If you have a home, you probably have a yard. People in the United States love their yards and gardens. At least 83% of people say they think their yard is important to their lives. And nearly 90% of those people think it is important it is important that the yard be well maintained. When well maintained and designed, turf grass can raise your home’s value from 15 to 20%. If you have a yard and you want to put up holiday lighting, here are some tips to get you started.Be careful the number of strings you hang. Not only do you not want to induce seizures in your neighbors but it also presents a serious fire risk. Safety experts at Underwriters Lab in Illinois recommend stringing a maximum number of wattage that is appropriate. You need to limit your wattage to under 210 watts on a 22 gauge line and up to 420 on a 20 gauge line. Check the wiring on your strings of lights for any instruction or guidance. The average 100 incandescent strand uses about 40 watts so you can go to town without burning down your house in the process.
- Get the right kind of holiday lighting. Remember, your holiday lighting strands need to be able to hold up to the elements. All lighting packages have a UL outdoor rating on them so check that. Only use holiday lighting that is designed to be use outdoors. The combination of lights and water is not a good one and can be dangerous and damaging to your home. The entire strand needs to be temperature and pressure proof. Just because the string is plastic, do not assume that means it is water proof.
- Only use extension cords that can be safely used outside. They should have a UL rating for outdoors usage. This means they are waterproof and also pressure proof. Water and power do not mix well so you need to be very careful with your light strings and cords. Keep in mind that just because the extension cords are plastic does not mean they are waterproof.
- Turn off your lights. Your holiday lights are a great addition to your home and are cheerful and bright. Turn them off when you go to bed to cut your power costs associated with the lights. If you go away during the holiday season, you should power them off or set them to a timer to go on and off at the times you want. This is a safer way to do it also. Even if you stay at home, a timer is always a good idea for holiday lighting.
- Test your holiday lighting. Make sure all the strands that you want to hang work before you put them up. It is never fun to get your lights strung to find out after the fact that it is broken or only half the strand lights up.
- Make the switch to LED. These lights are less hot and use less energy than traditional lights. Upgrade your holiday lighting to save energy and money. Do not mix the LED lighting with your traditional strings. LED lighting is bright, cheerful and comes in a large variety of shapes and colors but does not look good when strands of traditional lighting.
- Do not overload your outlets. Be careful with the number of strings you plug into any one outlet. Lights are fun, fire is scary.
People all over the country love their yards that we spend $40 million on lawn services. This includes lawn fertilization services, seed, and professional landscaping. Because we love our yards so much, it makes sense that we want to decorate them for the holiday season. Seeing cheery lights makes some of the darkness of the season not appear so dreary and dark. Hanging holiday lighting is a great way to get into the spirit of the holidays. They are bright, festive and fun. So enjoy the season with your holiday lighting!
