As the leaves change color and start to fall to the ground, many of us pull out our sweatshirts to stay cozy. The start of the colder weather means it’s time for the spooky holiday to arrive. If you plan on decorating your home for Halloween, then there are some electrical safety tips that you want to ensure you follow.
Check All Cords
As you’re pulling out your Halloween decorations, it’s important to take a couple of minutes and look over their cords. You want to take note of any exposed metal, kinking, or any other defect they may have. It’s never a good idea to use a decoration that has a defective cord as it could create a fire hazard or even cause electrocution. Make sure that you’re also inspecting any extension cords that you plan on using.
Don’t Chain Together Extension Cords
It’s very common for decorations to come with a fairly short cord. Most of us supplement this by using extension cords to reach our outside outlets. It’s a good rule of thumb to only use one extension cord per decoration. You should never daisy-chain together multiple extension cords as this can greatly increase the risk of overheating and creating a fire.
Don’t Leave Coils of Cord
If you have an extension cord that is too long for the application that you’re using it for, it can be very easy just to leave the excess coiled up. Unfortunately, when you leave extension cords coiled up while they’re plugged in, they can create too much internal heat. This could cause damage to both the extension cord as well as the surface that it’s on. Do yourself a favor and simply purchase an extension cord that is of the appropriate length for your application.
Be Mindful of Overhead Power Lines
It’s terrible easy to get in the decorating spirit and forget that you’re operating too close to an overhead power line. Be sure to take some time identifying where your overhead power lines are, and avoid being within 10 feet of them. If you do plan on using a ladder anywhere close to an overhead power line, you should ensure that it’s made of wood or fiberglass. Neither of these materials will conduct electricity. This is important in the event that your ladder should happen to slide into the power line. A metal ladder could cause electrocution.
Know Your Indoor- and Outdoor-Rated Items
All electrical decorations and extension cords will have a rating on their label. They can be rated for indoor use only or for outdoor use. Be sure that you’re only putting items that are rated for outdoor use outside of your home. Indoor-rated items are not designed to deal with the moisture outside.
Read Lighting Restrictions on Cords
If you plan on using string lighting outside your home, you need to be mindful of how many strings you’re plugging together. It can be easy and convenient to simply plug all the cords together to create one continuous strand of lights. However, it’s important to realize that all string lights have a maximum number of strands that can be put together. This is typically two or three strands. You can find this information on the box for the light strands that you have. Be sure that you don’t go over the maximum number as this could lead to overheating of the wire and potentially a fire.
Use Outside GFCI Outlets
You should never run an extension cord from an indoor outlet to power your outdoor decorations. You should only be using an outdoor GFCI outlet to plug in all of your outdoor decorations. These outlets are specifically designed to kill the power in the event that they detect an issue. For example, if you happen to plug an electrical cord into a GFCI outlet that has become wet, these outlets are designed to help prevent you from getting electrocuted. If you don’t have any GFCI outlets outside of your home, you should have an electrician install some.
Be Mindful of Extension Cord Amperage
Every extension cord that you get will have a label that specifies its maximum amperage. This is the maximum amount of power that you can safely feed through the line without causing overheating or an electrical fire. It’s extremely important that you look at the label on all your decorations to see what their maximum amperage is. You want to match up each decoration with an extension cord that has the same amperage or higher. This will ensure that you’re not overfeeding power to the extension cord.
Don’t Overtighten Cord Staples
During decorating, it’s common to use electrical staples to help hold electrical cords in a stable location. In fact, you should ensure that you secure all your cords to prevent any damage from happening when strong wind gusts come through your area.
When you’re hammering down the staples, however, you may think you need to do so until the staple comes into contact with the cord’s surface. That’s simply not the case. You should always have a little bit of wiggle room between the cord and the staple itself. Tightening down the cord too much could end up causing damage to the insulation and lead to exposed wires.
Keep Extension Cords Out of the Water
When you’re running your extension cords, it’s important to keep in mind where water accumulates on your property. While it might be dry during the installation process, it may only take one rainstorm to leave a puddle where you run your electrical cord. Be mindful of these locations and try to keep your extension cords up off the ground as much as possible. Simply put, water and electricity don’t mix well together.
Unplug Before Changing Bulbs
Without a doubt, it may seem like every year at least one bulb blows on your Halloween decorations. While you may simply grab another light bulb and go to unscrew the blown one, there’s another step you need to take first. You should always unplug the decoration before you replace the light for your ultimate safety. The same holds true for replacing a blown fuse in any of your light strands. Make sure the power is completely disconnected before servicing the decoration.
Avoid Lighting Near Flammable Materials
It may seem like common sense that you want to keep your decorative lighting away from any flammable objects. However, when you’re in the midst of decorating, it can be easy to simply throw up a decoration over your dry foliage or even up over your window curtains. It’s important to take time and inspect the area where you intend to put your decoration to ensure that it doesn’t come into contact with anything that could be potentially flammable.
Reliable Electrician Service
Top Flight Electric offers reliable electrician services for people throughout the entire Winter Haven, FL community. Our electricians can assist with all your indoor and outdoor lighting, whole-home rewiring, surge protection, electrical upgrades, panel and circuit breaker replacement, and custom electrical needs. Simply contact our friendly staff today to book your next service appointment anywhere in or near Winter Haven.
