Christmas lights decorate homes of all sizes during the winter season and express the holiday spirit with color outdoor lighting for everyone to see. There is a lot of effort put into setting up holiday landscape lights for your home during Christmas time, and we can all agree there is nothing more frustrating than when you come home to see the lights are not on. To avoid tripping your power breaker, it’s important to know how to weatherproof Christmas lights.
Tips to Weatherproof Outdoor Christmas Lights
Solid brass VOLT® landscape lights are engineered to withstand the elements, so little is needed to prepare your outdoor lighting system for winter. Our solar Christmas lights are also water-resistant. But most Christmas lights require power cord extenders, multi-outlet power extensions, and of course, the lights themselves. The combination of this equipment creates many electrical connection points exposed to the elements.
Moisture can find its way into the connectors from dew, rain, melting snow, sprinklers, and so on. Water and electricity generally don’t mix well, so weatherproofing your Christmas lights are essential.
• Placement
Consider where you are placing your Christmas lights outdoors. Keep them in areas that are not heavily affected by water—for example, placing your lights under an overhang to protect them from the elements or in a location where the yard sprinklers will not spray them.
• Choosing Your Timer
Timers come in three different types: astronomical, mechanical, and digital. Some have programmable features, while others have photocell-activated sensors dusk-to-dawn to make life easier. When purchasing a timer, double-check that it is made for the outdoors.
• Power Extension Cord Length
When it comes to putting up Christmas lights, an easy solution to avoid tripping the power is to use longer outdoor power extension cords with multi-outlets.
Avoid using multiple short extension cords and adapters as they create more electrical connection points, increasing the chance of moisture in the connectors.
• Covering Exposed Outlets
There never seem to be enough electrical power outlets for outdoor Christmas lights. If you are not using all outlets on your adapter, make sure to cover them with a plug protector to keep the water out.
• Weatherproofing Electrical Connection Points
Now that your electrical cords for your outdoor Christmas lights are all sorted and laid out, it’s time to cover those electrical connection points. You can do so by using an electrical cover box, a weatherproof gasket, or electrical tape. We will discuss the pros and cons of these methods below.
This may sound shocking but make sure the outdoor lights are unplugged from the electrical power source before you start sealing the connection points!
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Product/Method |
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Cons |
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ELECTRICAL COVER CONTAINERSPlace the connectors of the two cords into this container and clamp it down; it is that easy! |
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WEATHERPROOF GASKETSSimply place the gaskets where the two cords connect. |
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ELECTRICAL TAPEPeople have used this approach for years, and it typically does the job at a low price. Make sure the electrical connection point is tight, and use the tape with a two-thirds overlap. |
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There are different approaches you can take to weatherproof your outdoor Christmas lights and avoid the power from tripping. We hope these tips and tricks help you!
