Setting Up Christmas Lights (Without Electrocuting Yourself)

In the classic 90's sitcom, Home Improvement, the family patriarch, Tim 'The Toolman' Taylor, would  duke it out with the neighbours every Christmas with more and more elaborate decorations each year. As can happen in family sitcoms, shenanigans often ensued as his one-upping often ended up in injury, electrocution, and all sorts of other mishaps.

Though your Christmas decorating may not get quite as outlandish as Tim's, you might still run into some of the same problems when setting up your decorations. Specifically, you might not have enough power for all of your lights, and you could even face some safety issues when trying to make everything work together.

First, set up for safety

Make sure that you keep safety in mind as your first priority when installing your lighting, especially outdoors. Always use a ladder, and make sure to secure your wiring with insulated holders (never using tacks or nails, as the metal is a strong conductor that will carry a high risk of electrocuting you or causing serious damage). Make sure not to install lights on trees that come into contact with power lines, and to plug in your lights before installing them to make sure all the bulbs are working (if even one is out, the whole line won't work). Though it might be tempting to leave your lights blazing all night, you should turn them off when you go to sleep or to work, both in order to save electricity and for safety reasons.

Know when to call for an electrician

If you have electrical problems, difficulty setting up your wiring, or issues getting LED lightbulbs to work, call an Auckland electrician to help you out. It is better to have peace of mind knowing that everything is safely taken care of, especially if you have a large and extravagant display in mind!

We look forward to hearing how your Christmas decorations turn out and, from everyone here at Lloyd Electrical, we hope you have a fantastic holiday!