If you’re putting up Christmas lights this year, be sure to pick up a portable GFCI outlet! You probably have GFCI outlets in your home already, but you still need to pick one of these up, and here is why…
First, it’s great for testing the load of your lights. If your lights trip the portable outlet, then they will certainly trip your homes circuit. Then you’ll know you’ve got too many lights going to that plug!
Secondly, and more importantly, If we get a lot of moisture…rain, snow, ice etc…it can, and often does, make its way into the lights. This will create a short that will trip your GFCI outlets (this happens a lot, you just have to wait for things to dry out, your lights are not ruined!). If you have your lights plugged straight into you home outlet, you will lose power to anything plugged into that circuit.
With a portable outlet, that won’t be an issue. You’ll just have to reset the portable outlet and move on!
They are typically $10-$15, and you can get them just about anywhere. Pick one up, it is WELL WORTH IT.
