The time of year is here that you want to take time to decorate for the holidays. It seems that year after year you want to outdo yourself from year’s past. That means you go out of your way add more pizzazz to the home and the decorations. The homes around you will likely follow suit (if they haven’t already) and the more you add the more they will add as well. The problem is that the more that you add to the house that needs the assistance of the electrical system, the more likely it will be that you will blow a fuse or trip a breaker. There are some things you can do to make sure you are prepared and less likely to have an issue. You want to make sure that when you are using extra electricity in the winter months that you are safe and smart about it. Simon Electric outlines how to prevent a fuse from being blown this winter season.
Household Electricity Consumption Calculator
One of the things you want to take into account is the amount of electricity you are adding to the outlets. You need to look at all the strings of lights and the decorations that plug in and make a list of the watts they need. The list needs to be added up and you need to check it against the amount of watts that your home can contribute to the décor. If you have a breaker that can carry 1,800 watts you want to give it a small buffer and not go all the way up to the limit. If you get to close it can trip the breaker and blow out a fuse. You cam map out what you can plug in and where around the house.
Dangers of Water & Electricity
The weather during the winter is hard to handle when it comes to outdoor electricity. The items that are being left outside are exposed to the elements and sometimes this can be a problem. Moisture and electricity do not mix well. The best thing you can do is to make sure that all the connections are kept dry all season long. The rest of the cords are usually manufactured to handle the weather. The connections can create a short if they are wet and that will end up blowing out a fuse.
What Type of Christmas Lights
If you want to go big it would be best to upgrade all your strand lights to LED. The are a more energy efficient option and that means they need less watts to run. The great thing is you can use more lights in the same breaker to make sure your home stands out. The change to LED is a good one for you to keep your breaker from tripping.
Do Christmas Lights Need a Dedicated Circuit?
While it is not always needed, if you are someone that goes all out and cannot be stopped, you should look at having a dedicated circuit installed at your house for this time of year. It will be separate from the household panel and that will allow you to run all your decorations from its own panel and circuit system.
Electrical Wiring, Light Consultations & More in Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter & Boca Raton & Palm Beach County Florida
Simon Electric wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We thank you for all your support in 2019 and look forward to serving you in 2020. Contact us for all your electrical needs.
