Warning issued to anyone who has had their Christmas lights over 4 years | UK | News
Homeowners have been issued a warning about festive lights this Christmas season as experts say they become a safety risk after a certain period of time. Experts at LED & Power urge households to replace their Christmas tree lights every four years to minimize the risk of accidental house fires. The older the Christmas lights, the higher the risk of electric shock and overheating.
This can significantly increase the risk of fire, especially when near flammable materials such as tinsel or the Christmas tree itself. The average total operating time for incandescent Christmas tree lights is 1,000 to 3,000 hours. Using this, LED & Power explains that keeping the Christmas tree lights on eight hours a day during December would equal 248 hours a year.
After just over four years, that’s 1,000 hours of use; This means they need to be replaced to reduce the risk of malfunctions that could result in fires.
Sam Garbutt, the company’s lighting expert, also encourages switching from incandescent Christmas lights to LED lights because they are much safer.
“Incandescent bulbs produce a significantly higher amount of heat than LED bulbs, which increases the risk of causing a fire. That’s why it’s a good idea to purchase LED lights for your Christmas tree because not only are they less of a fire hazard, they’re also more energy efficient and can provide some cost-saving benefits over time.”
The expert added that it is very important that Christmas tree lights are not left on for long periods of time as they can easily overheat.
“Leaving your Christmas tree lights on for long periods of time can cause overheating. Since trees are flammable, overheating can cause ignition and cause house fires, especially if you leave them on overnight because the smoke may go unnoticed. Make it a habit to turn off your Christmas tree lights every night before going to bed.”
