Christmas should be a time for joy and love, not a time for accidents and fires. Christmas decorations are there to add smiles and happiness in your home, not start an electrical-based fire. The realities are sad – year after year fires start in the homes of families, simply because electrical decorations were not installed correctly. This does not mean however, that you should avoid electric decorations, including lights and displays, because you are afraid of disaster. All you need for a positive and happy Christmas is to think smart and act safely to protect yourself, your home, your family, and everyone involved.
There are many different types of Christmas decorations that shimmer and shine, and many of these use electricity. Some lights are solar powered and others use LED lights. Christmas lights and electrical decorations can be used indoors and outdoors, and are highly versatile during the celebratory period.
Lights and electrical Christmas decorations come in a variety of styles, themes and colours. You can find traditional fairy lights, creative and crazy motif displays, and new and unqiue items that will allow you to show off your true personality. Here are some useful hints and tips for ensuring that you make the most out of your Christmas decorations, without suffering accidents or disaster.
Always follow the instructions on the packaging
Following instructions is very important when installing electrical Christmas decorations, because each of your items will require a different type of care. Manufacturers design and create electric Christmas decorations in different ways, and for different reasons, and they are the best people to tell you how to install and use them safely.
Instructions on the packaging of electrical Christmas decorations will tell you how to install them, while minimising risk and injury, but they will also tell you how to care for and store them safely. You should receive information on the appropriate use of the decorations, and also how to present them in your home, so that they are not only safe, but brilliantly and beautifully displayed.
Connect them safely to the electrical outlets in your home
If you are using a lot of different decorations, in different areas of your home, you might find that your power boards become overloaded. This is a very dangerous situation to be in, as an overloaded power board could start a house fire, which would be devastating at any time, but even more so at Christmas time when you should be enjoying peace and love with your friends and family.
Ensure that your decorations and power boards are attached to the wall appropriately, which means following the manufacturer’s instructions for any power boards and or adapters that you use.
Avoid attaching and double-backing power boards and adapters. Not only is this overloading the electrical output, but these awkward connections could easily be broken and damaged if they are knocked or tripped over by people rushing through your house.
Keep Christmas trees away from electrical outlets and fires
Wood, twigs and timber (and also plastic), are fantastic fuels for a fire, however you won’t want to be setting your precious Christmas tree alight. A Christmas tree, decorated with all types of flammable materials, is the perfect fuel for a fire and can have your house ablaze in minutes.
Curtains, piles of presents, elaborate decorations and other flammable materials are all around the home during the Christmas season, and are unfortunately can be set alight during an electrical or live flame accident.
If you have a fire place, ensure that it is guarded well, and place all Christmas trees and flammable items well away from it. You should plan the positioning of your decorations well, so that they are situated well away from danger, electrical outlets and heat.
Another problem with Christmas trees, including Christmas lights and decorations, is that they are often positioned close to electrical outlets. If at all possible, this should be avoided. You should certainly ensure that electrical boards and outlets are not covered or smothered with things such as piles of presents.
