How to Calculate Christmas Lights for an Outdoor Tree
When calculating the number of lights you need for an outdoor Christmas tree, you must consider things such as the size of the lights and the size and type of the tree you wish to decorate. Typically Christmas trees are evergreens, but many people choose to adorn other types of trees with lights during the holiday season. No matter what style and size of light you use, be sure that the lights work prior to stringing them to the tree. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Choose the tree(s) you wish to decorate. Obtain a measurement on the height and investigate the density of the tree; it is better to overestimate the height to ensure adequate light cover. Evergreen trees require more lights then deciduous, which, depending on climactic conditions, often do not have leaves around Christmastime.
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Determine the amount of light cover you wish your tree to have. Do you want the lights strung close together or spread apart? Do you want to decorate the entire tree or just the branches? Consider how bright you wish the lights to be. Some large bulbs are dipped in a color coating multiple times; the more they are dipped, the dimmer the light produced will be.
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Determine the type and size of lights that are compatible with your determined wants and needs. Small bulbs or mini-lights will require approximately double the length of lighting. Large bulbs, C7 and C9, are more durable against the elements. The greatest benefit of using large bulbs is that when one bulb fails, you do not have to remove the entire string and replace it. Each bulb screws into the string individually; so if one fails, you only need replace that one bulb individually.
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Purchase the lights. There is no perfect measurement for determining the exact number of lights of feet of string you'll need, but there are two general rules. For sparse to average lighting, use 100 lights per vertical foot of tree. If you desire a well-lit tree, multiply the height of the tree by the width. Multiply this number by 3 to determine the number of lights you need.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are stringing lights on dried-out trees or live in an exceptionally dry climate, consider purchasing cool-burning LED lights to reduce the risk of fire.
Visit the resources below to determine electrical needs for outdoor Christmas lights.
Do not connect more then three strings of C7 and C9 bulbs unless you use a power adapter or high-efficiency bulbs.
Do not plug in C7 to C9 cord and vice versa.
