Our friends at the Electrical Safety Foundation International [ESFI] have put together some great electrical safety tips to help you prepare for the holidays.
Prepare with care
Planning and preparation is essential to reducing your stress during the holiday season. While we can’t help you manage your budgets, guests, and travel arrangements, we can help you plan and arrange for safe holiday decorations.- If you didn't change your smoke detector batteries when you set your clocks back, now is the time to do so. Be sure to test for operation before your guests arrive.
- Before hanging any lights or electrical decor, check the insulation of the wires for any cracks, fraying, or breaks. Discard and replace them.
- Unless you're using LEDs, do not hang more than three strands of lights together.
- When decorating the outside of your home, make sure lights and electrical decorations are plugged into Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters [GFCIs.] If your home does not have exterior GFCIs, you should call a licensed, local electrician to have them installed.
- Be sure read the packaging of all electrical decorations before putting them up. Some are indoor- or outdoor-use only. Please use accordingly.
- Do not overload your outlets when decorating. Also, make sure that no electrical cords are hidden under rugs or pinched by furniture.
- Candles or other flame decor should be given three feet of space from any other decorations.
Electrical safety video
If your children are helping you decorate your home for the holidays, this is a fun video for them to watch. It will show them the importance of electrical safety. You just may learn a thing or two yourself!
If you've uncovered some electrical safety concerns during your holiday preparations, please give us a call. We will be sure to make the repairs quickly and safely so you can enjoy your celebrations.
To learn more about electrical safety, please visit ESFI.org.
