What is the best way to waterproof Christmas lights?
Place a Rain Block Weatherproof Gasket on the male connector of the light or decoration and firmly press the two together. The gasket will compress slightly and lock out water.
“Make sure where everything plugs in is dry and not exposed to the elements because the electricity still goes through the equipment and the light portion, what goes outside is what's important.” He said Christmas lights are meant to be used outside, they will be fine in rainy conditions.
Are Christmas lights waterproof? One of the most common questions from our customers is whether Christmas lights are water resistant. Most modern lights with a rating above IP44 are waterproof. Christmas lights with this rating are safe to be used outdoors and are protected from rain and water.
Water and electricity don't mix well. Water that infiltrates the sockets on your Christmas lights wire can trip the GFCI socket, or the breaker and any other location water that might touch the wire can cause a trip.
We've found that by smearing lithium grease into the bulb holder and also on the connectors of the bulb, this acts as a seal, preventing water produced by condensation actually coming in contact with the bulb holder. This grease can be used outside the fittings to provide further protection to a seal.
Moisture can find its way into the connectors from dew, rain, melting snow, sprinklers, and so on. Water and electricity generally don't mix well, so weatherproofing your Christmas lights are essential.
When to Turn Off the Lights. If Christmas lights are left on for too long, they can get hot and become a fire hazard. For this reason, turn your lights off when you go to sleep or leave your home, says Sharon Cooksey, fire safety educator at Kidde.
So, can outdoor lights get wet? Outdoor lights can get wet as long as their IP rating is waterproof. To ensure your specific model of string lights can get wet, you need to look at the IP rating of your outdoor lights to check how well protected they are against moisture.
Don't assume all lights are designed for outdoor use; wrap all connections between strings with electrical tape to keep moisture out. Always plug lights into a covered outlet protected with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)—running cords from inside the house through a window or a mail slot is a fire hazard.
According to Low, a clear coat of either polyurethane or acrylic works well on wood-based materials. "Those will absolutely weatherproof your items," she explains.
Do outdoor Christmas lights go out when raining?
Outdoor Christmas lights are not waterproof. They have multiple sockets and connections which water can penetrate causing an electrical surge, which then trips GFCI outlets. This problem is easily fixed by resetting the GFCI outlets once the Christmas lights, extension cords and connections have had a chance to dry.