GFCIs and Holiday Lights – A Survival Guide
When it comes to holiday lighting and decorations, nothing ruins the festive display quicker than a GFCI tripping. A tiny bit of moisture infiltrating the lighting or electrical system can cause an instant blackout. The GFCI decides that the combination of electricity and moisture is hazardous and shuts down your entire setup. Suddenly, you’re left without lights, scouring for those elusive reset buttons, hoping to restore your glowing masterpiece.
In the realm of Christmas lighting and decorating, GFCIs often cause more inconvenience than any other element you’d encounter. This is particularly true in warmer areas where rain, not snow, is prevalent.
Before proceeding further, I want to clarify that I am not against GFCIs. These devices are lifesavers, and many lives have been spared thanks to their requirement for outdoor electrical outlets. I have no desire to return to pre-GFCI days when the mix of water and electricity frequently resulted in severe injuries or fatalities.
This article focuses on the frustrations caused by GFCIs for anyone installing holiday lights and decorations, whether professionally or at home. I will share tips to mitigate moisture-related GFCI issues while adhering to the National Electric Code (NEC) standards.
What is a GFCI?
A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is designed to protect individuals from electric shock. In essence, it’s that simple. For a more detailed definition, the NEC describes it as, “A device intended for the protection of personnel that functions to de-energize a circuit or a part thereof within a specified period when a ground current exceeds the values set for a Class A device.”
In essence, a GFCI detects minor disparities between the electrical current entering and leaving a circuit. A variation as small as 5 milliamps prompts the circuit to trip within 1/10th of a second. This action prevents electrocution.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Christmas lights and decorations, even a small amount of moisture in the outlet, cord, or lights can trip the circuit, leading to a total blackout of your holiday display.
So, how can this be avoided? Can GFCI tripping be prevented? Completely avoiding GFCI tripping would require not using GFCI outlets, which is against the National Electrical Code for outdoor lighting and poses a significant safety risk.
Fortunately, several measures can reduce GFCI nuisance tripping. By taking specific precautions and following the techniques in this article, you can decrease tripping by at least 75%. Let’s explore some methods our professional installation teams use to minimize GFCI problems.
Cords, Connections, and Outlets
More than 50% of GFCI issues stem from problems at electrical connections or the outlets themselves. My time in the field revealed numerous outlets lacked bubble covers, a significant factor in nuisance tripping. The bubble cover should be large enough to enclose as many power cords as there are outlets and should fully close and latch during use. Additionally, remember that a single GFCI outlet or breaker may control several standard outlets, so ensure all outlets, even unused ones, have proper bubble covers.
Older and weathered outlets are more prone to tripping due to built-up corrosion. This issue is exacerbated if the outlet lacks a proper bubble cover and has been weather-exposed for years. Replacing aged outlets can help reduce tripping.
Moving from outlets to cords, the next problem area is where two cords connect. This can be between extension cords or the extension cord and light sets. These junctions are potential sources of nuisance tripping, but several strategies can minimize this risk:
- Ensure all connections are secure and fully plugged in, with no male blades visible.
- Avoid burying connections in ground cover or mulch, as airflow is needed to keep them dry.
- Keep connections out of low areas where water accumulates.
No Plastic Bags!
Years ago, a Florida city attempted to prevent GFCI tripping by covering outlets and electrical connections with plastic bags. Despite our warnings, they proceeded, believing they knew best. The GFCI tripping worsened, and within days, an outlet and tree caught fire due to the bags.
Why did this happen? The bags didn’t seal the outlets but instead restricted airflow, trapping moisture as condensation formed. With inadequate airflow, the moisture couldn’t dry out, leading to GFCI tripping and potentially causing the wiring in the electrical box to short circuit, posing a fire hazard. This occurrence is rare but dangerous and should be avoided.
Never cover an outlet or connection with a plastic bag. Instead of preventing GFCI tripping, it exacerbates the issue and can cause electrical shorts and fire hazards.
Moisture Displacer Spray
Over the years, we discovered that using dielectric grease or a deep penetrating moisture displacer could further reduce nuisance GFCI tripping. Applying these substances to set-to-set connections, extension cord junctions, and the outlets themselves can help minimize the problem.
The spray forms a shield that helps to prevent moisture from triggering the GFCI immediately. This does not hinder the GFCI’s functionality and it will continue to work as intended. However, it does help to minimize the occurrence of nuisance tripping that we often face.
When utilizing the displacer spray, only a small spritz is needed to cover the electrical connections. Excessive spraying will result in a mess and leave greasy Christmas lights and decorations.
The displacer spray we employed is Sprayaway Deep Penetrant Moisture Displacer. Avoid the cheaper sprays that are thin and easily washed away. WD-40 was the initial water displacer spray introduced in the 1950s. But today, there are sprays that perform better and last longer when exposed to the outdoors.
