A Guide to Hanging Exterior Lighting in Forsyth County, GA This Holiday Season

Of all the holiday decorations, string lights are some of the most popular for dressing up homes, businesses and public spaces. The holidays will be here before we know it, so if you’re ready to start decorating your home or business and are looking for tips, read on! Here’s a guide to hanging exterior lighting in Forsyth County, GA this holiday season.

Use the right string lights

All string lights are the same, right? Not quite—since string lights are a popular lighting choice to brighten up the holidays, it’s good to know what you want and how you plan to use them, which means understanding your options.

LED lights are more expensive than incandescent light bulbs, but are also known to last longer. And while LED is the less bright option, each string typically comes with more lights to offset any loss in brightness. Whether you’re using LED or traditional bulbs, remember to get lights that are UL rated for outdoor use. Made to take on the elements, these cables have thick, water resistant coatings to lower the risk of electrocution and fires. Note that you can use outdoor string lights inside, but not the other way around.

The size of the bulbs is another important consideration. If you’re decorating a large, bushy tree, use large C7 or C9 bulbs. Use bulbs that are any smaller and the lights disappear.

Power wattage and multiple strands

Plugging holiday string lights into an outdoor electric outlet is the same as what you’d do indoors. Don’t attach an unsafe number of strings together, and check your home’s power wattage.

Most lovers of the holidays agree that you cannot have too many colorful string lights, but it’s better to be safe than sorry! When decorating outside spaces and things, make sure to check your power wattage to ensure your usage is at safe levels. Also, the more lights you have illuminating your home and landscape, the higher your energy bills may be.

While most string lights have male and female connectors, keep safety in mind. It can be unsafe to wrap your entire house in multiple strands of solid or twinkling lights connected together and plugged into a single outdoor outlet. However, check the lights’ manufacturer’s recommendation for connecting lights together. For example, LEDs use less wattage than traditional incandescent bulbs, meaning it could be safer to run more strings of LED than traditional lights on one outlet.

Extension cords and staple guns

The more lights you want to use, the greater the need for extension cords and staples. It’s not uncommon for homeowners to run outdoor holiday lighting on an extension cord. But for safety’s sake, don’t assume that all orange extension cords are safe for outdoor use. You can get durable green or brown cords specifically for outdoor use that are both safe and blend seamlessly into your landscape.

When using a staple gun to hang outdoor holiday lights, work slowly to avoid putting a staple through the string cable. You can also opt for gutter clips.

If you find yourself in need of local electricians in Forsyth County, GA this holiday season to help with your lighting installation, don’t hesitate to contact the experts at Duke Electric Co.

Categorised in: Exterior Lighting, Local Electricians

This post was written by Writer