Sunday, Nov. 13th 2016

Kansas City Holiday Electrical Safety Checklist

I found a great article at www.cableorganizer.com about things to consider when getting your decorations out for the holidays.

Here’s a link to the article. It a good article that covers a lot of relevant safety tips. I went ahead and put the lighting information from the article here.

Lights and Decorations

When shopping for lights, electric decorations and extension cords, purchase only the ones that are UL-listed
If you’re planning to decorate outdoors, make sure that you use lights and decorations that are rated for outdoor use. Putting indoor-only products outside in the weather can result in electric shock and fire hazards.
If you’re in doubt as to whether light strings are rated for indoor or outdoor use, just check the color-coded UL mark on the product’s package. A green holographic UL mark says, “indoors only, please,” while a red one indicates that the product is safe for both indoor and outdoor use.
Whether they’re brand-new out of the box or seasoned veterans from holidays past, before you put them up, inspect all lights, electric decorations and extension cords for signs of damage to wire insulation, plugs, and bulbs. If the damage can be repaired (i.e. broken bulbs replaced), do not use the item until the repair has been made. If cords and plugs are damaged, discard and replace the decoration.
Always unplug lights before changing bulbs, replacing fuses, or making any other repairs.
If you need to replace a bulb in a string of Christmas lights, make sure that the wattage rating of the replacement bulb you’re using matches that of the light strand. Using a bulb with too high a wattage can cause the light string to overheat, creating a fire risk.

When hanging Christmas lights outdoors, reduce your risk of electric shock by passing up metal ladders in favor of ladders made of non-conductive materials like wood or fiberglass-reinforced plastic.
Only use lights and decorations in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions.
Before you begin decorating, verify how many strands of lights it is safe to connect end-to-end (as a general rule, it’s 3).
Be careful not to overload extension cords. Before you start plugging in, find out the wattage rating of your extension cord, as well as the power requirements of any lights or decorations you’re planning to plug into it. A wattage rating is the amount of electricity that an extension cord is built to carry, and if the combined power requirements (or “pull”) of your lights and decorations exceed that rating, overheating and fire can occur.
Every so often, check Christmas light wires to make sure that they’re not warm to the touch.
Always turn off all Christmas lights and decorations before going to bed or leaving the house.

For more resources on how to safely decorate your home for the holidays, be sure to check out the National Fire Protection Agency’s (NFPA) guide to Winter/Holiday Safety, as well as Holiday Fire Safety suggestions from the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).