Halloween, for most homes in the Raleigh area and beyond, is the start of the fun holiday decorating season. This can be a fun time of trying to be the best, scariest and coolest house on the block, but this could also be a hazardous time if safety precautions aren’t taken.
Anytime you take electricity outside, you need to make sure you are doing it safely and correctly to avoid harm or damage, so here are some tips that should be used while decorating your home.
Inspect Decorations & Use Appropriate Cords
Be sure to inspect all the cords on the props, whether it’s the lights, fog machines or inflatables. You want to make sure there are no exposed wires, cracks, knicks, or broken prongs on the cords. All of these damages could lead to harm to anyone walking by and moving the decorations into place.
All extension cords should be outdoor rated and the connection points need to be protected from any form of moisture to avoid nuisance power tripping or safety concerns. There are cord caps that can be purchased and are made to wrap around the two ends of the connecting cords to form a watertight seal.
Turn Decorations Off When Going To Bed
This is is a great way to not only conserve electricity but also make sure that an issue isn’t missed due to not being awake. A great solution for this is either timers that everything gets plugged into and manually set, or new smart controls such as Lutron Caseta controls which can be set and adjusted remotely (a nice feature early in the season since sunset changes as we get further into fall).
Check GFCI Protection
GFCI’s (ground fault circuit interrupters) are required on all exterior outlets since these are open to the elements. These devices will detect when moisture is introduced and shut off power to avoid shock hazards. Some older homes will not have GFCI protection outside or may have an older unit that does not trip when it should, so it is super important to check these and have them tested to ensure a safe holiday set up.
Not only are GFCI’s important, but also the type of cover on these exterior outlets is important as well. The national electrical code (NEC) began requiring “in-use” or “bubble” covers for all exterior switches and receptacles in 2002. These replaced the older weather-resistant covers that were only weather resistant when they were closed. This means that around the holiday decorating seasons these outlets are not fully protected since these decorations stay plugged in for the season. The new bubble covers are a fully enclosed cover which allow for the outlets to be used fully enclosed and out of the weather.
Avoid Overloaded Circuits
Homes built before 1996 will have a single circuit breaker that feeds all exterior, garage, and bathroom receptacles. This can cause overload issues due to just too many things being used at once, like a hair dryer or straightener, plus the decoration set up. Newer homes will have the bathroom completely separate, which reduces this issue. However, since the exterior outlets will be on the same circuit in most cases and, depending on the extent of your decorations, this may not be enough for everything. It may also lead to tripping breakers or overheated devices and cords. If you end up tripping a breaker with your display, try to find another circuit to run the cord to avoid this issue.
We’re Here To Help
If you are having trouble with your display, give NCHomeElectric.com a call today at (919) 868-3585 to set up an onsite consultation to have one of our professional and licensed electricians come out to assess your needs and present some solutions to make the decorating season a joy and not another stressful project.