Christmas means decorating your whole house and everything that is associated with it. But, most people forget the outside of the house while being busy decorating the inside of the house. The outside is the welcome entry to the inside of the house and should not be forgotten when it comes to Christmas decorations. There are several ways to get power for your Christmas lights that you are installing outside your house. For example, you can use an outdoor light socket or power that you can take from your basement. Apart from that, you can also augment these power-supplying methods by using lights, which do not use electric power supply. Remember to always make sure to be mindful of the power loads that you are using whenever you install Christmas lights outside of your house, plus also ensure that your home is always protected from elements.During Christmas season, bring your family and neighbors away from the hustle of work by creating a lively and bright space. Here’s how you can do just that for your friends and family.
What you need to do:
- Outdoor light socket outlet
- External-grade extension cord
- Duct tape
- Power strip with on/off switch
- Foam board insulation
- Solar-powered light set
- Battery-powered light set
Method:
- If you decide to use an exterior light socket, you need to remove the one light bulb of your exterior porch lights and make sure that this light is controlled by a switch from inside of your house. This outlet should also be under a covering so that it is protected from elements.
- Once done, you have to install an exterior light socket outlet into your lighting fixture and this can be done by just screwing it into the light socket your exterior light fixture similar like a light bulb.
- By doing this, you will be having two external outlets to use and all the materials involved can be purchased from your local hardware or home improvement store.
- After that, you would be able to plug an external-grade extension cord into your lighting fixture outlet and then run the end to the location of your light display.
- The next thing to do is to cover any missing portions of the lighting fixture exterior using duct tape in order to protect it from the elements.
- You must also ensure that the running of your extension cord does not come into the pathway of heavily trafficked areas and also no one will trip over it thus damaging the light fixture.
- Then, you need to plug the extension cord into your exterior-rated power strip before you plug the lights in the power strip that you have made.
- If you decide to get the power for your Christmas outside lights from your house basement power supply, try to use an outlet from your basement, which close to the window that faces your outdoor Christmas lighting display. The outlet needs to be controlled by a switch, but if you are unable to create a switch control, you can simply use a plug that has a power strip designed with on/off switch into the outlet, thus enabling you to turn on or off the lights from inside your house.
- Next you must open your basement window, which is closest to the outlet that you have chosen to use.
- Then, take your external-grade extension cord and plug it into the outlet before you can run the other end outside towards your lighting display.
- Once finished close the basement window gently over your extension cord and also make sure to leave some slack on the section of your cord, which is situated inside the house.
- After that, you must pack foam board insulation pieces in the window opening around your extension cord before securing all of them in place by covering the basement window opening using duct tape. By doing this, it will help keep the snow, ice or cold weather out of your basement during the winter season. Do a regular check every once a week on the duct tape and insulation for making sure they do not need to be replaced.
- Finally, you can plug the external-grade power strip to your extension cord and then plug your lights into it to see whether it is working or not. If it’s not working, check all the plugs carefully to make sure that all are properly connected.
- Another option is for you to use solar-powered Christmas light sets and this type of lightings does not require a power source. Besides that, there are also battery-powered Christmas lights that you can use as an alternative for those of you who do not have access to either a basement plug or an outdoor light fixture.
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