Christmas Lights: Buy Safely, Save Money
Shop Smart When You Buy Christmas Lights for an Outdoor Display
Nov 13, 2008
You can save a lot of time, money, and trouble on Christmas lights.
Safe Products, Defective Products
Watch for defective products. Check the website of the United States government's Consumer Product Safety Commission to find the names of the lights that the manufacturers have recalled. In 2002, for instance, the CPSC asked NBG International, Flora-Lite Company, Winstar International and other lighting companies to recall their light strands. The reasons included wires that could cause electric shocks and plugs that wouldn't stay securely in sockets.
If the lights stored in your attic have been recalled, trash them. And when you go shopping, take a list of the recalled lights with you.
Look for the Underwriters' Seal
Once you determine that your lights are legal, look on the package for the UL seal. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories, an independent, non-profit company founded in 1894 to test electrical products for safety. If a box of lights doesn't say UL, ignore it.
Indoor Lights and Outdoor Lights
After you find the UL symbol, make sure that the lights can work where you want them to. Most light sets are rated for outdoor or indoor use. If you use outdoor lights indoors, or indoor lights outdoors, you could be inviting fire, electric shocks or power failure.
While you’re at the store, buy replacement bulbs of the same wattage as the ones in your sets. The longer you light your display, the more bulbs will burn out.
Check the Lights Sets
As soon as you get the lights home, make sure that they're in good working order. Plug the lights in and see if every bulb lights up. Examine the wires, sockets, plugs, bulbs and other parts for cracked sockets, frayed or exposed wires, and loose connections. Check each light strand for overheating by plugging it in and setting it on a non-flammable surface for about 15 minutes. If anything starts to smoke or melt, replace the strand.
If you've bought a light set that doesn't work properly, don't try to fix it. Take it back to the store for a refund or exchange.
If the light set works but a few bulbs are out, replace them. Before you replace a bulb, unplug the entire strand, unless you want char-broiled skin and Bride of Frankenstein hair. A strand that’s unplugged can't send shocks through you.
New Light Technology
Old-fashioned light sets used to go dark if even one bulb was defective or burnt out, but modern sets aren’t so fussy; a single dead bulb won’t kill the rest of the strand. Still, you should always replace dead bulbs. It’s simply safer to keep all bulbs working.
Have a safe holiday, and merry Christmas.
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