Halloween is no doubt one of the most festive times of the year and decorating for the season is a fun and cherished pastime enjoyed by many families. Unfortunately, as almost all Electrical Companies In Dallas will tell you, Halloween can also be one of the most dangerous holidays of the year. The electrical experts at Dallas Electrician, ElectricMan Inc. would like for you and your family to enjoy the ghoulish festivities while practicing electrical safety, so here are a few tips for making the most out of decorating for this exciting time of year.

The Hazards of Halloween Decor

When people talk about Halloween decorations, they’re often thinking about lots of lights combined with smoke machines, spiderwebs and paper decorations, all of which can be cheaply made. The down side of these homemade special effects is that many of these decorations are made of highly flammable material which, if left unattended and in close proximity to electrical lighting, can be anything but fun.

Another problem that often arises from Halloween decorating comes from using electrical lighting and components with electrical wiring that has become cracked and damaged over time. Any cracks in the insulation or damage to the wires can prove frightening and sometimes even deadly. Furthermore, heavy usage of lighting and decorations that require electricity can put a strain on extension cords, power strips and electrical outlets in your home, straining your home’s circuits.

Tips for Safe Decorating

You don’t have to leave the Halloween spirit behind to celebrate safely. Follow these easy-to-remember safety tips when Halloween decorating with your family for the ultimate ghoulish celebration:

Electrical Companies In Dallas That You Can Trust

In over 27 years of electrical experience, ElectricMan Inc. has seen too many families in danger as a result of careless and unnecessary oversights in the use of lighting and electronics. With a little care, a little caution, mixed in with some common sense, your family can enjoy the candy and the costumes and not have to be worried about electrical fires.

For more information on electrical safety and how you can protect your home and your family, or if you need local Electrical Companies In Dallas to help you with any electrical issues you may have,  call ElectricMan Inc. at 972-792-7270 or read more of the wealth of information at the ElectricMan Blog!

Christmas has come and gone, and the New Year has arrived. Mr. Electric wishes all of our customers a happy and healthy 2015! In efforts to promote safety and peace of mind for you and your family, we have a few tips to keep in mind when you’re taking down all your holiday décor this weekend.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), hospital emergency rooms treat about 12,500 people for injuries, such as falls, cuts and shocks, related to holiday lights, decorations and Christmas trees. Around 5,800 people per year were treated in hospital emergency rooms for falls associated with holiday decorations, according to Electrical Safety Foundation International. Falls from ladders or roofs account for more than half of these injuries.

When using ladders, CSPSC tells us to keep these things in mind:

Be aware of where all the electrical cords are and make sure children know not to touch them. The CPSC estimates that each year, about 4,000 injuries associated with electric extension cords are treated in hospital emergency rooms. Of those injuries, 13 percent involve children less than five years of age, and electrical burns to the mouth accounted for 50 percent of the injuries to young children.

When taking down your lights, always be cautious and unplug them the correct way. Never tug or pull the lights, as they could unravel and unintentionally wrap around power lines. Let the lights cool off before packing. It’s also important to never leave lights unattended with children around.

There are many products available to help keep your Christmas décor in tip-top shape for next year. To ensure your strings of lights don’t tangle, you can purchase a Christmas lights storage reel or a light cord wrap online or at the nearest hardware store. For a DIY approach, empty coffee cans are also able to the trick.

Take special care to always keep smaller or breakable ornaments and display pieces out of reach of children. When dealing with spun glass “angel hair,” wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation.

Reusing containers such as an empty egg carton or wine box is a great way to store ornaments and reduce waste and extra cost. There are also numerous ornament storage boxes available as well. Group and pack displays together to prevent lost pieces and for easy access next year. For artificial Christmas tree storage, you can use a Christmas tree duffle bag to neatly store your tree. Using the box it came in is always a good idea, too.

You only need to type a few words into a search engine to pull up numerous DIY guides for repairing and replacing electrical lighting outlets in your home. Just grab a screwdriver, pliers, and wire cutters and you’re set.

But hold on—do you really know what you’re doing? These DIY guides can be notoriously sketchy, and some depend on you knowing far more about electrical repair than you probably do. Because of the risk of electrical shock and bad wiring that can lead to fires, you should leave the outlet repairs to trained electricians. Outlet shorts and faults are a common cause for household fires (the Electrical Safety Foundation estimates electrical troubles account for 55,000 fires a year), so you should never take such chances.