DFW Christmas Lights (214) 257-8155

This home has all 4 sides decorated with warm white LED C9 bulbs. It also has red berry, “Razzleberry” LED mini lights on the shrubs and “Ice Drop”  tube lights on the tree, entry way and breezeway. It’s on the Highland Park carriage trail and it is a must see this holiday season.

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

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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

Looking for a beautiful, hassle-free lighting display this holiday season? Here’s a few tips to help you out.

Decorating Your Christmas Tree

The most recognizable symbol of the holiday season is the family tree. Whether you call it a Christmas tree or a Holiday tree, decorating  it can be a challenge. Keeping that in mind, we suggests 3 simple tips to make your tree more beautiful―and your decorating easier―than it has ever been.

Tip #1: Keep replacements on hand

Some of us like to change it up every few years by simply switching things like the lighting. Such as clear bulbs on year 1, multi colored on year 2 and maybe all red in year 3. Whether you change them or not-when you find the perfect light sets for your tree, you want to make sure that you have replacements that match. Buy a set or two more than you need in case a string goes bad sometime over the holiday season. You can also wait until the Christmas season ends and get a few on sale as back ups or to change out colors in the future. Also make sure you keep all those little packages of replacement bulbs. Unfortunately you can not “borrowing” bulbs from another set as they may cause early burnouts and can be potentially dangerous. For more on replacing bulbs click here.

Tip #2: Test your lights first

Now I hate to admit this but I too have does this before (way way way in the beginning ). So you’ve decorated the entire tree and like any good Griswold you go to light it only to notice afterward that 1 or more light strings are dead. Now you have to go in search of the culprit. But no worries, this can very easily be avoided.  Simply roll out and plug in each set of lights in to make sure they work before hand. Test for burned out bulbs, partially dead strings, any flickering, fuses etc. You can use a tester to make it easier to find which bulbs are causing the problems. Save yourself the hassle and embarrassment of having to redecorate your tree again.  For more on how to maintain your lights click here.

Tip #3: Light your tree section by section

The decorating standard is to use a 100 light strand for every 1 foot of tree. Almost all pre lit 6′ trees will have 600 lights on them. Of course if you have a narrow tree or some form of Charlie Brown Tree you will need less lights. Don’t light the entire tree all at once. To make sure your tree is evenly lit, hang the lights section by section and make corrections as you go. You might also try following an “S” or “wave” pattern instead of simply “tornado wrapping” your tree.

Please search our archives for more articles on Holiday Lighting and samples of our work. 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

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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