Holiday Electrical Safety Tips
That Actually Matter
The holidays are when Newman Electric gets the most emergency calls. Overloaded circuits, tripped breakers, burned outlets. Most of it is preventable with a few basic rules.
November through January, the call volume at Newman Electric goes up noticeably. Some of it is weather-related, but a lot of it comes down to holiday decorations. People plug in more stuff than their home can handle, use the wrong kind of extension cords, or don't realize that a 40-year-old outlet on the side of the house isn't rated for what they're asking it to do.
Ryan has responded to enough of these calls to know the patterns. Most holiday electrical problems are avoidable. Not all of them, but most. So before you unbox the lights and climb the ladder, these are the things that actually matter from an electrician's perspective.
By the numbers
770
home fires per year from holiday decorating (NFPA)
$13M
annual property damage from decoration fires
43%
caused by lights placed too close to combustibles
Source: National Fire Protection Association, Holiday Lighting Safety Report
Indoor decorating: where most problems start
Check your lights before you hang them. Inspect every strand for frayed wires, cracked sockets, and loose connections. If a strand has a bad section, replace the whole strand. Splicing holiday lights with electrical tape is never a good fix. LED strands are cheap enough now that there's no reason to keep damaged ones around.
Don't daisy-chain more than three strands. Most holiday light strands are designed to connect end-to-end, but there's a limit. The packaging will tell you the maximum number of connected strands, and it's usually three. Exceeding that overheats the wires. You won't see the damage because it's happening inside the insulation, and that's the dangerous part.
Keep lights away from fabric, paper, and dried greenery. Real Christmas trees, curtains, tissue paper decorations. Incandescent lights get hot enough to ignite dried-out materials. LED lights run much cooler and are significantly safer near combustibles, but distance still matters.
Use a timer instead of leaving lights on all night. Not just for energy savings. Running any electrical load continuously that wasn't designed for it shortens its life and raises the temperature of the connections. A $5 outlet timer solves this completely. Plug in the timer, set it for 6 hours, done.
Don't run cords under rugs or through doorways. Foot traffic and door edges wear through insulation. The cord looks fine on the outside, but the copper inside gets nicked and compressed. That creates a hot spot that can melt or arc. If you need power across a room, run the cord along the baseboard where nobody walks on it.
Outdoor decorating in the Pacific Northwest
Outdoor holiday lighting in Vancouver WA means rain, and lots of it. November through January is the wettest stretch of the year. Water and electricity don't mix, so the outdoor setup matters more than most people realize.
Use outdoor-rated extension cords only
Look for the "W" designation on the cord jacket. Indoor cords have thinner insulation that cracks and absorbs moisture in cold, wet conditions.
Make sure your outdoor outlets have GFCI protection
Every outdoor outlet in your home should be GFCI protected. If yours aren't, that's worth getting fixed before you plug anything in. A GFCI trips in milliseconds when it detects a ground fault, which is what happens when water gets into a connection.
Keep connections off the ground
Where extension cords plug into light strands, those connection points need to stay dry. Don't let them sit in puddles or wet grass. Hang them or use a waterproof connection cover. A $3 cord protector from the hardware store keeps rain out of the plug junction.
Use insulated clips, not staples or nails
Stapling holiday lights to your fascia or trim can pierce the wire insulation. Use plastic light clips designed for the job. They cost almost nothing and won't damage your house or the wiring.
Space heaters: the biggest holiday fire risk
Space heaters cause more than 1,700 house fires per year in the U.S. and are responsible for about 40% of home heating fire deaths (NFPA). Most of these fires happen because the heater is too close to combustibles or plugged into a circuit that can't handle the load.
A 1,500-watt space heater draws 12.5 amps on a 15-amp circuit. That's 83% of the circuit's capacity from one device. If anything else is on that same circuit, you'll trip the breaker. If the breaker doesn't trip (older homes with worn breakers), the wiring overheats.
