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Helpful Tips for Decorating With Holiday Lights

The holidays are coming up, and homeowners may begin putting up lights and decorations early before shopping and baking take over their holiday to-do list. When putting up Christmas lights and decor, residents must take precautions to avoid major injuries and risks to their house. In this post, local electricians provide tips about holiday lights, including how to choose between incandescent and LED lights and how to stay safe decorating this holiday season. 

Should You Choose Incandescent or LED Holiday Lights?

When selecting lights for their holiday displays, homeowners must choose between traditional incandescent Christmas lights and LED lights. While incandescent holiday lights are cheaper to purchase upfront, they have several drawbacks. They use more energy than LED lighting, resulting in higher electric bills, and have a shorter lifespan. They are also more dangerous than LED lights, as they generate heat. 

The newer holiday light option, LED Christmas lights, cost more upfront but offer many advantages over incandescent lighting. These lights are more energy efficient and have a much longer lifespan, resulting in long-term savings. While they are more expensive initially, homeowners can save money on reduced energy costs and by not having to replace them as often. LED lights are also safer than incandescent lights, as they produce less heat. 

Options When Creating a Holiday Display

When decorating their homes for the holidays, homeowners have many options. They can get creative, combining different kinds of outdoor Christmas lights and decor to make their houses festive and stand out. Some common options are:

• String lights: These lights are strands that are commonly used on Christmas trees and the ones meant for outdoor use placed along roof lines and balconies.
• Net lighting: Net lighting can quickly and easily add holiday lights to bushes and shrubs. 
• Tree wrap lights: These are similar to net lights and are used to add holiday lights to tree trunks and branches easily. 
• Holiday inflatables: These large inflatable characters can decorate yards, decks, and other outdoor areas.
• Icicle lights: These hang from eaves and roof lines to look like icicles. 
• Projector lights: These lights project festive images onto the side of a house or a garage door.

Make Electrical Safety a Priority

While households might focus more on the holiday decorations they use and the designs they create, it’s essential to also focus on electrical safety when hanging holiday lights and other electric decorations. If property owners are not careful, they could put themselves and their families at risk. 

Electrical threats households could experience during the holidays include fire or shock from faulty wiring, damaged lighting and decor, or overloaded circuits. To avoid electrical hazards during the holiday season, here are some tips from professionals: 

• Check lights and decor for damage before putting them up or turning them on. 
• Avoid overloading circuits and electrical outlets.
• Keep decorations away from heat sources.
• Use the right types of lights for outdoor use, and never use lights or electrical decorations without a certification label, which means it’s been tested.
• Turn off the lights and decor when going to sleep at night and when leaving the house. 

About Hunter Service Group

Hunter Service Group is a local family-owned and operated heating, air conditioning, and electrical company serving San Antonio and the surrounding areas. They offer excellent communication, customer education, and a satisfaction guarantee. Call them today for electrical services in San Antonio, TX.

What Homeowners Need to Know About Overheating Furnaces

Watching terrifying scenes in horror movies this Halloween might be expected for many homeowners, but having a scary scene unfold in their house due to an overheating furnace is not expected. An overheating furnace can have many terrifying consequences for a household, including fires and even carbon monoxide leaks. To avoid this frightening ordeal, HVAC contractors offer tips on spotting signs of an overheating furnace in need of repair and tips to help prevent it from occurring. 

Threats of a Furnace Overheating

A house – and the family inside of it – can face serious threats if a furnace overheats. A malfunctioning and overheated unit can cause many risks, including furnace fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Some other threats they may pose are:

• Broken components in the furnace that need to be repaired or replaced
• Higher utility bills than usual
• Extra wear and tear on the furnace, resulting in a shorter lifespan

To protect their home and family, homeowners should schedule furnace repair at the first signs of an issue. 

Symptoms of an Overheating Furnace Homeowners Should Watch For 

To schedule repairs quickly and prevent dangerous threats to their household, homeowners need to recognize the signs of an overheating furnace. 

