;s why when it comes time to deck the halls and lights, itandrsquo;s important to take proper precautions. Keep reading for our top holiday electrical safety tips, courtesy of our experienced electricians at Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical and Solar.

Five Electrical Tips to Keep You Safe During the Holiday Season

  1. Donandrsquo;t String Too Many Lights Together: Using too many Christmas lights can overload your electrical system. Make sure that when you put up those lights, you are using enough surge protectors and not stringing so many extension cords together that you start to experience flickering or blackouts.
  2. Donandrsquo;t Use Nails to Put Outdoor Lights Up: In the past, it was not uncommon for people to use nails to attach holiday lights to their roof. But not only is this extremely bad for your roofing materials, it can also cause shocking or even electrical fires (especially if your lights arenandrsquo;t in great condition.) Make sure you are always using modern light lights that can be clipped onto your roof and put those nails back in the toolbox. And speaking of modern holiday lightsandhellip;
  3. Pay Attention to User Instructions: While todayandrsquo;s holiday lights are safer than ever, it is still important to pay attention to the manufacturerandrsquo;s instructions when you are decorating. Look for the Underwriterandrsquo;s Laboratories (an independent institution for product safety certification) seal of approval and donandrsquo;t mistake outdoor lights or decorations for indoor ones. When it comes to lights specifically, you should also use LED bulbs, as these take up less energy and are less likely to overheat.
  4. Turn Off Decorations When You Go to Sleep for the Night: We know we just said that modern holiday lights are safe, but you should still turn your decorations off at night as an added precaution. Not only do you not want to waste that energy, but the possibility of your decorations overheating is a risk you donandrsquo;t want to take. Rule of thumb: enjoy that holiday display when the sun goes down, but turn it off when itandrsquo;s time to go to bed.
  5. Make Sure Your Generator and Breaker Are In Good Condition: With all the decorating you do at this time of year, you do not want to risk a sudden power outage especially if you have guests visiting and more strain is may be put on your electrical system. We suggest having trusted electricians like our pros at Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical and Solar take a look at your panel and generator this season, so you are always protected in case of an accidental blackout.

For more electrical tips and tricks, just call (408) 868-5500, or send us a message online.