Avoid Blowing Fuses with Holiday Decorations

Avoid Blowing Fuses with Holiday Decorations

Finally, the holiday season is here! And with it, of course, all the fun, exciting decorating projects and home accessories. Whether you’re competing for the most, best adorned home or apartment, or simply just looking for a few pointers, follow these tips on how to avoid accidents and stay safe this season.

 
Tip #1: Know What You Are Dealing With

Before you plug in your Santa and His Eight Reindeer display next to the inflatable snow man, or string a set of indoor lights around your kitchen cabinet hardware, take a minute to survey what you plan to light. It’s important to keep the boxes of all your decorations—it’s the easiest way to count the number of bulbs as well as the wattage per piece of equipment. Make a list of everything you want to turn on, from strings of lights, stand-alone lawn ornaments as well as candles for your windows.

 
Tip #2: Get Out the Calculator

Brush the dust off of your calculator and calculate the wattage for each item on your decorating list. Each bulb uses a different value amp, but this formula will help you:

Watts = Amps * Volts

For instance, a string of white lights might indicate that it uses 220 watts. A typical household will use 110 volts, so you can calculate that the string will use 2 amps. To make organizing your decorations easier, make a chart detailing the name of the decoration, the amount of watts and the amps required to light the decoration itself.

 
Tip #3: Check Your Circuit Breaker

Your household circuit breaker should indicate the amount of amps it can manage. Be sure that your decorations are under what the breaker can handle. Keep in mind that you’ve only totaled the amps and watts for your decorations, not including everyday household appliances (refrigerator, microwave, televisions and hair dryers).

 
Tip #4: Most Common Causes

The most common causes for a blown fuse are due to too many sets or decorations being plugged into one circuit. To eliminate this problem, purchase plenty of additional power strips with surge protectors. Instead of trying to consolidate all your decorations into one or two strips, it’s a good idea to spend a few extra dollars and purchase enough power strips to be safe.

Additional causes of blown fuses are short-circuits on a specific strand or decoration. To find the culprit, invest in a lamp tester. These handy devices are great to use before plugging anything in at all; they test the bulbs, wires and sockets and can prevent short circuiting your meticulous display.

 
Tip #5: Address & Fix the Problem

If you’ve got a lighting issue, it can be solved! When an entire string of lights is not functioning, be sure your power outlet is; test the string in a separate outlet. If the lights still will not work, you can use your lamp tester or manually locate the stubborn bulb. Before replacing any broken bulbs, unplug the strand!

To replace a blown fuse, unplug the decoration. Uncover the fuse via the access cover located on the attachment plug; slide the cover towards the metal end. Remove the old fuse and replace with a new fuse. Slide the access cover back to its original setting.

 

Tip #6: Prevent Accidents & Be Responsible

Always keep a basic tool kit around the house for quick fixes, including a hammer, drill, screwdriver, and flashlight. Like any good homeowner or renter, it’s important to be responsible with your display. All decorations should be turned off when you are not at the home; this includes indoor and outdoor decorations. Imagine coming home to a burnt residence because your neighbors left their lights on when they were not home and an accident occurred; don’t be that neighbor! Be sure to have a working smoke alarm in the home. If you are going to be home, but are planning to go to bed, purchase a programmable timer for all your lighting and decorations.

 

Tip #7: Enjoy The Holidays!

Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanza, no matter what you celebrate, enjoy a festive holiday season with your family, friends and neighbors!