Commercial, Home, electrician
Written by Larry Cook

Safe Outdoor Lighting

It’s important to keep the outdoor area that  surrounds your property safe and bright with proper lighting. Having a automatic sensor light set up in front of your home not only is helpful when you are coming in and out at night, but it also serves as a security light as it might startle someone with bad intentions wandering on your property. Intruders might  not realize it’s a sensor light, and instead they might think you heard something outside and just turned that light on from inside. Such a great safety measure and easy to install!

If you are designing an outdoor electrical fixture, it must be built to be durable and strong enough to endure all types of weather.

Experts advise that you use outdoor rated light bulbs to get the best use for your money and maintain the utmost safety for outdoor lighting. Only use the maximum wattage of light bulbs–don’t go over the recommended wattage, as it is not safe to do that.

If you need to use an extension cord, be sure to use one that is intended for outdoor use. This will be more durable and safe.

When decorating your home with outdoor lighting for Halloween, Christmas or special parties, be sure to use specially-designed lighting so you have the safest and brightest lights available for your festive celebrations.

Keep your decorative lighting up to date, and do not use them if there is any question about their safety. When light bulbs burn out on Christmas lights, it’s safer to buy new lights. Always be aware of where the lighting is leaning. Make sure it’s not against something that could cause a fire from the heat of the lights. Be careful that you aren’t putting the lights against metal or anything else that could damage the wires or catch on fire.

Evaluate areas of shadows and most night darkness on your property to decide where you want to add lighting to keep those areas safe.  Be sure the steps and walkways are well lit at night for safety and ease of getting in and out of your home. Contact or call Cooks Electric for all of your lighting and electrical needs, at 410-266-9040 or 1-800-966-8812.