Are Light Sockets to Outlet Adapters Safe for Outdoor Holiday Lights?: Ensuring Their Safety in 6 easy steps 

Never doubt the safety of light sockets. You have just moved into a split-level house that is quite old. Of course, you will be spending Christmas in the place and cannot figure out how to put up lights simply because you do not seem to have any outlet outside? bolsa de pierna decathlon
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You may decide to purchase a socket adapter and put it in one of your outside lights, but you are not sure if the idea would be safe or not. If you do not have sufficient sockets in your home and do not want to depend on extension cords, light sockets are just great alternatives, especially if you have a light socket that has not been used for long or that is not used that much. 

What Are the Precautions to Ensure Safety When Using Light Sockets?

Remember there are unavoidable precautions to avoid dangers in the house, such as overloading the fixture or the circuit. That is the major point to consider. This article will determine if light sockets to outlet adapters are safe for outdoor holiday lights. Let’s kick-start our guide by understanding how safe is the light socket adapters.

How Safe Are the Light Socket Adapters?

How Safe Are the Light Socket Adapters

In most cases, light socket adapters are safe and probably that is why they were designed in two sections. However, your achievement will rely upon the direction of the light socket and the load you want it to carry. Let’s check out some of the dos and don’ts;

It Must Not Carry Excess Load

Light sockets are not supposed to carry as much current as they can handle or as ordinary sockets. Normally, they are designed to handle 60 watts; hence the reason why fixing a 100-watt bulb in a 60-watt socket is dangerous. This means the socket is transmitting more current than it is supposed to or beyond its ability to handle that much. 

It might produce enough heat to melt the elements inside the socket. Eventually, this will generate fire and electrocution hazards. Probably, a light socket adapter may reproduce a similar issue. 

The wires and connection will not be able to handle the load. Some people unknowingly overwhelm their light sockets just because the light sockets are connected to 15-amp circuits. 

The reason behind that may be that the devices they want to operate are not strong enough to overload a 15-amp circuit. They tend to presume that light sockets on the circuit can handle the load of those devices.

Use it in a Secure Location

Some individuals use adapters to turn light sockets into outlets because they do not have adequate wall outlets in their area. Still, that is not the issue if your light socket is located in a secure locale close to the ground or even along the wall. 

The problem would be when you try to modify a light socket on the ceiling into an outlet. In other words, you can use an adapter on a light socket since several adapters are designed to hold electrical plugs and bulbs. So you won’t favor one room with light to turn the light socket on a ceiling into an outlet. 

However, in such cases, gravity is the main concern. Electrical plugs attached to light sockets on the ceiling can easily fall out. Even when they remain in the outlet, the plug may become loose, falling partly out of the outlet and resulting in a hazard. Always ensure that the plug is properly secured and supported.

Is the Light Socket to Outlet Adapter Safe for Christmas Lights?

Is the Light Socket to Outlet Adapter Safe for Christmas Lights

If rain and snow never reached the light socket before you converted it into an outlet, it must be perfectly safe for your Christmas lights. However, some people use tape to safeguard their indoor light sockets from snow and rain. Therefore you can safely use a light socket outlet to operate Christmas lights outside. 

Note that Christmas lights do not overload the socket. Yet, the NEC requires outdoor receptacles to use GFCI protection. 

How Do You Get Power to Outdoor Christmas Lights?

Required Items

  • Outdoor light socket outlet 
  • Duct tape 
  • Power strip with on and off switch
  • External grade extension tape
  • Battery-powered light set
  • Foam Board Insulation
  • Solar-powered light set

There are two ways to generate power for outdoor Christmas lights that brighten the exterior of your home. They include:

  • Using an outdoor light socket 
  • Improving the power supply method by using lights that don’t run on electric power.

Using an Exterior Light Socket

Step 1

Remove the light bulb from the porch light. You should ensure that you cannot control the porch light with a switch inside the house. Still, ensure the outlet is under a covering to protect it from the components.

Step 2

Install an external light socket into the lighting fixture. An exterior light socket will fasten into the light socket if the exterior light fixture is similar to a light bulb. Then, it will create two external outlets to be used. You can buy it at any hardware store. Note that you should specifically buy the one headed for the outdoors.

Step 3

Plug an external grade extension cord directly into the lighting fixture outlet. You would then move the end to where the light display is located.

Step 4

Enclose any absent portion of the lighting fixture exterior using duct tape. This is done to safeguard it from the components. In other situations, a glass panel might have to be removed from the covering of the exterior light fixture to make the outlet easily accessible to the extension cord. 

You have to wrap duct tape around the extension cord and the open area to safeguard it from the components. 

Step 5

Run the extension cord away from heavily pushed areas to ensure nobody trips over it and destroys your light fixture.

Step 6

Plug your extension cord into the extension-rated power strip you are utilizing, and plug the lights into the power strips.

Notable Tips

You can use solar-powered Christmas light sets to enhance your display. They do not need a power source, just the natural sunshine heat. In addition, you can also opt to use battery-powered Christmas lights if you do not have an outdoor light fixture.

The Verdict

So you are thinking about holding an outdoor holiday party but you are not sure whether you can use the light sockets connected to the outlet adapters for the purpose? With ultimate caution and precision, the sockets can safely function in lighting the outdoors and light a few accessories such as a Christmas tree.

Reference 1: Outdoor Christmas Lights Outlets | A Homeowner’s Guide – Innovative Building Materials

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