Are you ready to get in the holiday spirit? Before you start throwing up those Christmas lights, it’s important to understand how they work. Have you ever used too many lights and overloaded the circuit? It’s okay, we’ve all been there. Before you start hanging those outdoor Christmas lights up, check out these tips below for proper light usage.
Why do my Christmas lights keep tripping the breaker?
It’s no doubt that it’s frustrating when your breaker keeps tripping over and over again. But why does this happen? There could be a few reasons:
- Overloaded circuit: When you plug too many lights into one circuit, you can overload it.
- Bad wiring: Be sure to always check the wiring of your Christmas lights and other holiday decor. Any frays, tears, or shorts in the wiring could trip the breaker.
- Old breaker: This problem is a bit more complex as you can’t simply replace your breaker without redoing the wiring with the help of an electrician. To avoid tripping an old breaker, try unplugging unused appliances, reducing the number of extension cords you use, upgrading to LED Christmas lights, and using multiple outdoor circuits when possible.
How many amps do Christmas lights use?
Different types of Christmas lights will use a different amount of energy and will even vary by brand and size. As a general rule of thumb, to determine the amps used by your lights, locate the wattage on your package and divide it by 120 volts (for the average household). So if your strand of Christmas lights runs at 40 watts, they would use 0.33 amps (40 watts / 120 volts = 0.33 amps).
If you want to use less energy and worry less about your light wattage and amps, consider solar-powered Christmas lights, or even battery-powered lights.
How Many Christmas Light Strands Can You Connect?
We know it’s tempting to take all of those outdoor lights, strand them together, and plug them into one long extension cord. While that may seem like the easiest thing to do, it’s important to make sure you don’t plug too much into one outlet. Doing so could overload your circuit or potentially cause a fire. So what’s the magic number? Well, it can depend on a few factors:
- Type of lights: LED lights use less energy and will reduce the chance of overload versus using incandescent Christmas lights.
- Light wattage: Different lights can operate at different levels of wattage. Check your light packaging to see the wattage for your specific strand.
- Circuit amperage: Most household outlets can handle around 120 volts and 15-20 amps. To figure out how many watts of light your outlet can hold, take the amperage of your circuit and multiply it by the voltage.
Using the information above, you can calculate your outlet’s potential wattage. For example, if your outlet can run 120 volts and 15 amps, you can use a max of 1,880 watts of lights (120 volts X 15 amps = 1,880 watts). So if one strand of your lights uses 40 watts, you could use a max of 47 strands on one circuit (1,880 circuit watts / 40 light watts). However, we never recommend loading your circuit to the max. In this case, we would recommend playing it safe at around 80% of your circuit wattage, which would be 1,440 watts or 36 40-watt light strands.
Using Timers & Smart Plugs
Using timers and smart plugs is a great way to safely enjoy your Christmas lights while preventing circuit overload and blown fuses. These allow you to automate when your lights turn on and off and minimize the risk of leaving them running for extended periods. Here’s how they can help:
- Timers: Timers are particularly helpful because they allow you to set specific time intervals for your Christmas lights to be on. This ensures they aren’t left on all day or overnight and reduces both the load on your electrical circuits and energy costs. Using a timer also reduces the risk of overheating extension cords, which prevents circuit overload and fire hazards.
- Smart Plugs: Smart plugs go a step further by allowing you to control your lights remotely using a smartphone. This makes managing your Christmas lights more convenient, as you can easily turn them off from anywhere. Smart plugs often come with energy monitoring features and allow you to keep track of how much electricity your light display is consuming.
Both timers and smart plugs not only make operating your Christmas lights easier, but they also help you use your lights efficiently, lowering your energy bill and reducing the risk of electrical issues during the holiday season.
Energy Consumption for Different Kinds of Christmas Lights
So you’re starting to browse Christmas lights when you see countless options available. Well, the ones you choose will ultimately depend on your energy requirements and the style you are going for. Here are some of the most popular choices to help you narrow down your decision.
Note: Always use caution when hanging lights outdoors. Click here to learn how to hang outdoor Christmas lights safely.
- C9 Christmas lights (The BIG ones!): Each C9 bulb uses about 7-10 watts, and a string of 25 bulbs uses 175-250 watts. For the average household outlet, you could use 7-10 strands of C9 lights before reaching capacity.
- C7 Christmas lights: Each C7 bulb uses about 5 watts, and a string of 25 bulbs uses 125 watts. For the average household outlet, you could use 12-14 strands of C7 lights before reaching capacity.
- Icicle Christmas lights: A typical 150-bulb incandescent icicle light set uses 750-1,050 watts. For the average household outlet, you could use 1-2 strands of icicle lights before reaching capacity.
- String lights: A 100-bulb incandescent string light set uses about 50-100 watts. For the average household outlet, you could use 18-36 strands of string lights before reaching capacity.
- Rope lights: Incandescent rope lights use about 5-6 watts per foot, so a 50-foot section uses 250-300 watts. For the average household outlet, you could use 6-7 strands of rope lights before reaching capacity.
- Net light sets: A typical 4′ x 6′ incandescent net light set uses about 144-192 watts. For the average household outlet, you could use 9-12 strands before reaching capacity.
The energy consumption details listed above for each kind of Christmas light are for incandescent lights only, as you likely won’t have to worry about overloading circuits with LED lights because of the low amount of energy they consume. Unlike incandescent lights, which can quickly add up in watts and amps, LED lights use only a fraction of the power.
Note: Always use caution when hanging lights outdoors. Check our blog post on how to hang outdoor Christmas lights safely.
Christmas Light Clips
Once you’ve picked out the perfect lights, you’re going to want some clips to help hang them. To help you get started, here are a few different types to choose from:
- Clip-on light clips: One of the most versatile options, clip-on light clips are great for both indoor and outdoor use. They eliminate the need to use nails or tape and can be used to secure lights to decks, fences, gutters, railings, and more!
- Suction cup light clips: Great for windows and smooth, flat surfaces, suction cup light clips are easy to remove and reposition. They are also excellent for holiday lights with larger bulbs.
- Adhesive light clips: If you’re looking for an easy damage-free way to hang your lights, adhesive light clips are a perfect choice. Outdoor options are easy-to-use and are built to handle extreme temperatures without fail.
Now that you know how to calculate the amount of wattage your circuit can handle, you’re ready to start hanging Christmas lights safely. So grab a friend and start preparing for the perfect Christmas light show!
While do-it-yourself projects can be fun and fulfilling, there is always a potential for personal injury or property damage. We strongly suggest that any project beyond your abilities be left to licensed professionals such as electricians, plumbers, and carpenters. Any action you take upon the information on this website is strictly at your own risk, and we assume no responsibility or liability for the contents of this article.