2016 - Static Light Show. We've had a number of electricians over the years argue with us regarding the increased tendency of GFCI outlets and circuits to trip at higher loads. Loose, corroded wires or connections may also be to blame. If you're putting up Christmas lights this year, be sure to pick up a portable GFCI outlet! They are a life saving devices and countless lives have been saved by having them required for outdoor electrical outlets. That's about five 40-watt strings as long as they are all the same bulb type and wattage. If your GFCI outlet trips consistently, it could be an electric fault resulting from faulty structural wiring. How to Prevent Christmas Lights From Tripping When it Rains | eHow. Strip Off Wire Insulation without Nicking and Damaging the Electric Wire!
This is also a significant failure point within the light set, even if conditions are dry. Use LED Christmas lights. This is especially important with older breakers. Your electrical breaker often trips when there is an electrical short, cutting off power. Be sure to turn off the breaker before opening the box containing the receptacle.
Now it's time to keep your yard brightly lit until the new year…. First, unplug all of the outdoor holiday lights and decorations. My Videos [URL="]/URL]. Step 2: Proactively set up your lights and decor to avoid common safety issues and power-loss nuisances. However, due to the tropical climate of Florida, high humidity can also cause moisture buildup and make it harder for any water trapped in a receptacle box to evaporate. Check the insulation along the string of lights. Gfci trips with christmas lights pictures. And this should probably go without saying, but lay off the alcohol before you start climbing around on ladders. Brutal winter weather can cause damage and lead to an increased risk of fire or bodily injury. Buy the appropriate lights for your intended use.
This prevents people from getting electrocuted. Make sure that you are using the correct size bulb for your light strand. It's a 4 letter word that has no equal. The circuit breaker trips and automatically shuts off the power for your home. Exercising breakers helps them to work properly should they need to cut off power. I've heard of using dielectric grease on them to make them more waterproof/resistant. Between 2000 and 2003, there was an annual average of about 5, 800 injuries from falls occurring while people were hanging their holiday decorations, with 43 percent occurring on ladders and 13 percent on roofs. Portable GFCI outlets are a must have for Christmas lights. The Plug-In Outlet Tester. What do you all do to avoid this problem? Often times people plug too many things into one wall, which generally runs in a series.
Unplug and inspect them. Avoid Overloading Your Circuit. Weatherproofing Christmas lights is now simple and reliable. You'll need to check the instructions that came with your Christmas lights to determine how many strings you can safely attach end-to-end. The most common culprits for these scenarios are….
Protect your lights against pet damage. There are a few ways you can create an electrical overload, and all are easily avoidable. You may have to wrap the tape around several times to accomplish this. ) If your light display looks like the Griswold's and you have cords running all over your yard, use ground staples to secure them. While you won't risk shutting down the grid service to your entire town, you can certainly pop some breakers and possibly create a fire hazard. What trips a gfci outlet. Your wreath may be light enough that you don't think you need to nail it to a stud. The one-time installation cost would reduce nuisances for years to come. You can plug a second string of Christmas lights into the first by applying a gasket to the male plug and firmly press the two together. Secure the cover over the receptacle according to package directions.
GFCI protection cuts off power by sensing a potential water shock hazard. But do not get too carried away wrapping with electrical tape. When pulling out your box of string lights from years prior or buying new ones, make sure to select lights that are UL-listed and approved for outdoor use. In this case, an electrician would add a breaker to your electrical panel and outlets for your decorations to plug in. Having an EGC in your supply may improve return path characteristics in some instances - but the principle on how GFCI's operate does not require an EGC to function - any leakage to outside the monitored circuit that is over the trip setting will cause them to trip. Usually in January we experience a slight increase in the temperate. Outdoor Christmas Lights Tripping GFCI In Rain... Help | Home & Garden. We were tired of staple GFCI related issues and made the decision to go with custom made, UV inhibited rubber bands. In the case of an electrical fault, you will need a professional electrician to fix the problem. We're available 24/7 for all your electrical needs, so don't hesitate to give us a call. If you're using extension cords, select ones that are intended for the outdoors and UL-listed. Reset the breaker by pushing the handle all the way to the OFF position, and then back to ON. Outdoor outlets that aren't weather rated only last so long. Electrical Tape for Connections. 2019 - Just moved into a new home (yet another change of plans).
Having too many devices in use at the same time can overload the circuit. This popular tester is also used by most inspectors to test for power and check the polarity of circuit wiring. Further, they should be 3-wire grounded cords – identified by the product label and the three prongs rather than two. Then the angry phone calls, emails and social media post begin. You can calculate the number of Amps something draws by dividing Watts by the line voltage (Amps = Watts / Volts). That is just one of many possibilities. If it gives you only the wattage, divide the wattage number by 120 to find the amperage.
If you have an older home and you don't have them, call a licensed electrician to have some installed. That's why we created this guide, to help you avoid unnecessary costs and nuisances and stay safe. This experiment makes an assumption that may not be true: "A single set of cords is causing the issue". While you can do this safely in some cases, such as setting up the TV and game systems, do it sparingly and know how many amps each device draws so that you don't overload the circuit. The moisture displacer will reduce the amount of corrosion on metal electrical components. There is about a 15% price difference, but this is more than made up for during the first two seasons of the light set's lifecycle. Water that infiltrates the sockets on your Christmas lights wire can trip the GFCI socket, or the breaker and any other location water that might touch the wire can cause a trip.
Same lights as always... same basic setup as last several years... they've never tripped before. In our own testing, we found a GFCI reduction of about 10%. According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments responded to an average of 170 home fires per year caused by Christmas trees between 2012 and 2016, 43 percent of which were started by electrical distribution or lighting equipment. The first known Christmas tree, lit by electric light was created by Edward Johnson. Make sure the Christmas light strands are rated for outdoor use. If you're installing 500 light sets, you have 500 connection points that moisture could penetrate. Because LED lights don't use too much power, circuit breakers can usually handle them. This blog post has been updated. Here's a list of electrical devices and amp ratings though individual devices will vary. The same goes for your Christmas lights. You can identify which outlets are on which circuits by switching off one breaker at a time and checking each outlet for power; any outlet that has no power is on that circuit. Take the tape off the light string connectors.
So why don't they just replace the outlet with a non GFCI? It's as simple as that. Incandescent lights can last four to six years. Moisture is a common cause of power interruptions.