“Dad, you taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.”
Hanging Christmas lights has always been one of my favorite family holiday traditions. If you’re like me and learned everything you know about exterior illumination from your dad, it may be time for a quick refresher on the subject. Times have changed and there are a variety of modern safety features in lighting that you’ll want to be aware of. As DIYers around the country are lighting up their homes for the holidays these simple features can go a long way in keeping your family safe. After all, as Ellen Griswold once said: “I don’t want to spend the holidays dead.”
First of all, have you ever noticed that your lighting strands connect to one another with those convenient plugs that allow you to plug in another strand to each receptacle? This feature allows you to add multiple strands of lights without having to find additional plug-ins. The problems is that these open, exposed slots are an easy way for snow and rain to find their way into the live electrical conductors causing your circuit breaker to trip...or worse. For $5 at Lowes you can now buy sealed plastic cord organizers that will keep snow and ice away from the live electrical conductors of your holiday light strands.
Another simple tip is to consider using LED lights. “Light-emitting diodes” (LED) use 75% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. Not only do they last longer and save energy/money, but they give off much less heat which significantly reduces the risk of fire.
By far the most significant safety feature related to holiday lighting is ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacles. GFCI receptacles have a brilliant safety feature designed to automatically shut off a circuit if it tries to take a different path to ground other than through the ground wire in your electrical system. Electricity usually takes the path of least resistance to the ground and it will flow through any conductor it can to get there - metal pipes, water, or a person. Since GFCI were invented in the 70’s electrocutions are down a staggering 83% in the United States! Today, when new homes are built it is required that GFCI receptacles are installed in all damp locations throughout a home (bathrooms, garages, outdoor receptacles, crawlspaces, unfinished basements, kitchens, laundry rooms, and anything within six feet of a sink or water source). Make sure your Christmas lights are plugged into a GFCI protected circuit. If your home does not have GFCI outlets (or breakers) in all the appropriate locations, a qualified electrician can install them very easily and it is relatively inexpensive to do so. Or, if you are a competent DIYer you can purchase a GFCI receptacle from the hardware store for under $20 (see article below for instructions).
The holidays are best spent celebrating with family. One day my own kids will say “Dad, you taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.” I hope that includes these safety features that will ensure all are able to enjoy a fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.