Christmas Light Installation Tips & Tricks
Want your home to look light this? Our tips and tricks will help you out.
Decorating your home with festive light displays has always been a great way to add a touch of holiday cheer to your space. While having your Christmas lights professionally installed is an option, putting lights up yourself is a much more budget friendly option.
If you find the though of climbing up ladders and installing your own Christmas lights to be a bit daunting, don't worry. It's actually a lot easier than you think. All it takes is some good planning...and not being afraid of heights. Whether you’re going for a simple setup or one that would make Clark Griswold jealous, here are some great tips and tricks to help you create a dazzling holiday atmosphere.
Girl shopping for commercial Christmas light strings at a store.
Tip #1 – Order Early
Holiday lights are available year-round, and many professional installers consistently order in bulk well ahead of the season. This is why you should always plan and order early. It guarantees you will be able to find all of the lights, bulbs, and accessories you need easily.
Ordering early also ensures that your Christmas lights have consistent performance and colors. This is especially true with LED lights, which go through a process called binning during manufacturing. Diodes are grouped by color and brightness. Different bins will have slightly different hues, so ordering all at once helps ensure your lights are all made of diodes from the same bin.
Tip #2 - Measure!
When planning out your Christmas lights, knowing how many feet of lights are needed to cover each section of your house is important. This lets you know home any feet of lights you need to cover your house, trees, fences, and other areas you want to light.
Measure everything, from rooflines to windows to columns. You should also measure the distances to the nearest outlets. We recommend diagramming your measurements so you can quickly refer to them as needed.
Christmas Light Tip: Always measure everything at least twice to ensure your measurements are correct.
Tip #3 - Don't Trip Your Breakers!
One of the biggest problems people have during the holidays is overloaded circuits. Light displays can pull a surprising amount of power, especially if you are using classic incandescent lights. To avoid tripping your breaks, you need to know many lights you can safely use on any given circuit. This will vary depending on your circuit amperage and the bulb wattage. Watch the guide below to learn how to calculate out the max wattage of your Christmas light runs:
Tip #4 – Test Your Lights Before Decorating
Avoid last-minute surprises by testing your Christmas lights before putting them up. This is a must for any lights your are reusing from previous seasons, and also for new lights as well to ensure they are in working order. Testing helps you find bad wires, burned out bulbs, and bad fuses ahead of time.
Christmas Light Trick: When ordering your Christmas lights, always make sure to purchase extra. You can pull bulbs off strings to use as replacements, or even replace an entire string if one goes out unexpectedly.
Tip #5 - Use Bulk Wire
Bulk wire is the secret weapon of professional light installers everywhere. Aside from building custom holiday light strings, this versatile wire can be used to create custom extension cords that seamlessly blend away into the background. No more bulky extension cords covering your yard!
Bulk wire is available in two wire types: SPT-1 and SPT-2. SPT-1 is ideal for most seasonal holiday light setups. SPT-2 has a slightly thicker jacket and is generally used in colder climates or if displays that will be up longer than the holiday season. Once you decide on the wire type, you will need to make sure that any sockets or plugs installed are rated for that type.
Christmas Light Tip: Not sure how to install sockets and plugs to bulk wire? We have a tutorial video for that on our Youtube channel: How to Add Sockets & Plugs to Bulk Wire
Tip #6 - Polish Your Look with Light Clips
Ever wondered how the pros keep their Christmas lights straight and evenly spaced? They use Christmas light clips, and these little tools are about to become your new best friends. Mounting clips attach quickly your lights, allowing you to mount them to gutters, shingles, and ridge lines. Magnetic clips are also available if you have metal roofs or siding. This makes installation faster while keeping your lights neat and tidy. And at the end of the season, the clips come down just as easily as they went up.
Christmas Light Trick: Many light clips can be left on the string when you are taking them down for the season. This makes putting up again next year easier.
Tip #7 - Timing is Everything
Outdoor power outlet yard stake with built-in timer.
Once your lights are installed, automate them with timers. Simply set your on and off times, and your lights are ready to go. There is no need to remember to turn them on at night or off again in the morning. There are a wide variety of timers to choose from, including mechanical and digital timers. Just make sure that your timers are rated for outdoor use.
Christmas Light Tip: Need some extra outlets for your Christmas lights? Outdoor power outlet yard stakes can have between 3 to 6 outlets, helping to reduce the number of extension cords you need. Some stakes have built-in times and others come with remote controls.
Other Handy Tips
In addition to all of the tips above, here are some additional ones that can help with your holiday lights:
Use cord protectors to protect string connections against water entry.
Net lights are the perfect choice for lighting shrubs and bushes.
Battery operated lights are perfect for small areas where you lack outlets. Just make sure they are protected from the weather.
Need a lot of LED mini lights? Check out professional installer packs. These lights are sold by the case and come as tangle-free rolls for easy installation.
Properly storing your lights at the end of the season ensures a smooth installation next year.
Looking for even more tips? We have a wealth of blog posts and videos that can help you every step of the way. Browse though our comprehensive list: The Ultimate Light & Decor Guide. It covers everything from troubleshooting to installing plugs on strings.
Now that you've gone though the entire list, are you ready to start planning? 1000Bulbs is your one-stop shop for all your Christmas lighting needs. From mini light strings to spools, replacement bulbs, and beyond, we have it all. Get free shipping on all orders of $500 or more, and if you’re placing a large order, call for bulk pricing. Call 1-800-624-4488 to speak with one of our lighting experts or visit us online at 1000Bulbs.com.
