Christmas Light And Tree Safety Tips
It happens every year. There are always a handful of families who lose everything due to a fire caused by Christmas lights. Here are some tips for buying and stringing up your lights with safety in mind.
Big light displays are nice, but all those Christmas lights add to the strain on the energy infrastructure so be thoughtful and conservative with your energy use.
- Use outdoor lights outdoors and indoor lights indoors.
- Buy a reputable brand and make sure the package is marked with UL or CSA certification. This means the lights have been manufactured according to proper electrical specifications that have been checked by an independent organization.
- Throw the lights away if the cord is frayed, has cracks in the insulation, or is badly kinked.
- Replace burnt out and broken bulbs as soon as possible. Burnt bulbs put more load on the remaining bulbs and can cause them to overheat.
- Keep your lights away from any flamable materials like curtains.
- Be careful not to puncture the insulation with nails, screws, pins or sharp edges or corners.
- All the bulbs should be sticking straight out away from the wiring. Don’t let them rest on the wiring where they could burn through it.
- Artificial trees should be made from fire resistant materials.
- Real trees need to be watered everyday or they can get very dry and become a serious fire hazard. It’s good to keep the temperature around a real tree lower because heat saps moisture away from the tree. Don’t set your tree up next to heating vents or other heat sources. If there are a lot of needles falling from the tree then it’s gotten too dry and has become a fire hazard. This happens especially when it’s been cut too soon and set up for too long.
- If you are running light strings or extension cords out a window or doorway then make sure it can’t be closed to damage the cord.
- Always plug your lights into a powerbar with it’s own breaker. Never plug more than three strings of lights into each other, into the same wall socket, or different wall sockets that are on the same breaker, especially in older houses where the wiring could be old. Check the light wires once in a while and make sure thay aren’t warm at all. If they are, the circuit is overloaded.
- Turn the lights off when unattended, especially if you have pets or small children. Turn them off before you go to bed - you won’t see them anyway.
- Small miniature bulbs are safer than the old fashioned large bulbs. They use the least electricity, and generate the least heat. They’ll save you a couple bucks on the electrical bill too.
- Check all your smoke detectors and buy that home fire extinguisher you’ve been thinking about.
- Have a family fire drill. Write down the plan and practice it.
- Don’t put candles on your tree, or near your tree, or anywhere near anything remotely flamable.
And most important, have a safe and wonderful holiday!
