4 Ways to Prevent Your Breaker From Tripping During the Holidays
While most of us can’t wait to put 2020 behind us and ring in the near year – we are close, thankfully – the holidays don’t quite feel like the holidays. In the hopes of feeling at least an inkling of holiday spirit, you go all out decorating your home, and include a lot of fun, festive indoor and outdoor lights. But just as with most things this year, there is a problem. Your lights are tripping your breaker.. What do you do?
The best way to avoid dealing with a breaker problem is to actually avoid it all together.
Thankfully, there are steps you can take to prevent problems from happening. Below are 4 key steps you can take to avoid tripping your breaker so you and your family can bask in the welcoming glow of your holiday lights.
Use these tips to avoid circuit breaker tripping
- Look for studs in your walls when you are hanging pictures, wreaths, or other items on the walls. While you may think that the wreath or decor is lightweight and doesn’t need a stud to hold it up, you may end up damaging wiring that is located behind the drywall. When you place that nail in the wall to hang your family portrait, you could unknowingly slam that nail right through the wiring. That can cause a wiring short, which can trip the breaker and then become a possible fire hazard.
- Before plugging in any appliances, such as electric blankets, space heaters, and even Christmas lights, be sure to check the wiring. You should thoroughly inspect all electrical cords for cuts, wire exposure, chew or bite marks, and any damage that could have happened during storage. Do not use any frayed or damaged wire.
- If the circuit is overloaded, you will need to prevent overload. You cannot just replace your breaker with one designed for higher amps unless all your electrical wiring is upgraded. To help prevent an overload, make sure all electrical appliances not in use are unplugged, spread out heated styling tools such as curling irons and flat irons and do not have them all on at the same time, and only use extension cords for added length and not to increase the number of electronics that you are plugging in. When it comes to your Christmas décor, opt for LED lights. Incandescent string lights can require twice the electricity that LED lights use, and those amps can add up fast.
- If you are not sure about your situation and why your lights are tripping your breaker, you should enlist the guidance of a licensed electrician. An electrician can inspect your electrical system and review the details of your problem, determining what needs to be done to put a halt to your problem. If your Christmas lights keep tripping your breaker even after you have made changes, then you could be facing a problem that is in need of repair and if you do not take care of these repairs, then you could face a fire risk.
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