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How to Safely Hang Christmas Lights on your Roof

Tis the season for holiday cheer, opening gifts, and spending time with family and friends. When deciding how to decorate your home this holiday season, Christmas lights are likely at the top of your list. In order to do it properly and make your house the talk of the town, you’ll need to keep many things in mind. Be sure to buy the right type of lights, test that they are working, and also decide where and how to hang them.

Our Toronto roofing professionals at Alpine Roofing have some advice for safely hanging lights on your roof this holiday season.

Getting Ready to Hang your Christmas Lights

A little bit of planning will make your job a lot easier this year. Rather than spending hours untangling lights and stapling them to your roof only to find out they don’t work, follow the steps below for flawless installation:

  • Plan—Decide how you want the lights to look, where they need to go, how many lights you’ll need, and what colours you should buy.
  • Measure—Measure the area that you are planning to decorate to decide know how many strings of lights you’ll need. Doing so will prevent you from buying more than you need and save you money in the long term.
  • Safety—Check the safety rating of any new lights that you buy. Opt for good quality lights. Bargain bin bulbs may end up posing a fire risk. Consider purchasing LED lights to protect your home from the risk of fire and to reduce overall energy consumption during the holiday season.
  • Test—Once you have purchased you lights, be sure to test them out. While the process can be daunting, it’s important to replace any bulbs that are burnt out before you hang them. This will save you a headache from having to remove the strands and replace them once they are already hung on the roof.
  • Dry roof—Choose a nice dry day to hang your lights. Never try to hang lights when the roof is wet, as this poses a serious danger and could result in an injury from a slip.

Safety First

Protect yourself and your home by keeping the following in mind:

  • Stay away from power lines.
  • Use a good quality extension cord of the appropriate length.
  • Make sure your extension cord can handle the wattage of the lights.
  • Never reach while on a ladder.
  • Be sure to have a friend or family member spot you while you are on the ladder to prevent falls.
  • Keep indoor lights indoors, and always check the packages you buy to be sure they are for the outdoors.
  • Use clips to hang lights, stapling or nailing wires could create a fire risk.

Avoid Roof Damage on your Toronto Home

Your roof protects you and your family from the elements, so you don’t want to damage it while hanging your Christmas lights. If you do accidently damage your roof, be sure to call a Toronto roofing company like Alpine Roofing. We provide residential roofing services in Scarborough, Toronto, Markham, Richmond Hill, and surrounding areas.

To avoid damage, do not staple or nail anything to your shingles. As well, use shingle tabs or all-in-one clips to hang your lights and do not walk on a shingled roof to prevent it from breaking under your weight.

Residential Roofing in the Toronto Area

If you require roofing installations or repairs this holiday season, contact Alpine Roofing. We’ve been in business for over 43 years and have served thousands of satisfied customers. We offer a huge selection of roofing materials and will work closely with you to ensure your roof is completed on time and within your budget.

Contact us today to book an appointment or to get a free estimate.