Make Christmas Glow with Tasteful Outdoor Lighting

Christmas lights give life to our Christmas decorations and they come in a huge selection of styles and prices. If you're not careful, your hard-earned pennies will go fast in just spending money on decorating. Using these views, simple steps on outdoor lighting will save you time and money. To begin with, you need to compute the area where the Christmas lights will be used. Start with measuring the exact length of the area you will place the lights and then add a few inches to allow for power outlets. Measuring the length that you need as well as the distance to the power outlet is a good place to start. If you're putting Christmas lights on your tree, take a tape measure and measure the circumference. Determine how many lights exist in a string and from this you can compute how many strings you will need. Let's assume that you need 70 feet of Christmas lights around your tree and each string is 10 feet in length. Seventy divided by ten equals seven strings of lights.

Try to find a shorter strand of lights so one can be easily replaced if damage occurs. Decide what type of Christmas lights you need by knowing the purpose of the light. Are they going to be used outdoors or indoors? Shop online if you're unsure of what you want. You want to look for plug styles, strand types and bulb designs. Each bulb comes in different shapes and sizes and colors, and they will need to be coordinated with your decorations. Selecting Christmas outdoor lighting is fun and enjoyable, and you should take a day or so to just do this. Remember that Christmas bulbs vary in number depending on the bulbs per strand. The package usually indicates the number of bulbs on a strand. Because the illumination of your decoration will depend on wattage and the number of bulbs you will use, you need to check the wattage of your bulbs. Bulbs can give you different lighting effects, where some have a steady glow while others blink in different ways, so selecting the right one is important. Strings of lights can come with parallel or series wiring. If you bust the bulb on the parallel string, all the other lights will continue to stay lit, whereas with the parallel wiring, if one light goes out all the others do as well. To get the best deal when it comes to Christmas outdoor lighting, it's best to comparison-shop.

Here's some safety tips when it comes to putting up your Christmas outdoor lighting. Make sure your outlets are GFCI approved and installed by a certified electrician. Confirm with the manufacturer that the lights you've chosen are for outdoor and not indoor use. Try to not use indoor extension cords when outdoor extension cords are required. Keep any electrical connections out of snow/puddles, and insert bulbs into sockets so that the sockets point down. Before you replace any bulbs, make sure that you unplugged the string first. Never decorate an outdoor tree if it's close to power lines or if there's a chance of touching them. Remember to inspect the wires on your outdoor Christmas lights for any wear spots, especially if they are older. Using just a bit of common sense when it comes to installing your Christmas decorations will go along way for your safety and peace of mind. Most of all, comparison-shop and use the Internet to your advantage.