Holiday Safety: Outdoor Decorations

lightsNow that the inside of your house is ready go, time to tackle the outside! There are several mistakes that people often make, and Quail Electronics wants to make sure none of those happen!

We’ve said it a million times, but we’ll say it again.  Check to make sure all the wires of your lights are not frayed.  It may seem basic, but it’s something that can be overlooked and lead to a major fire hazard. Christmas lights aren’t made to last a long time.  Also, perform a test run of your lights. Plug them in briefly to an outlet to check if any lights are burn out.  Mark the ones that are burn out with a small piece of masking tape. Then unplug the lights before replacing the bulbs.

Once all of your lights are checked, make sure you have a proper power cord.  You want a long power cord. Do not plug a power cord into another power cord! Find one that is the length you need.  Overloading extension cords is a guarantee that your lights will burn out.  Also, check that you are using outdoor extension cords.  Outdoor cords should come with a marking like SJTW or SJTOW, which indicate they are water or snow proof.  Read this previous post on jacket types to learn more details.

When hanging up your cords, do not nail through the cord. Nailing through the cord will damage wires, and can cause them to fray.  Always hang them properly, and take your time.  Holiday decorations are nothing to be rushed!

Now that all of your decorations are up, make sure not to leave them on all night.  Sure, they’re pretty, but leaving them up all night could cause a fire hazard (plus it’ll run up your electric bill!).  Either unplug them, or set a time so they automatically turn off.  Holiday decorations are meant to be temporary.  They are not meant to stay on constantly.

Check to make sure none of your power cords are a potential tripping hazard.  Keep them out of the way of heavy foot traffic.  Want to make sure all of your decorations stay in?  Try the Auto-Lock to guarantee connection!