Christmas Lights Safety: 7 Tips for Outdoor Displays

What This Article Covers

A quick overview before you dive in:

• What to look for when you buy lights: the Regulatory Compliance Mark and an outdoor (IP) rating for anything that goes outside.
• How to check last year's lights and leads before they go back up, and when to throw a set out.
• Why your display should run through a working safety switch (RCD), and how to test yours before you start.
• How to avoid overloading power points and power boards, and keep leads out of water and off walkways.
• Why lights should go off at bedtime or when you leave the house, and how a timer makes that easy.
• When it's worth adding a weatherproof outdoor power point instead of running leads through a window or door.

Christmas lights safety comes down to a few checks before the display goes up: lights made for outdoor use, leads in good condition, a working safety switch and no overloaded power boards. Get those right and a front yard display is a lot less likely to trip the power, damage your wiring or start a fire.

These seven tips come from Impulse Electrical Enterprise, a Sydney electrician based in Strathfield. We're licensed and insured, and our director, Matthew Neil, supervises every job. These tips don't involve any electrical wiring work: they're about choosing, checking and plugging in lights safely, and knowing when to call an electrician.

1. Buy Lights With the Compliance Mark

Plug-in Christmas lights and powered decorations sold in Australia must carry the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM), a tick inside a triangle. You'll usually find it on the packaging, a tag near the plug or the transformer of extra low voltage sets. Lights without it, often from overseas marketplaces, may not have been tested to Australian standards. Buying from a reputable retailer makes this easier.

2. Use Lights Made for Outdoor Use Outside

Indoor lights shouldn't go outside. Outdoor lights have an IP (ingress protection) rating on the box, such as IP44, which tells you how well they keep out dust and water. Energy Safe Victoria's Christmas light safety advice says outdoor equipment needs a rating of at least IP23, and outdoor connections must be weatherproof.

Many outdoor sets run at extra low voltage (12 or 24 volts) through a plug-in transformer. Some of these transformers are made for indoor use only, so read the instructions and keep the transformer inside if that's what they say. Solar and LED lights are also good options: they run cooler and draw less power.

3. Check Last Year's Lights Before They Go Back Up

Lights that spent a year in a box can be damaged. Before you hang them, leave them unplugged, lay them out on a dry surface and check:

• the plug, for cracks, scorch marks or loose pins
• the leads, for cuts, kinks, exposed wires or tape repairs
• the lamp holders, for cracks, missing bulbs or water inside
• the transformer or controller, for cracks or other damage.

If everything looks sound, plug the set in on a power point protected by a safety switch and check that it works and that the transformer or controller doesn't give off a burning smell. If anything is damaged, or you notice a burning smell, unplug it and throw the set out rather than repairing it with tape. Energy Safe Victoria also says that if a plug doesn't have insulated pins (pins with a plastic sleeve at the base), the set is more than 15 years old and it's time to replace it.

4. Make Sure a Safety Switch Protects Your Lights

A safety switch, also called a residual current device (RCD), cuts the power within a fraction of a second if it detects electricity leaking to earth, which is what happens when a damaged lead gets wet or someone touches a live part. The NSW Government recommends having safety switches on all your circuits and pressing the test button on each one at least every six months.

Before your lights go up, let everyone at home know, then find your switchboard and press the test button on each safety switch. The power to those circuits should cut out. Check whether your outdoor power point goes off when one of them trips: if it does, that safety switch protects it. Switch it back on, and if one doesn't trip, or won't reset, have it checked before you rely on it. If your outdoor power point isn't on a circuit with a safety switch, plug your lights into a portable safety switch until an electrician can add one. We offer safety switch testing for $99 + GST per safety switch, with a written report.

5. Don't Overload Power Points and Power Boards

Big displays add up. Several inflatables, projectors and strings of older lights on one power point can overload it, and stacking double adaptors or piggy-back plugs makes it worse. Fire and Rescue NSW recommends using only power boards with built-in overload protection, not overloading them, and giving them room to stay cool.

• Use one power board per power point, never a power board plugged into another power board.
• Choose a power board with overload protection. Outside, use one made for outdoor use, or keep the power board and plugs inside a weatherproof enclosure, off the ground.
• Spread the load across power points on different circuits if your display is large.
• Unwind extension leads fully so they don't overheat, and don't run them under rugs or through doorways and windows, where they can be crushed or damaged.

If your power trips as soon as the display comes on, don't keep resetting it. Unplug the display and plug the sets back in one at a time to find the one causing it.

6. Keep Water and Feet Away From Leads

Don't put lights around or above a swimming pool, and keep leads and connections well away from it. Keep plugs, power boards and connections off the ground and out of puddles, gutters and garden beds. Don't run leads across driveways or paths, where cars can damage them and people can trip. If you have a real Christmas tree inside, switch off and unplug its lights before you water it.

If someone has had an electric shock, or there's a fire or smoke, call triple zero (000) first. If a set or power board is sparking, smells like burning or is hot, stop using it. If you can safely reach your switchboard, switch off the main switch, then call a licensed electrician, and don't touch anything that is scorched, melted or wet. Our guide on what to do first in an electrical emergency covers the next steps.

7. Switch Off at Night and Use a Timer

Turn decorative lights off before you go to bed or leave the house. A plug-in timer rated for the load, used indoors or in a weatherproof enclosure outside, makes this easy and saves power. Switch the lights off at the power point before you hang them or swap a bulb.

When an Outdoor Power Point Makes Sense

If you're running a lead through a window, under a door or across the garden every December, a permanent outdoor power point is the safer fix. We install weatherproof power points for patios, garages, sheds and pool equipment, with the cable protected along the way. A new double power point starts from $357 + GST, assuming accessible wiring and a standard installation. Extra wiring or difficult access can add to the cost, and we confirm a fixed price in a free quote before we start. If you'd rather have lights that stay up all year, we also do outdoor lighting installation.

Adding a power point is electrical work, so it has to be done by a licensed electrician. Plugging in lights, testing your safety switches and swapping a power board are things you can do yourself.

Questions About Christmas Lights Safety

Can I use indoor Christmas lights outside?

No. Indoor lights aren't built to keep out rain and moisture. Use lights marked for outdoor use, with an IP rating of at least IP23 on the box, and keep any indoor-only transformer inside.

Is it safe to leave Christmas lights on overnight?

It's safest to turn them off before bed or when you go out. A timer makes that easy, so the display runs for the hours you choose and then switches off.

Why do my Christmas lights keep tripping the power?

Usually a damaged or wet set, or too much on one circuit. Unplug the display, reset the safety switch and plug the sets back in one at a time. If it trips with nothing plugged in, or keeps tripping, it may be a fault in the wiring: have an electrician check it. Our guide to electrical hazard warning signs covers what to look out for.

Need an Outdoor Power Point Before December?

If your display needs a safe place to plug in, or your safety switches haven't been tested in a while, we can help. Call us on 0481 228 836 or request a free quote with a photo of where you'd like the power point.