Updated at 10:06 a.m., Friday, November 28, 2008
Hawaiian Electric offers holiday safety tips
Advertiser Staff
Hawaiian Electric Company offers the following safety tips for holiday lighting to reduce the risk of electric shock and fire damage:
General safety:
When purchasing holiday lights, only purchase lights that bear the certification mark of a standards laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL), Factory Mutual (FM), Electronic Testing Lab (ETL), or Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
Before decorating with holiday lights, check light strands for frayed wires, damaged sockets, cracked insulation, or loose connections and replace defective strands.
Read packaging to determine the maximum number of strands that may be connected together.
Take care to not overload electrical circuits. A 15-amp circuit can carry a maximum of 1,800 watts, and a 20-amp circuit can carry up to 2,400 watts. Check the energy use of all appliances on the circuit where decorative lighting will be added and keep below the maximum rating.
Indoors:
To prevent electric shock, never use electric lights on artificial trees with metallic needles, leaves, or branches.
To avoid the risk of fire always unplug Christmas tree lights and holiday lighting when going to bed or leaving the house.
Outdoors:
Only use light strands specified for outdoor use and connect them to a circuit having a ground fault circuit interrupter.
If using an extension cord, make sure that it is rated for outdoor use. Wrap the connection between the cord and light strand with electrical tape to keep it dry.
If using a ladder to string lights outdoors, keep more than ten feet away from power lines. Power lines are energized and could cause a serious electrical shock or electrocution.
If a light strand should become tangled in an overhead power line, don't try to free it. Call HECO's trouble line at 548-7961.
