The holidays are a time to gather with friends and family, to celebrate the previous year and to make resolutions to start anew in the year ahead. It’s easy to get so caught up in decorating your home that you forget about electrical safety. That’s why we wanted to take a few minutes to share some friendly tips to help you prevent an electrical or fire disaster from happening over the holiday season.
1. Keep Your Electrical Cords Secure
When you’re mounting electric decorations and lights, never use anything sharp that can pierce the cord. Stay away from using nails or similar tools to attach your cables to the wall as these can easily fray the wires inside the cords. Choose mounted hooks instead. GVEC Home electricians are available to help safely install home electrical wiring during the holidays or during any other time of year, too.
2. Keep Power Sources Well Maintained for Safety
Check around your house for any loose electrical connections, damaged sockets or damaged wiring. If you do notice any damage, don’t hesitate to call us.
3. Unwrap Your Presents Away from the Fireplace
Opening presents is always fun, but make sure to keep the wrapping away from lighted fireplaces and other heat sources. Wrapping paper burns easily, so be vigilant about keeping your presents away from heat.
4. Get the Whole Family Involved
When you’re putting up holiday decorations, it’s easy to think you can do it all yourself. This isn’t always the safest method, however. If you need to use a ladder, for example, or to manage multiple electrical outlets, take the time to team up with a buddy for assistance.
5. Be Careful with Candles
Candles don’t rely on electricity, but they still pose a significant fire hazard. If you use candles this year, choose varieties with a stable base. In addition, always extinguish burning candles when you leave the room.
6. Lights Out Means Lights Off
It’s fun to show off your lights at all hours of the night, but leaving lights on overnight can be dangerous. If there’s nobody awake in the house, a minor problem can quickly turn into something major. We always advise customers to cut power to their lights and decorations at bedtime.
7. Never Attach Electrical Lights to a Wet Tree
If you’re using a natural tree this year, always keep it well hydrated. A dehydrated tree poses a fire hazard, but water is also a strong conductor of electricity. Make sure to turn off and unplug holiday lighting before watering your tree, and keep all electrical connectors, outlets, and the lights themselves away from the watering vase.
8. Artificial Trees Can Be Safer Than Their Natural Counterparts
If you’re concerned about the hazards associated with natural Christmas trees, feel free to purchase a fire-resistant artificial tree instead. Generally, artificial trees pose less of a fire risk because “dry out” doesn’t apply to such trees, and they’re made of fire-resistant materials.
Contact the Friendly Electrical Experts at GVEC Home
Our friendly team of professional electricians can help you safely decorate your home this holiday season, but we can also do a whole lot more. GVEC Home has been providing electrical service to clients in Gonzales and all across South Central Texas since 1968. Our customers trust us for a range of products and services:
- Electrician services
- AC/Heating products and services
- Solar products and services
We’re ready to assist with all your HVAC, electrical, and solar needs. For more information, call us at 888.590.7773.
