Have you already strung the holiday lights on the railings, bushes and trees around your home? Our Customer Service Team wanted to share just a few quick reminders to help avoid overloaded circuits, electrical fires and other hazards surrounding your holiday light extravaganzas…

• Outside Lights
  • Never use seasonal lighting outside your home unless it is specifically labeled for outdoor use.
  • Connect outside lighting to a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupting (GFCI) outlet. If you don’t have a GFCI outlet, contact a qualified electrician for proper installation.
  • Never secure the wiring of outdoor lighting with staples or nails - or place lights on sharp hooks or nails.
  • Do not close doors or windows on extension cords, or mount lights in any way that can damage the cord’s wire insulation.
  • Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Some bulbs may have broken while in “storage.” Never overload extension cords.

  Inside Lights

  • Keep kids and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.
  • Unplug all holiday lighting before leaving the house or when going to bed.
  • Avoid covering lights with cloth, paper or any material that is not part of the lighting.
  • Throw away any lighting that shows cut, damaged or frayed wire insulation or cords. Also discard lights with cracks in lamp holders, loose connections or exposed copper wire.
  • Virtually all holiday lighting is provided with overload fuse protection. A blown fuse indicates an overload or short-circuit situation. When this occurs, unplug lights from the outlet immediately and replace the blown fuse.
  • If the replacement fuse blows, a short circuit may be present. Either throw the light string away - or return it to the retailer if new.