(WTXL)- Nearly 40 percent of all home fires in the U.S. occur from December through February. Christmas tree fires, in particular, are five times more deadly than other fires. What you need to know to light up safely this year.
When it comes to holiday decorating, we͛re often more concerned with the final look above all else, but safety experts warn that overloading electrical outlets and using worn light strands is an invitation for an electrical problem or even disaster.
"Like most people, I like to keep my decorations from year to year, but you need to check them before you put them up each year to make sure you don͛t have any broken light bulbs or any frayed cords because, if you do, you need to replace those items," said Angie's List co-founder Angie Hicks.
Even if you͛re using new lights, check for the UL label and use them only as approved. Don͛t place indoor lights outside, and all outside lights should plug into a ground fault circuit interrupter or GFCI outlet, which can be identified by the ͞test͟ and ͞reset͟ buttons on the face. They help prevent electric shock and potential fires.
"They determine how much load is on the hot wire and how much load is on the neutral wire. If those two things are balanced, it allows it to work. If there͛s too much on the black wire and not enough on the white wire, as in when someone is being shocked, there͛s an imbalance and it will actually shut off," said electrician Sammie Bracken.
When it comes to connecting light strands together, experts say you should limit that to two or three unless they are LED lights, which can handle multiple links. Angie says even she has violated this rule. Luckily, it didn͛t lead to a fire but did force her to call for emergency electrical repair to get the lights back on one Christmas Eve.
