How To Waterproof Outdoor Lights & Christmas Lighting.

Outdoor lighting is a fantastic way to decorate your house and make it stand out from the rest. However, with all of that beauty comes a responsibility: you have to take care of those lights so they don’t get ruined when the weather turns bad. If you’re looking for ways to protect your outdoor Christmas lights or just how to waterproof outdoor lights in general, this article will help!

Most people have lights they own outside their homes that they can use whenever. They also like to add lights to the outside of their home for holidays like Halloween and Christmas.

We want to keep our house safe, and we also want to keep our guests safe. That means that we need to do things like make sure the lights outside are not too bright when it is dark outside.

How To Waterproof Outdoor Lights

So how do you plug in outdoor lights safely and easily? Here are our top tips when it comes to plugging in outdoor lights:

Installing Outdoor-Rated Fixtures

If you are installing a light fixture outside, it needs to be made for that. If it never gets wet or is under your porch roof, it needs to say “outdoor” on the package because anything can happen. It still needs to be able to take cold and hot weather, even if it’s not getting wet. If the fixture is next to your door but doesn’t have a roof over it, then you need a weatherproof and weather resistant light that can take wet locations.

Using Outdoor-Rated Light Bulbs

Most people think of outdoor flood lights when they think of exposed fixtures. They’ll last longer if you do the same with your porch light. If you can’t find a bulb that is rated for outdoor use, look for bulbs that are rated for use in freezers or ovens. These bulbs can probably also survive outside.

Installing GFCI Protection

A GFCI is a safety upgrade for the electrical outlets in your home. They should be installed in most rooms of your house, including kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and attics. A GFCI will protect you from getting shocked if you touch it while grounded. Make sure to use them when you are outdoors too!

When you have GFCI protection from a circuit breaker or some other GFCI device, then you can install a standard weather-resistant receptacle in the outside box. If not, then you need to install a GFCI receptacle. You definitely need to use one with protection if there is no wiring that feeds your outdoor receptacle with GFCI protection.

Installing a Cover for Damp Locations Under a Roof

If you have an outdoor receptacle that is covered, it will be safe to plug something into that. But if it’s not protected from the weather, you should not plug anything in. The outside of these things will say “suitable for damp locations.”

Installing Weather-Resistant Receptacles

When plugging outdoor items into an outlet, use an outdoor receptacle. Older homes may not have them but they will have a weatherproof cover over the receptacle. The receptacle needs to be able to take dampness, freezing and heat without being damaged. It needs to be rated as weather-resistant.

How To Safely Plug In Outdoor Christmas Lights

Running outdoor lights is a great way to add holiday cheer. You can even set it up so that the front porch light comes on when you walk outside! But if those lights aren’t waterproof, they’ll short out and stop working in no time. To keep your Christmas tree lit with joyous colors, follow these tips for how to safely plug in outdoor christmas lights:

• Make sure you’re using LED and not incandescent bulbs. LEDs are much more durable and won’t get ruined by being outside for a long time. They also use less power which will help the environment!
• Plug your lights into GFCI-protected outlets when possible to keep everyone safe.
• Use a plastic-insulated wire when you’re connecting your lights to keep them dry and not short out in the rain.
• If there’s no GFCI protection, use power strips with GFCIs built into them! This way if it shorts out, only one outlet will have been affected.
• Use a water-resistant extension cord to run your lights on the ground if you need them that far away from an outlet or GFCI power strip.

Safety Precautions When Installing Outdoor Lighting

• Connect the lights to GFCI protected outlets when possible
• Use outdoor light bulbs
• Protect your outside plugs with weatherproof covers or a cover that is designed for damp locations if there are not any available.
• Try using plastic insulated wire, power strips and water resistant extension cords to ensure everything stays dry!

Be Aware Of Material That Can Catch Fire

If the extension cord or string of Christmas lights short out, sparks might fly. There are materials that can easily catch fire. If you have a scene in your yard like a Christmas scene and you want to put an accent light on it, then do not put hay or straw around it.

Use Solar Lights

One way to protect outdoor lights from rain is to buy lights that won’t be damaged by rain. For example, solar lights have no electric wires inside. This will not create a fire because it doesn’t use electricity. Solar lights are also sealed units and they are waterproof. They won’t short out if they become wet or damp, but most of them don’t have enough energy to work all night without charging up with the sun first.

Outdoor lights can be protected from rain. You need to use common sense if you want to protect them. There are also lights and electrical cords that work better outside than inside. They are made for it. Use the right kind of lights and cords so you can have a safe, enjoyable outdoor light!

Conclusion:

What are the best ways to waterproof and what are the best waterproof lights.

How to safely plug in outdoor christmas lights; using solar lights, use common sense when you want to protect them from rain. What kind of light should be used outside? Use a different type of cord than inside so that it is safe for outdoors.

This article has been helpful if you need to waterproof outdoor Christmas lights and want to keep them safe from rain. It is important that you use common sense when your protection the outside lights so they don’t short out or catch a fire. The best way of how to do this is by using solar lights because these are not connected with electricity and will not short out if they become wet or damp.

Andrew Orange, the owner of Orange Lighting qualified and worked as an interior designer in 1993 before specialising in lighting working on high profile projects based in London. Since starting Orange Lighting Ltd in 2003 he has been sharing his knowledge and unique teaching style mostly to his designer clients, offering practical real life advice born from running a busy consultancy and lighting supply business. Launching in 2020, his blog has evolved into Quick & Easy Lighting, curating some 25 years design experience into making the lighting choice and design process achievable and easy to understand for all.