Stay Festive and Safe This Halloween and Holiday Season
Halloween is now seen as the unofficial start to the holiday season, with the holiday falling at the end of October, kicking off monthly holidays for the rest of the year. Many people decorate their homes for Halloween, but with electric decorations come some risks. As is typical of other holidays, Halloween decorations pose some threats, especially electrical decorations like lighting and displays. Minimizing these threats should be the goal of every homeowner throughout the holiday season, and experts are here to help. Here are some tips to keep the home safer during Halloween and beyond.
Inspect Decorations
Electrical safety should always be observed, including when people are decorating for the holidays. The increased number of decorations and displays increases the risks. Additionally, people are excited, and potential problems can easily be overlooked. When risks are taken, the threats can include electrical damage, fires, and loss of power. The best way to prevent these problems during Halloween and the rest of the holiday season is to take a few extra moments to inspect the electric decorations and lights before they are installed. Look for problems like:
- Damaged cords
- Frayed wiring
- Soot or scorch marks
- Broken bulbs
- Exposed wiring
- Signs of overheating
If any of these signs are observed, it is better to discard the lights or decorations and find something else to replace them. The cost of a new decoration is certainly less than the damage and inconvenience that an unsafe electrical condition can cause.
Use a Decorating Strategy
One of the common mistakes that people make in their excitement during holiday decorating is going into it without a plan. Once the boxes of decorations start coming out from storage people start finding places to put every strand of lights and display. However, this can lead to overloading outlets and causing potential risks. When outlets are overloaded the breakers can trip and leave people in the home without power. Additionally, wiring can start to overheat, leading to a potential electrical fire.
Avoiding overloaded outlets and circuits is easier when decorators take a little time to plan. Consider the wattage of electrical decorations and spread the larger loads out among several outlets and circuits. Take the time to inspect the electrical panel to get an idea of which circuits serve each room. Additionally, it’s important to consider what they should be used for. For example, lighting and decor that is meant for indoor use only should not be used outdoors for safety.
Extinguish Lights and Flames Before Bed
One item seen often during the holiday season is candles. They can help conjure up spooky scenes during Halloween and are also heavily used during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah seasons. Regardless of the intention, candles can be serious fire hazards if they are allowed to burn unattended.
Always take the time to extinguish candles before leaving the home or going to bed. Likewise, use timers to make it easy to turn off lights and displays or ensure they are off before leaving or going to bed. This will lower the chance of something going wrong. Additionally, homeowners can reduce the costs of powering them.
About A-Plus Air Conditioning & Home Solutions
A-Plus Air Conditioning & Home Solutions offers holiday lighting services to help people celebrate the holidays safely. Their experienced teams have the knowledge and tools available to help make every season more meaningful and enjoyable. Call them for holiday light installation services in Austin, TX.
