Outdoor Christmas lighting-What you Need to Know

It is that time of year for hanging outdoor christmas lighting. Oh my what did you like from last year? What do you want to change? Before you go shopping read through the following information so you are an educated consumer.

Types of Christmas Lamps/Bulbs

C9 & C7

• These are the most traditional christmas light bulbs. C9 are usually 2 3/4 inches , while C7s are normally 1 1/2 inches.
• C9 & C7’s s are best used on larger objects such as roofs, walkways, trees and the outlines of buildings.
• Both C7 and C9 lights, do require the most power. If you connect more than three strands of C9s together, you may blow a fuse.The C7 and C9 Christmas light sets are designed so that if one bulb fails or is removed, it does not affect the remainder of the strand.
• One of the nice features of C7 and C9 sets is that you can alternate colors or set them up in any pattern you choose. These Christmas light bulbs commonly come in transparent, opaque and flashing. With the opaque bulbs, you can achieve pastel colors not available in any other style.

Mini-Lights.

• These small lamps are round tubes that taper to a point, like candles. They need only ten to thirty percent as much power as C7s or C9s. Their low wattage, low cost and versatility make these lights extremely popular. They can be used just about anywhere and are very easy to put up.
• However their main drawback is that the strand is completely affected by the removal of one bulb. It breaks the circuit, so none of the bulbs can light! When mini-lights were first introduced, any bulb burning out would darken the entire strand. Today, the bulbs can burn out and the strand will stay lit, but if you pop one of the bulbs out of its socket, the whole strand will go dark.
• These lights come in a great selection of colors in both green and white wire. They are commonly used on indoor and outdoor trees and bushes.

Types of Christmas Outdoor Lighting

Now that you have decided what type of bulb you want, next you need to choose between incandescent or LED lighting.

Incandescent

• These widely used Christmas lights give a very traditional look to your house.
• The incandescent lights however do heat up very quickly and are not always durable.
• In addition their colors fade due to exposure and require more storage space.
• They remain popular due to the bright light they give off.

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

• LEDs are fast replacing the traditional incandescent lamps, as they are more durable and safer.
• They use much lower energy requiring 90-98% less electricity than standard incandescent lamps.
• They do not get hot and is less of a fire danger than do regular mini-lights.
• However they are slightly less bright than incandescents.
• LED come in the popular sizes, C7 &,C9 , Mini Lights & Icicle lights. In addition they also come in many more style and sizes including C6(strawberry), M5, G12 and more.

Type of Strands

The strand of Christmas lights can either have serial or parallel wiring. Serial wiring, means all bulbs will not light up if one of them is broken. Thus, it is best to have a Christmas lights that has parallel wiring so that even if one of the bulb is damaged, all other bulbs will still illuminate.

Plug Styles

Select an end to end style of plug if you are planning to use several strands of Christmas lights. This will allow you to easily connect all strands of lights together

Keep in mind safety this holiday season.

Following are some key tips:

• Look for testing agency certifications on the lights before buying them. UL and ETL are the notable safety laboratories, and you should watch for their certification on the Christmas lights.
• Never hang Christmas lights on metal Christmas trees and other metal portions of your house. This may result in electric shock or short circuit.
  
• Use extension cords with care. Overloading them may make them hot and burn.
  
• Turn off the Christmas lights when you go to sleep.

Enjoy Your Christmas Outdoor Lighting this holiday season. If you need any lighting visit my website. In addition we carry much more for your outdoors such as decorative outdoor birdhouses, tuned windchimes, wooden outdoor furniture, outdoor garden fountains and much more.

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