DFW Christmas Lights (214) 257-8155

By Maria Bargellini, holiday lighting designer for DFW Christmas Lights

Icicle drop lights are fairly new and have been used mostly for large commercial holiday lighting displays – until now. Icicle drop lights are designed to give off the appearance of falling snow by using the LED lights (diodes) in the tube to “drip” down the length of the tube repeated. They look great in trees or over your entryway, breezeway or any type of archway. The tubes come in a variety of lengths and combinations. For example, you can get a 5 tube strand in 10 or 20 inches, a mixed strand of  (3)-20 inch tubes and (2) 40″ tubes, or (5) 40 inch tubes. The best tree displays will use a mixture of these strands. Make sure to use the shorter icicle drop lights if you are using them in an area where there is pedestrian or vehicle traffic. For a striking upgrade you can add colored light to the trunk of the tree like in the video below.

(The icicle lights are toward the end on the next video)

These LED Christmas lights may be more expensive than incandescent mini lights but you don’t need any where near as many mini lights as you would icicle drop lights, you definately wouldn’t use as much energy, and they surely don’t take as much labor to install or take up as much space in your storage room. So in terms of what the two different displays will cost – they should be about equal. Of course it will depend on the type and amount of mini lights you were using, it can in some cases be less or more expensive.

Icicle drop lights are also a great way to add movement to your holiday lighting display without making it look to busy or like the Griswalds, not that there’s anything wrong with the kind of thing, if you’re into it. If  you would like more information or have questions about this product please feel free to write or call us at 214-257-8813.

Icicle Drop Light Pros

You can add up to 10 sets together

Use less Storage space

Use less energy

Less effort to install

Low profile disappears during the day

Not your grandmas Christmas Lights

Icicle Light Cons

More expensive than other lighting options

Only comes in the pure white color

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DFW Christmas Lights, The Outdoor Lighting Expert, and Lawn Sprinklers Dallas are sites owned and operated by Dallas Curb Appeal Inc.

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By Maria Bargelini of DFW Christmas Lights

When we hear the  term Christmas display or Holiday Lighting, some of us (who are old enough to remember) think of the Griswold’s. The infamous family in the National Lampoon’s vacation film series, “Christmas Vacation”. If the thought of 20+ foot ladders and touching electricity leaves you more than frazzled — consider having your Christmas Lights professional installed by DFW Christmas Lights. If you want to brave it on your own here are a few notes to help you out.

#1 Above all else—Be Safe!

At DFW Christmas Lights, we want you to have the holiday display you want–whether it be just a little or full out Griswold’s lights. The most important thing we want to remind you of is to be safe.

• Don’t skimp on things like cords, use the properly approved extension cords, timers, lights, etc., and always plug them into an electrical outlet protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter or GFCI. For more on GFCIs please click here.
• Remember that your lights will most likely get wet and will be exposed to the elements, so always use lights that are UL approved for indoor/outdoor use.
• If your lights trip a breaker or your GFCI, don’t just flip it back; reduce the load of that circuit by plugging some of your light strings into another outlet, and wait until you are sure that the devices are dry before you switch them back on.
• Ladder safety: You should never install Christmas Lights alone, especially if you are using a ladder that is more than 6′ tall. Make sure you have someone footing your ladder and watching out for your safety. It’s rare that you can open up your ladder on a level surface when you are in your landscape beds. Sometimes the ground in uneven, there are usually shrubs or plants in the way and there is a good chance that you may overextend yourself to reach things that your ladder can’t get you to.

#2 Buy the right lights in the right amount

With the exception of icicle lights, mini lights are almost never used on roofs as they simply don’t put off enough light.  For roof lines, windows, flower beds, pathways and any other architectural places I recommend using C7 or C9 bulbs with 12″ spacing. These are what you would normally see on houses. If you are buying sets from a retail store chances are the wire will be 25′ long and will have to be connected end to end. Here are a few notes on lights.

• Buy commercial grade if you can find it: Some of the box stores will have “commercial” sets available. Although these are typically inferior to what we would use in the industry it will be better than the lower quality sets.
• Read the directions: You can only connect the amount of sets together the manufacture specifies. They are not making a suggestions, you lights will not work properly if you do not follow the directions.
• Make sure your connections stay dry. Water and electricity do not mix. Be sure to cover any exposed electrical connections.
• Pay attention to wire size (gauge) and ampacity. The smaller the amount of copper the less footage you will be allowed to run.
• Consider LED lights. You can run up to 10x the amount of lights together and it’s more energy efficient.

For part II of this article please click here.

Please check out our archives and recent post for more information on Holiday Lighting.

DFW Christmas Lights and The Outdoor Lighting Expert are owned and operated by Dallas Curb Appeal Inc., a full service landscape contractor.

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By Maria Bargellini, of DFW Christmas Lights

I have been an electrician for over a dozen years and the thing most home owners have issues with are their outdoor GFCI outlets. GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter, in the business we say GFI for short. Those fancy letters are just a way of saying cut off device. If you overload your circuit, get a surge or short from weather, the ground fault in the device will trip, much like a breaker, and shut off the power to your device. It does so as to not  allow the surge to return to your breaker. It’s meant to protect the breaker and or electrical panel.

