Electrician-Approved Halloween Decoration Safety Tips
It’s spooky season and the time of year to stock up on sweet treats and fill the yard and home with Halloween decorations. Here at Badger Bob's Services, our HVAC, plumbing, appliance and electrical experts want you – and all the little costumed creatures that will trick-or-treat at your house – to stay safe while celebrating.
No other holiday aside from Christmas is more focused on decorating with lights – and candles. If your decoration plans include lighting inside and outside your home, our licensed electricians have some tips to keep your place spooky without being dangerous. Remember, taking the right steps can be the difference between Halloween fun and a night of true terror.
Inspection means protection
Whether they’re newly bought or old favorites, be sure to carefully look over all your decorations before plugging them in. Any bare wires, frayed cords, damaged sockets or loose connections could cause very serious shocks or start fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, about one-third of the house fires involving decorative lighting were caused by electrical failures or malfunctions. This can be prevented by simply taking the time to inspect your decorations.
A real turn-off
Just like other electrical appliances in your house, it’s not safe or necessary to have your Halloween decoration lights on when you are away from home or asleep. It is best to only have them on when you are able to actively monitor them.
Follow the instructions
When you purchase new light strands or other electrical decorations, you want to know the wattage of the lights so you don’t overload a circuit. You also need to know if the lights are suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Putting lights outside your house that are meant for indoor use only can lead to serious electrical issues.
Don’t have a nice trip
Your driveway and front walkway are going to have heavy traffic on Halloween, so you don’t want the cables from your Halloween lights to create a tripping hazard. Don’t run electrical cords across sidewalks or other walkway areas that could trip or endanger trick-or-treaters. Indoors, avoid stretching cords across a room where people or pets can trip over them or become entangled.
LED is A-ok
We recommend you don’t put real candles inside your jack-o-lanterns. Instead, purchase disposable LED tea lights or special flickering LED lights for decoration. They are inexpensive, don’t risk problems with open flames and give off little heat. We love these because you can put them almost anywhere without having to worry about plugging them in, and also because they won’t put any dangerous overload onto your home’s electrical system.
Nailed it!
It may seem like an easy way to get your decorations up and ensure they stay up, but using nails and staples can cause serious problems if you puncture or damage the wire strand. Breaking through the insulation of the cord wiring is a fast way to create an electrical fire or suffer from a high voltage shock. Instead, use temporary hooks to hang your lights.
GFCI ASAP
If possible, plug your lights into GFCI outlets (or into power strips plugged into GFCI outlets). These outlets will shut off power to stop high voltage shocks in case of accidents and can be true life-savers. If your home doesn’t have GFCI outlets, we strongly advise calling a licensed, skilled electrician to install them.
The Badger Bottom Line
For any holiday, a safe celebration is the best celebration. When it comes to your home and Halloween decorations, following basic electrical safety guidelines will help you avoid real scares and keep your memories “boo-tiful” and fun. If you have any questions or need to schedule electrical service for your home, contact us today!