Homeowners have been issued a warning over their festive lights this Christmas period, as experts say they become a safety risk after a certain number of years. Specialists at LED & Power are urging households to replace their Christmas tree lights every four years to minimise the risk of accidental house fires. The older the Christmas lights are, the higher the risk of electric shocks and overheating.
This can significantly heighten the risk of fires, especially when in close proximity to flammable materials like tinsel or the Christmas tree itself. Incandescent Christmas tree lights have an average total operational time of 1,000 to 3,000 hours. Using this, LED & Power explain that having Christmas tree lights on for eight hours a day throughout December would equal 248 hours each year.
After just over four years, this adds up to 1,000 hours of use, meaning that they should be replaced in order to reduce the risk of faults that could result in fires.
Sam Garbutt, lighting expert at the company, also encourages making the switch from incandescent Christmas lights to LED lights, as they are much safer.
“Incandescent light bulbs produce significantly higher amounts of heat than LED bulbs, which increases their risk of causing a fire. Therefore, it’s a good idea to purchase LED lights for your Christmas tree as not only do they pose less of a fire hazard, but they are more energy efficient and over time can provide some cost-saving benefits”.
The expert added that it’s crucial that Christmas tree lights aren’t left on for long periods of time as they can easily overheat.
“Leaving your Christmas tree lights on for extended periods of time can result in overheating. As trees are flammable, overheating can lead to ignition and result in house fires, especially if you leave them on overnight as smoke can go undetected. Make it a habit to switch your Christmas tree lights off every night before going to bed”.