How to know if your device has tripped

• There’s usually one or two buttons on your device that will “pop” when there is a problem. This is something you can usually hear happening.
• Some devices will have a light that is either lit or not lit with it’s regular operation. The presence of the light or lack there of signal that the device is tripped.
• No power at the outlet is a clear sign that the device may have tripped

Reasons for tripping

• Moisture: Water or moisture entering the device will cause it to trip.
• Overloading your circuit. GFCIs typically come in 15 or 20 amp capacity. If you are trying to operate a 20 amp device on a 15 amp circuit the GFI will trip immediately and will continue to do so even if it holds for a little while.
• Shorts: Not Bermuda but electrical shorts. GFCIs are usually connected to other outlets. If there is a problem with a satellite outlet that’s connected to your GFI it will trip at the GFCI.

Problem Solvers Quick Fixes

• The wright covers: I know it’s ugly but those big bubble covers you see on the outlets are the best thing to use. They are called “In Use Covers” and they are made to shield the outlet from the elements. They have cut out so that your cords can be inserted into the holes and the cover will remain close.
• Loops: Water goes down hill. If you leave a loop before your outlet the water will generally run off at the base of the loop and not straight into the outlet.
• Changing the Device: The GFCIs are not meant to last forever. Years of tripping and weather can cause the device to malfunction. Simply replacing it is all you may need.
• Upgrading the device: If your wire is sized correctly you may be able to replace your 15 amp device to 20 amps, giving you more power to work with.

The information in this article is written as a general guide only. You should consult an electrician for any repairs, questions, or problems you may have.

DWF Christmas Lights and The Outdoor Lighting Expert are owned and operated by Dallas Curb Appeal Inc., a full service Landscape Contractor.

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By Maria Bargellini of DFW Christmas Lights

So you have a great tree in the front and you want to light it this Christmas but you haven’t a clue as to what it cost or how to do it–No worries. This short article will help you figure out if your tree is a good canidate for lights, different lighting techniques and other details you ‘ll find interesting.

Large Lit Trees

Live Oaks, Red/White Oaks, Cedars, and many more types make for great lighted trees. These trees are usually around 15-20 feet tall and 12-20″ in diameter. They often have a large trunk,  low lying branches and enough electricity available for 60 set of lights.

Trunks: The larger the trunk the more lights will be needed to wrap around them. If the branches of your tree don’t start until 20 feet you will most likely end up with a lit trunk only.

Branches: Trees like Live Oaks have limbs that can extend up to 40 feet. Now you don’t have to go all the way to the ends for a good looking tree — but if you’re not hiring a professional Christmas Light installer do please

Ornamental Trees

These are typically 6-12 feet tall

You can light any tree with the right technique. The most striking trees are large trunked with low lying branches. If the tree has very high limbs it will take many lights to reach them. In most cases people just opt for a trunk wrap.

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Unfortunately Holiday Lighting comes with a bit of maintenance. There’s bulbs, fuses and sometimes even wires to be replaced. If you have light sets from different manufactures it’s important that you keep the extras that come in the packaging labeled so that you don’t mix the bulbs as they do not all burn at the same amperage and are not to be used with other sets. Say you have a set that uses .01amp bulbs and you replace it with a .3 amp bulb. This will cause your set to eventually malfunction.

How to Replacement a Bulb

1. Hold the plug and remove it from the receptacle or other outlet device. Do not pull on the cord.
2. Pinch the grooves on the sides of the socket. Gently pull the lamp base upwards. Some can be tight and you may need a tool like a needle nose plier. Don’t squeeze too hard.
3. Align the grooves in the base of the replacement lamp with the grooves in the socket.
4. Gently push the lamp into the socket until you hear a snap.
5. Replace the lamp only with a matching lamp from the set. Try to keep your extras labeled to avoid confusion in later years.
6. In case the lamp base of new replacement lamp does not fit lamp holder:
   • Remove the lamp from its base by straightening the wires and pulling the lamp out of the base.
   • Insert the new lamp into the base by fitting wires thought the two holes in the bottom of the base and then bending the wires up onto the sides of the base.
   • Insert the completed lamp/base unit into lamp holder.

Fuse Replacement

1. Hold the plug and remove it from the receptacle or other outlet device. Don’t pull on the cord.
2. Open the fuse cover. Slide the open panel located on the top of the attachment plug towards the blades to expose the two fuses.
3. Remove the fuse carefully by turning the attachment plug over.
4. To avoid the risk of fire, replace the fuse only with the correct amperage replacement fuse (check packaging).
5. Close the fuse cover by sliding the panel on top of the attachment plug.

Disclaimer

Please note: This information is just a general guideline to assist you in your project. With any electrical product or situation there is a risk of electrical shock. DFW Christmas Lights and it’s parent company, Dallas Curb Appeal accepts no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. Any views or opinions presented in this e-mail are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company-Risk of fire. Do not replace attachment plug. Contains a safety device (fuse) that should not be removed. Discard product if the attachment plug is damaged.

DFW Christmas Lights and The Outdoor Lighting Expert are owned and operated by Dallas Curb Appeal.

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