5 Christmas safety tips from your local electrician
It’s more than just your Christmas lights safety you need to consider.
From hanging up those colourful strings of fairy lights to firing up your oven to cook that mouth-watering holiday ham, blasting your air conditioner to keep the extended family cool to hooking up a new set of speakers to keep the carols playing, there’s plenty of electricity being used at Christmas time.
Which means plenty of things to watch out for.
At Arconex, we’re Bronze Master Electricians. And, part of the trusted Master Electrician brand is the acknowledgement of electricians who run safe and sustainable businesses. And this time of year, safety at home really plays an important role.
Master Electricians has released its safety checklist for Christmas lights, and we thought we’d take it one step further. Along with some of its helpful tips, we’re adding a few more to make sure all of your holiday plans truly sparkle this season.
1. Check your Christmas lights before even turning them on.
Scratch that, check them before you even hang them up! You’ll want to sure there’s an Australian Approval number on the lights, which may be Q12345, V01294, or N12345. This means the product has been tested to meet Australian and New Zealand safety requirements by Austest.
Be wary of lights you buy online as if they come from overseas, they may not meet Australian safety standards and could be dangerous to use. And we definitely don’t want your Christmas plans to go up in smoke!
Master Electricians also recommends checking the ACCC’s product safety site to make sure your lights aren’t part of any safety recalls.
2. Make sure you’re using weatherproof Christmas lights outdoors
This one may sound simple, but it’s always best to double check you’re using lights that are made to handle the elements. Rain or shine, you want to make sure your lights sparkle without any sparks.
Before plugging anything in, we recommend checking all of your external power connections are working correctly. If you’re using a timer to automatically turn your lights on at night, make sure you’re home the first few nights in case anything doesn’t go to plan.
Don’t hang lights too close to swimming pools or power lines, or across any low pathways where they could become a tripping hazard. Have young kids? Make sure any power outlets or wires are out of reach to avoid any accidents.
While outdoor lights are designed to stay outside during any weather event, we do recommend turning the lights off if a storm or heavy rain does pass through. While the lights themselves may be waterproof, if strong winds knock anything into the wires, this can keep things safe.
3. Prep as much as you can in advance - for your appliances’ sake!
We often leave things to the last minute too, but trying to cook an entire Christmas lunch for a crowd can cause havoc on your electrical system. So you don’t trip a switch, avoid running an oven, stovetop, airfryer, microwave, blender and whatever other kitchen gadgets you need at the same time.
Drawing too much power at once from the circuit can cause your circuit board to overload and turn itself off, meaning your appliances will stop working. (And no one wants a half-cooked ham!)
4. Avoid piggybacking any power outlets
If your tree is a bit far from a power outlet, or you need to use an extra appliance,make sure you’re safely plugging it in and not relying on a string of adaptors with multiple outlet options.
There’s no harm in using one power board that’s directly connected to a wall socket, but having multiple adaptors drawing power from one another can cause the circuit to overload. Even worse, it can also be a fire hazard if they’re not good quality adaptors.
5. Have a greener Christmas by going solar
We love sustainable energy solutions, and going solar with your Christmas lights is a great way to save on the extra cost of energy and to have a greener solution without dimming the lights.
These days, solar Christmas lights are really easy to find. You can get them at Bunnings, Kmart and Target, along with plenty of other stores online.
The beauty of solar lights, is that they don’t hook up to your home’s electrical system so you don’t have to worry so much about the cost of power or blowing a fuse by turning them on each night.
Need help from an electrician before Christmas?
If you are having any problems with your home’s outlets or appliances, get in touch with us today and we’ll be able to arrange a time for an Arconex electrician to come and fix it in time for Christmas.
