Safer is Smarter - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative

10 KIUC CURRENTS
By Randy Alcott
Holiday Lighting
Safety Tips
Decorating your home for the holidays is always
a fun and exciting time, but it is no time to get
lazy. Hundreds of homes each year are damaged
by faulty electrical wiring during the holidays.
Whether the cause is overloaded circuits or a bad
extension cord, you have to make sure you are as
safe as possible and using the best quality
equipment you can find.
Here are a few simple ways you can ensure
that your outdoor Christmas lighting is as
safe as possible.
◼ Make your Christmas green using lightemitting
diode (LED) lights that use less
energy than standard mini bulbs.
◼ Make sure the strings of lights you are using
outside have built­in fuses on the lines.
Sometimes, these fuses are located in the
actual plug.
◼ Use Christmas lights designated for outdoor
use only. If you use indoor­rated lights, they
may not be able to withstand the weather
conditions in Hawai‘i, which will cause them
to break down much faster.
◼ Use only Christmas lights and electric
equipment that has been tested and verified
by a reliable testing laboratory. Two reputable
laboratories are UL and ETL. Any equipment
or lights that have been tested safe will have
one of their logos on the packaging. If it
doesn’t have it, don’t use it!
◼ If you have a string of lights with a blown
bulb, replace it with a bulb of the exact
same wattage.
◼ Never tap into your home’s service line to
power your outdoor Christmas lights or hang
decorations on the line.
◼ Avoid using nails, tacks or metal staples to
secure your outdoor Christmas lights. Use
insulated hooks instead, and be sure your
lights are strung tightly to avoid damage
from the wind.
◼ Use only outdoor­rated extension cords.
Avoid connecting more than three strings
of lights to a single extension cord.
◼ All lights should be plugged into a
GFCI­protected outlet when used outside.
◼ When it comes time to take down your
Christmas decorations and lights, never
remove the strings of lights by pulling on the
wires. This causes the wires to break free
from the sockets and the bulbs to break.
Decorating for Christmas doesn’t seem so easy
anymore, does it? These tips don’t take long to
perform—and imagine having to deal with a fire on
Christmas Eve. Take the time to teach your kids
these lifelong lessons, and your Christmas
decorations and lighting will be tops on the block.