Safety Tips For Putting Up Christmas Lights

Silver bells are ringing, and that means houses all up and down the block have gotten their Christmas lights up before you. You in your busy life are just now getting around to it.

Before you plug in that mechanical Nativity scene, you should read up on your safety tips. The last thing your family wants for Christmas is to eat hospital food while they visit you in the emergency room.

Follow these tips for safety and you’ll make it through to 2017 on Santa’s nice list.

1. String Christmas lights together according to the directions.

There’s one surefire way to burn your Christmas tree down, and that’s to jerry-rig the lights together in a ball of duct-taped chaos. If you find yourself jamming one string into another or using a lot of extension cords and power strips, you’re straining the capabilities of your house’s electrical system.

Christmas lights aren’t known for their sturdy craftsmanship, so the fewer risks you take with your wiring skills, the safer you’ll be. Always keep a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.

2. Use power strips with surge protectors.

Make sure you use power strips that can handle the big load of electricity you’re trying to put through them. The best power strips have a switch that turns off the power in the strip if there is too much current running through it. That means your light display will go dark instead of catching fire or blowing a fuse somewhere else in the house.

3. Be careful when climbing ladders.

As with any job that requires you to get on a ladder, make sure you have a second person there to spot you in case you fall. Never stand on the top two steps, even if you you can’t reach something otherwise. Ladders can become slippery in the snow and it’s not worth the risk of seriously injuring yourself.

The most important thing to remember is this: no decoration is as valuable as your health is to your family. Keep that in mind when you unpack the Christmas lights this year. For more tips or help making your roof safe, give us a call at 417-869-0444.