Three Ways to Keep Electrical Decorations Safe This Halloween
Halloween is one of the fastest-growing holidays for decorating around the home. Historically, most people do some decoration for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but more and more homeowners are choosing to start the holiday season with festive Halloween decorations.
As with any season, electrical decorations can present hazards to the safety of a home and its occupants. Instead of taking chances, take some advice from electricians who can help homeowners safely install their decorations. Here is a quick guide from professionals that can help holiday observers safely beautify their homes.
Inspect Electrical Decorations on Decoration Day
When installing outdoor decorations, be sure to keep an eye out for things like:
- Missing ground prongs
- Damaged insulation along electrical wires
- Frayed wiring
- Visible copper showing through insulation
- Loose electrical connections
Repairing deficiencies as they are noticed is an easy way to ensure that electrical decorations stay safe. In some cases, one should replace decorations if they are irreparable.
Plan Ahead for Electrical Safety
Outdoor decorating doesn’t have to be difficult. With a little planning ahead, outdoor decorations can go up quickly and safely. One of the biggest hurdles to outdoor decorating is ensuring that decorations don’t overload electrical circuitry. If numerous decorations need to be plugged in, it is important to know the infrastructure that is around the home. Likely, there will be only a couple of outdoor outlets that one can use for power. Usually, they will be on the same circuit, limiting the capacity of all outlets that one could use.
Other sources of power that one could use could be outlets on an outbuilding like a powered shed or detached garage. Another good source of power is an outdoor light that can accommodate a converter to allow low-wattage devices to be plugged directly into the bulb socket.
Under no circumstances should an extension cord be run from indoors to power outdoor electrical equipment. All outdoor decorations need to be protected by GFCI devices. Indoor outlets do not offer that protection and should NEVER be used to power outdoor electrical devices.
Use Surge Protectors When Necessary 
Most outdoor decorations are low enough wattage that one can plug many of them into an outlet. For example, this is a common problem during Christmas when many strands of lights need to be plugged into a single outlet. To safely work around this problem, homeowners can use surge protectors to expand the capacity of their outlets.
When considering purchasing a surge protector, be sure to know what is needed. Too many people see a power strip and assume that is enough. However, a power strip does nothing to ensure safety. Surge protectors should be equipped with overcurrent protection. This is how they can prevent fires that are the result of an overload. One should check any power strip or surge protector to ensure they have this important feature.
About Korte Does It All, Inc.
Korte Does It All, Inc. can help any home stay safe during the holidays. With expert craftsmanship and emergency service, their professional technicians are always available to help. Call today to schedule plumbing service.
