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Why it's a bad idea to leave Christmas lights up for too long


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Why it's a bad idea to leave Christmas lights up for too long

Decorating with lights all year seems tempting, but should you?

CNet        Alina Bradford T   Dec. 17, 2015 3:00 a.m. PT
 
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Since many smart lights can be programmed with an app to match the color motif of any holiday, it may seem like a good idea to keep your lights up year-round. Even though red, white and blue lights may sound festive for Independence Day and orange and black lights sound like the perfect addition to Halloween decorations, think twice.

Smart lights are not intended for year-round use. In fact, many, like the iTwinkle Lights by GE, were only intended for around 90 days of use, per year, max. Cords can dry out and crack when exposed, long-term, to the elements and can cause shorts in the wires or electrocutions when touched. Worn wires can also cause a fire hazard. Plus, using them more than the suggestion on the box can void the warranty.

If you really want to use lights throughout the year, there is a solution to make putting them up and taking them back down again a snap. Screw in cup hooks 4 inches apart on the trim along your roof line or on the trim around windows.

Whenever you want to throw up a strand of lights, all you need to do is hook the strand on the cup hooks. No need to spend hours installing light clips. To make the cup hooks invisible, spray paint them to match your trim before putting them along the roof line.

Source:     https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-utilities/why-its-a-bad-idea-to-leave-christmas-light-up-for-too-long/

 

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The electrical standard that the lights have to meet to be listed or approval by agencies are lower for TEMPORARY holiday lights.  That is where the 90 day max use comes in.  If they were designed to be used all year long, they would have to designed to a higher standard and thus $$$. That is why holiday cords for outdoor use do not last for years and years and years.

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I’ve heard of folks leaving their trees up year round but not lights. They’d be destroyed quickly here in the Southwest. We have a couple of strings of white outdoor lights on the patio. But that’s to keep the pack rats away. I just can’t imagine keeping a house lit like the photo shows all year.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I’ll stop putting lights on the roof, because I cannot get up on a ladder anymore. So I just put them around my fence, and around the awning on the front porch, that I can reach.

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38 minutes ago, papasanta540 said:

I cannot get up on a ladder anymore.

I'd like to say it'll get better, but...we do adapt as we age don't we?  Way to be creative with your home decorations.  At least aging doesn't hamper Santa's persona. 

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  • 2 years later...
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first week of April we will be putting up year-round lights . . .

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I always hated how during the day you just had tons of wire hanging around your home. A few years ago, I started adding garlands and other decorations to hide them and it looks a lot better. I now aim at making the house look just as good both day and night.

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1 hour ago, Cliff Cringle said:

I always hated how during the day you just had tons of wire hanging around your home. A few years ago, I started adding garlands and other decorations to hide them and it looks a lot better. I now aim at making the house look just as good both day and night.

We dont do outdoor lighting, but camouflaging the wires will make it look so much better,

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On 7/15/2021 at 12:06 PM, Santa Craig Maxwell said:

I'd like to say it'll get better, but...we do adapt as we age don't we?  Way to be creative with your home decorations.  At least aging doesn't hamper Santa's persona. 

YES, & it ONLY TOOK 1 FALL from the roof back into the house (Thankfully) to realize I CAN'T PRETEND TO BE 25 when I'm 55 & balancing skills have evaded me! :santa_cry: So IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE GROUND & LAND decorating ONLY!!! 

Ohhh yea, one more thing, YOU MEAN WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE EM DOWN ONCE YOU GET EM UP?! Didn't know that, thanks! :santa_cheesy:

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