12 Days of Holiday Safety Tips, Day 3 Outdoor Christmas Light Safety

12/3/2020 (Permalink)

12 Days of Holiday Safety Tips. Happy Holidays from SERVPRO of El Dorado Hills/Placerville!

On the third day of Holiday fire safety, SERVPRO of El Dorado Hills/Placerville is here to remind you to always use proper lights for indoor or outdoor usage as indicated on their packaging to prevent fire damage to your home. Did you know that outdoor-use lights are specifically made to operate in cold and wet environments, while indoor-use lights are tested to ensure they will not cause a tree fire? 

SERVPRO of El Dorado Hills/Placerville has some tips for you to keep in mind when putting up outdoor holiday lights:

• To hook up your outdoor lighting, use a three-prong ground extension cord with the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) label
• Connect your outdoor lighting to a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupting (GFCI) outlet. That way if there is a short or an overload on your lights, the GFCI outlet will trip before the breaker in your house. This serves as an added layer of protection against fires
• Use properly sized plastic mounting clips or hooks. When running wires outside, always fasten your lights to a stable mounting surface. However, avoid using staples or nails. Wire insulation can be accidentally pierced or cause shorts or hard-to-find breaks. While stringing your display, keep your lights and wires well clear of electrical service lines connecting to your house, use only outdoor-rated extension cords and protect plug unions from being moved or getting wet.
• Be safe while hanging your lights outside. Always work with someone to hold your ladder steady and keep yourself in the center. Never overreach or try to move the ladder when you are at the top

Remember that SERVPRO of El Dorado Hills/Placerville specializes in fire damage restoration for both residential and commercial properties, along with smoke or water damage. We can handle any size disaster! Call us at 916-933-3890, we are available 24/7, 365 days a year!