Now we know it’s early to be talking about Christmas and we find the sight of mince pies in the supermarket in October depressing too, but when it comes to electrical safety we believe that planning ahead to ensure your Christmas lights are installed safety could literally save your life.
When it comes to installing outdoor Christmas lights, you need to take safety very seriously indeed. The fashion for outdoor Christmas lights started years ago but over recent years we’ve seen a huge surge in the popularity of eye-catching lights, with some displays covering almost every inch of the outside of a property. Outdoor Christmas lights do look great but installing and using them can prove very dangerous indeed.
With this in mind, it’s important to stress that if you are in the slightest doubt about installing outdoor lights safely, you need to contact someone qualified to carry out the installation for you. Working high up on a ladder is something most people just aren’t used to but if you’re sure you want to carry out the job yourself, we recommend hiring a specially designed access platform.
It’s vital that you only use lights which are specially designed to be used outdoors and which can be left outdoors for extended periods and if in doubt as to the suitability of your lights, don’t use them but buy new outdoor specific lights instead.
Last and by no means least, never try and install outdoor lights in bad weather – wait for a dry, fairly still day.
