Before
you deck the halls like the Griswolds this holiday season, you should consider
if your home's wiring system can handle the additional load of holiday lights
and decorations. Depending on certain factors, such as your home's age and the
electrical lighting and equipment you want to add, you may need to upgrade your
wiring.
This is
the time of year when home fires become more prevalent throughout the country.
In fact, according to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2015
and 2019, about half of all holiday home fires came about due to electrical
distribution of some sort or the use of lighting equipment, such as decorative
lights.
With
this in mind, it's important that you take extra precautions to ensure the
safety of your home. However, this shouldn't stop you from going all out for
the holidays. This article explains how and why you may need to upgrade
your wiring for holiday lights and decor.
Pay Attention to Electrical Load
Limits
You
should pay attention to electrical load limits in your home, as overloading
your electrical outlets poses a safety risk and could even cause a fire. Most
modern home circuits can handle 15 or 20 amps. However, most people don't
know about or pay attention to these numbers. That's why, depending on the
amount and intensity of your decorations, your home wiring may need a circuit breaker upgrade,
which brings us to our next point.
Don't Overload Your Circuits
You
want to ensure that your circuit breakers can handle the additional
load from your holiday lights and decorations. While it can be tempting to
overload your outlets, exercise caution, as this can lead to needing circuit
breaker repair services.
There are
several warning signs if you have overloaded a circuit, including:
● Flickering lights
● Crackling noises
If
you're experiencing any of these signs, it's most likely that you may need a
circuit breaker upgrade. Schedule service with our electricians today.
Keep Safe with GFCI Outlets
Another
consideration to make is to keep safe with GFCI outlets, or ground-fault circuit
interrupters. These outlets turn off automatically when a surplus of
electricity is flowing through them. They are typically installed in locations
in which water could be present, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoors.
If a
person comes into contact with water (whether
it's snow, ice, or something in between) and electricity, it can be
life-threatening and even fatal. As such, wherever you're installing holiday
lights, especially if they are outdoors, you should consider having your
circuits GFCI protected.
You
don't want a situation like Clark Griswold's holiday lighting debacle.
Consider LED Lighting
While
on the topic of home wiring upgrades, you may also want to give consideration
to your bulb choice this holiday season. In fact, have you thought about
upgrading your older fixtures and adding new lighting units that utilize energy efficient
LED bulbs?
In
comparison to incandescent lights, LED lights use 75% less energy and reduce
your electrical load by more than seven times. As a result, your monthly
electricity bill can be much lower. LED lights could also help to reduce the
likelihood of circuit overload problems. Plus, they are known to last a long
time, so it's definitely worth the consideration and investment.
Choose Estes
Services for Your Home Wiring Upgrade Needs This Holiday Season
At
Estes Services, we want to help you ensure the comfort and safety of your home
electrical systems this holiday season. In fact, we hope this article helped
you determine if a home wiring upgrade should be on your holiday wish list this
year.
If you
think a home wiring upgrade should be on your holiday wishlist, schedule service with our licensed and
certified Atlanta electrical contractors today. We can help you make
sure that your home's wiring can handle the additional load of holiday lights
and decorations
Since
1949, our Estes family has been proudly providing electrical services to the
greater Atlanta community, including service areas such as Alpharetta, Buckhead, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Fayetteville, Johns Creek, Kennesaw, Marietta, Midtown, Peachtree City, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Virginia Highland.
Check out our holiday Special Offers & Coupons to save on your electrical service upgrade.
It's
that Easy; It's Estes! From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy
holiday season.