Some symptoms property owners should watch for that indicate a furnace is overheating are:

• Burning odors
• Odd sounds, including humming, popping, or banging
• Rapid cycling or short cycling, where the furnace turns on and off frequently
• Air that is hotter than usual coming through the vents
• Melted wires or burn marks on the furnace or its components
• The furnace shuts off unexpectedly

Homeowners should immediately schedule professional repairs with an HVAC technician if they notice these signs.

Ways to Help Prevent a Furnace From Overheating

Fortunately, furnace technicians have tips for homeowners to help prevent their furnaces from overheating. One of the most crucial steps they recommend is to schedule routine furnace maintenance and have it inspected by a professional. During these annual services, technicians will perform a tune-up, look for defects, and repair any issues that are identified.

Other ways to prevent overheating and its dangers are cleaning the furnace to remove dust and debris, replacing the air filters, and ensuring the vents are open. Homeowners should replace the furnace filters around every 1 to 3 months. Air filter replacement and making sure that too many vents aren’t closed are essential to keep the furnace working correctly by allowing for proper airflow. 

About Hunter Service Group

Hunter Service Group is a family-owned and operated generator, electrical, air conditioning, and heating company serving San Antonio and the surrounding areas. They provide customer education, trustworthy staff, and a satisfaction guarantee. Call them today for furnace repair or maintenance in San Antonio, TX.

Symptoms of Faulty Electrical Wiring at Your Home

Electrical wiring issues can cause significant problems in a home. While these can cause inconveniences like the inability to use electronics or turn on lights or appliances, they can also lead to safety hazards. Faulty wiring can cause dangerous situations for homes and families, like shocks and electrical fires.

Fortunately, these dangerous situations can be avoided if homeowners get routine electrical inspections and spot the signs of wiring problems early to schedule repairs immediately. Some symptoms of faulty wiring electrical contractors recommend watching for include frequently blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers, hot or scorched outlets, and burning smells or buzzing sounds.

Multiple Blown Fuses or Tripped Circuit Breakers

A tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse is one of the most noticeable – and disruptive – signs of wiring issues. If households frequently lose power and need to reset their circuit breakers or replace a blown fuse, it can indicate an electrical wiring problem that needs to be addressed.

If there’s a faulty wire, circuit breakers will trip, or a fuse will blow to protect the home, but it can also alert property owners to the problem so they know they need to take action and schedule services. While this can be annoying, it protects the house from significant risks, including fires.

Outlets Feel Hot or Look Burned

When plugging devices into an electrical outlet, the outlet should not be hot to the touch, and there should not be visible burn or scorch marks. If an outlet looks burned or if the outlet or a plug feels hot when unplugging a device, it can indicate a wiring problem that needs to be repaired.

These outlet symptoms that can indicate faulty wiring may include:

• Overheating outlets
• Plugs feel hot after being in an outlet
• Discoloration around the outlet or on the cover
• Sparks coming from the outlet
• Flickering lights when plugging in an electronic device

If any of these symptoms are noticed, property owners must call an electrician. A professional will inspect the electrical outlet and wiring to identify the issue as soon as possible so it can be repaired.

Buzzing Sounds or a Burning Smell

If homeowners notice buzzing sounds or burning smells coming from electrical outlets or near any parts of the electrical system, it can also indicate a problem with the electrical wiring. Burning odors can be caused by issues like an overloaded outlet or circuit or damaged or exposed wiring. A smell like burning plastic could mean that the wire insulation is melting, which could cause a fire.

If households notice buzzing sounds coming from outlets or lights, it can indicate wiring issues, loose connections, fluctuations in the voltage, and other problems. When property owners notice buzzing sounds or burning odors, they should schedule an appointment with an electrician as soon as possible to keep their homes and families safe.

About Hunter Service Group

Hunter Service Group is a family-owned and operated heating, air conditioning, generator, and electrical company serving San Antonio and the surrounding areas. They offer customer education, financing, and a satisfaction guarantee. Call them today for electrical wiring repair and replacement in San Antonio, TX.