Outdoor Christmas Light Problems

Glass bulb light

Strings of brightly colored Christmas lights appear outside many households during the Christmas season. Although they are pretty, there are problems associated with these Christmas lights. Outdoor Christmas light problems include power supply issues, cable safety, visibility, power usage and burned out lights that dim others.

Power Supply

Power supply can be problematic for Christmas lights. Strings of lights are connected along a cord of several feet, such as 6 feet, 12 feet, or more. The cord is connected to an electrical outlet. Since the strings of lights may start close to the ends of each side of the cord, the homeowner should buy an extension cord in case the outlet is not close to the location of the Christmas lights. Extension cords are connected if the first cord is not long enough. Make sure that the extension cord design allows for outdoor use, including weather hazards like rain and snow.

Cable Safety

Make sure that the cable is attached safely. If the cable is located close to the ground, it can entangle birds, dogs, cats, and even children. This is a strangulation risk, and can also be an electrocution risk if one side of the cord is plugged into a power socket. The Christmas lights are often made of glass, so if they break there is a risk of injury from glass shards. It is safest to place the Christmas lights high up on a building and attach them to a wall to reduce these dangers. According to the City of Seattle, a ground fault circuit interruptor is a useful purchase that automatically shuts off power if electric current escapes from a damaged wire.

Visibility

Lights must have great visibility.

Christmas lights are located where they have high visibility. Make sure that they can be seen from locations such as sidewalks, neighborhood streets, and garden paths where Christmas travelers walk. Many neighborhoods create a combined display for the entire development, so travelers know where to go to see a display. Lights can be combined with other props to create more of a holiday theme effect, such as a reindeer with a red glowing nose.

Power Usage and LEDs

Christmas lights turned on for several weeks use a lot of power. Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, provide an energy-conserving alternative to lightbulbs. LEDs do not require heating a filament inside of a bulb, so they do not emit as much energy as waste heat. This also means they are less likely to cause fires. LEDs are available in many colors, so there is no need to add a filter as there is with lightbulbs. Therefore, LEDs can emit colorful light with much less power usage. LEDs are a newer technology that are less commonly available in stores, and may also cost more up front. The biggest drawback of LEDs is that you cannot replace nonfunctioning LEDs like you can replace burned out lightbulbs.

String Wiring

Christmas lights are wired along a string. If one bulb burns out, then it may darken every other light along the string, depending on how they are connected. Be careful of this type of setup. Damage to the cord itself also darkens the other lights along the string. LEDs fade out gradually, so they will not all burn out if one light darkens. Because LEDs produce less heat, they can be encased in plastic instead of glass, making them more durable.

References

• UK Telegraph: Christmas Lights Pose Serious Safety Risk
• Brite-Lite: L.E.D. Holiday Lights
• City of Seattle: Holiday Lighting