The rules for space heaters are simple: Plug them directly into a wall outlet, never an extension cord. Keep 3 feet of clearance on all sides. Never leave them running in a room you're not in. And if you're using multiple heaters, talk to an electrician about adding dedicated circuits so each heater has its own.
Extension cord capacity guide
Not all extension cords can handle the same load. The gauge (AWG) of the wire determines how much current it can carry safely. Thicker wire = lower gauge number = more capacity. Most people grab whatever cord is in the garage without checking, and that's how circuits get overloaded.
| Wire Gauge | Max Amps | Max Watts (120V) | Good For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 AWG | 10A | 1,200W | LED lights, small decorations |
| 14 AWG | 13A | 1,560W | Multiple light strands, inflatable decorations |
| 12 AWG | 16A | 1,920W | Heavy-duty outdoor displays, power tools |
| 10 AWG | 20A | 2,400W | Long runs, high-wattage equipment |
These ratings assume a cord length of 50 feet or less. Longer runs reduce capacity. If your outdoor display needs power more than 100 feet from the outlet, consider having an electrician add a closer outdoor receptacle.
Worth getting checked before the holidays
You don't need an electrician to hang Christmas lights. But if your home falls into any of these categories, a quick inspection before the holidays can prevent a bad surprise mid-season:
- Your home was built before 1980 and the wiring hasn't been updated
- You tripped breakers during last year's holiday setup
- Your outdoor outlets don't have GFCI protection
- You're planning a bigger outdoor display than previous years
- You notice a burning smell, warm outlets, or flickering lights when decorations are plugged in
Newman Electric can check your outdoor outlets, verify GFCI protection, test circuit capacity, and add dedicated outdoor receptacles if your current setup can't handle the load. Ryan recommends scheduling this in early November before the rush starts.
"Ryan and Anthony were amazing. It's hard to find an honest company with great people, but I found it in this company. They came out the night before Thanksgiving. They were honest, quick and awesome people. I will use them and refer them to everyone I know."
George Chunn, Google Review
Holiday electrical problems don't usually happen because someone did something reckless. They happen because the electrical system couldn't handle the extra load, or the connections weren't right for outdoor conditions. A little prep goes a long way. And if something does go wrong during the holidays, Newman Electric handles emergency electrical calls across Vancouver WA and Clark County.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Christmas lights can I plug into one outlet?
A standard 15-amp household circuit handles about 1,440 watts. LED strands draw 5 to 10 watts each, so you can safely run 20 to 30 strands on one circuit. Incandescent strands draw 40 to 100 watts, limiting you to 10 to 15 strands. Stay under 80% of the circuit's capacity to be safe.
Are LED Christmas lights safer than incandescent?
Yes. LEDs run much cooler and draw about 90% less power than incandescent. Lower heat means less fire risk, and lower wattage means you're far less likely to overload a circuit. If you switch one thing, switch your lights to LED.
Can I use indoor extension cords outside?
No. Indoor cords aren't rated for moisture, UV, or temperature changes. Using one outside in Pacific Northwest rain creates a real shock and fire hazard. Use cords marked with a "W" on the jacket, which means they're rated for wet conditions and outdoor use.
Should I get an electrical inspection before the holidays?
If your home is older, you tripped breakers last year during the holidays, or your outdoor outlets lack GFCI protection, a pre-holiday inspection is a smart move. Newman Electric can check circuits, test GFCI protection, and add outdoor receptacles if your current setup can't handle what you're planning.
Related Services
Electrical Safety Inspection
Full home electrical safety assessment
Outdoor Lighting
Permanent outdoor lighting and outlets
Outlet Installation
GFCI outlets and outdoor receptacles
Panel Upgrade
More circuit capacity for your home
Dedicated Circuits
Separate circuits for space heaters and high loads
Emergency Electrician
24/7 emergency electrical service
Get your home ready for the holidays
Newman Electric can check your outlets, verify GFCI protection, test circuit capacity, and add outdoor receptacles if you need them. Serving Vancouver WA, Clark County, and Cowlitz County.