Menu
Account

Christmas Lighting Tips !!!

           Less is More. Sometimes overdoing it can look gaudy, try to choose items around your yard that are evenly spaced. Decorate any of these items

  • roof-lines or eaves
  • bushes, hedges and trees
  • around pillars, posts or deck railings
  • profile windows door frames

  1. Stay safe. Don’t overload your outlets,Use GFCI's outlets. Keep you extension cords and electrical out of the spots that accumulate water. Use the shortest extension cords possible.

    Most standard homes are rated for 1400 watts the standard led light strand is 3-5 watts that’s a lot of lights!

  2. Picking your lights. There are many styles of lights, Choosing which ones to use can be half the battle but 5mm are great for trees because the low profile reduces snagging. Use a shorter strand to keep tangles at minimum. G12's & G25's are popular for Wreaths and Garland. M5's are common for Christmas trees and have the look of traditional mini incandescent lights.

  3. Light colors. Use one or 2 colors use good combinations example white and blue, not blue and purple(too similar on color spectrum) believe it or not there are 3 basic shades of white for Xmas lights see white comparison picture Warm white has brownish yellow tint, Pure white looks light daylight, and Cool white which has a blueish tint to it.

  4. Check your lights. Always check your strands before hanging lights, Some of the guys that install for a living will use a small generator to light the tree as they go to get good even spacing.

  5. Use safe methods for attachment. For roof lines use parapet clips, shingle clips but do not use old fashioned metal staples, and avoid sharp edges that can cut wire. C7& C9 lights are the most popular for this type lighting because you can cut the cord to length and add a Male or Female Zip plug at the end or and Inline Zip plug(personal favorite) to add power where you desire. Watch this video (Click here) also see these pics (Click here)for more information.

    USE SPT wire to make custom length extension cords for your lights

    NOTE : SPT wire comes in 2 sizes, SPT1 and SPT2 the difference is the shielding around the wire. SPT2 is thicker therefore many commercial installers like to use this for its added durability, SPT-1 is standard. Make sure you match the Zip plugs to the SPT wire size so if you are using SPT-1 use SPT-1 Zip Plugs. Zip plugs are also known as Vampire plugs,Gilbert plugs,Quick plugs. TIP : use SPT wire to make custom length extension cords to power your lights.

  6. Use good equipment. Use a sturdy ladder and have someone hold the bottom, hire a professional if the work you want is going to get you hurt, not worth the risk.

  7. Starting at the base. wrap the lights around in a spiral and try to keep spacing consistent for similar trees. Also make sure you leave the male end of the light strand at the base of the tree(for extension cords), I have seen people start with the female end and end up with the male clear at the top of the tree? For evergreens, wrap the outer diameter then the iner then up the trunk to the next set of branches.

  8. Consider your options. If your spruce or evergreen is against the house and only the front can be seen ,wrap the only the front by creating semi circles or “C's” all the way up.

  9. Add some Pop.Meteor Lights are a great way to impress anyone, they give an illusion of falling meteors. There are many styles of these lights the more inexpensive ones that come on thin wire and have same size tubes with short spacing between lights, then Heavy duty ones that have 8ft spacing between light tubes with random sizes that are interchangeable and have 8' extending wire or 4' extending wire available and go off at random times. Check out these awesome Rainbow colored meteor lights.

  10. Use a Timer. Photocell timers are cheap and so convenient you can set them to go on at dusk and stay on for increments of 2/4/6/8 hours . There are also handy remote controls with a key-fob to turn on and off your power.

  11. Wrap it up. Taking down your lights doesn't have to be bad, start at the end and work reverse of how you started, when bundling your lights make sure the male plug is on the outside of the bundle this way you are assured to start your wrapping with the male plug first.