Monitor the Load
After extensive testing, we determined that a higher electrical load increases the likelihood of a GFCI trip. To examine this, we identified multiple locations and loaded individual outlets with 15 amps to measure their susceptibility to tripping under various conditions. We then split the same load between two outlets. Almost invariably, the outlets with lower loads were less prone to tripping compared to a single outlet or GFCI circuit with a higher load.
We’ve had several electricians dispute the increased tendency for GFCI outlets and circuits to trip under higher loads. But after 21 years of selling, installing, and providing consulting services in this field, I can unequivocally affirm that the total load impacts how easily a GFCI will trip.
Adjust Irrigation Systems
For approximately 80% of professional Christmas installers, irrigation during the holiday season is absent. However, for those in Florida, Southern California, and South Texas, irrigation during winter is common. Unfortunately, sprinklers and GFCIs don’t mix well.
Adjusting the irrigation schedule to avoid the times when Christmas lights are on can make a significant difference. If sprinklers are active simultaneously with holiday lights and decorations, you’ll face ongoing challenges.
Timers and Sensors
For GFCIs, avoid keeping lights and decor on continuously. The longer the lights remain on, the higher the chance of them tripping. If the outlet or circuit lacks a photocell or timer, then one should be installed. If a permanent solution isn’t feasible, use a temporary plug-in photocell. Avoid temporary traditional timers unless they come with a battery backup. Without a backup, you’ll face GFCI issues and have timers needing frequent resets due to power loss.
Staples Concerns
Staples penetrating too deeply and damaging the cord, or not being properly aligned and piercing the wire, are common GFCI triggers. Use a staple gun with a reliable guide and ensure it doesn’t drive staples too far into the tree or wood.
Reducing the number of staples used per light set can also help mitigate GFCI issues. The staple quantity depends on the type of tree. Rough-barked trees may require no staples, while smoother-barked trees will need more. For palm trees, note that Royal Palms need plenty of staples while Washingtonians do not. Adjust your staples accordingly, use enough to secure the lights, but the fewer you use, the lower the potential GFCI problems you’ll face.
Weep Holes are Important!
Weep holes on Christmas light sockets are crucial for reducing GFCI issues, although many people are unaware of them. In the past, we tried to keep moisture out of C7 and C9 sockets using rubber washers to seal the bulb and socket. However, moisture still found its way in, and the lack of airflow kept sockets damp, increasing tripping.
Nowadays, we encourage airflow and moisture passage through sockets by removing rubber washers. Most quality sellers now offer C7 and C9 sockets with two weep holes at the bottom, allowing water and air to pass through, keeping the socket drier.
This leads to a frequent question: “Why do we still sell rubber washers for C7 and C9 sockets if they are problematic?” While we don’t recommend washers for standard lighting installations, they are beneficial for oceanfront setups. Close proximity to saltwater can cause significant corrosion in C7 and C9 light lines. Using washers reduces this corrosion, even if condensation issues persist. Adding a drop of moisture displacer in the socket can further minimize salt and moisture’s corrosive effects.
Select the Right Light Set
Quality is paramount when it comes to LED Christmas lights. High-quality lights significantly reduce the incidents of nuisance GFCI tripping.
So, which light sets should be avoided? The primary rule is to NEVER purchase two-piece Christmas lights! (stringer light sets with removable bulbs) Although they might save you money initially, issues with quality, bulb failures, and increased GFCI tripping will ensue. Opt for one-piece LED stringer sets. Avoid the cheap, retail two-piece lights. Separate socket and bulb units allow moisture to penetrate the bulb socket, causing major GFCI problems. This is a vital failure point even in dry conditions. Two-piece stringer light sets are not intended for high-quality Christmas lighting.
In addition, on cheaper light sets, the rectifier is another weak point. The rectifier houses crucial electronics for the light set’s functionality, so it needs to be protected from the elements.
Professional-grade lights have rectifiers with double-injected molding, creating a double-layer seal. This makes it almost impossible for moisture to infiltrate the rectifier.Retail-grade rectifiers are highly prone to moisture entry.
When working with any string of lights, the plug typically represents a vulnerability, and it’s where a large number of GFCI problems arise. If you’re setting up 500 light strings, then you have 500 potential points of moisture infiltration. Two-pronged Edison plugs have been the norm for Christmas lights for several years, yet even the most secure plug connection isn’t waterproof. This leads us to our final, but perhaps the most crucial, point in minimizing GFCI tripping: Coaxial connect light sets.
Coaxial Connect Light Strings
Coaxial connect string lighting, often known as RY connect, was first introduced in the early generation of LED Christmas lights. These sets utilized more robust 20-gauge wire instead of the usual 22-gauge. Connections between sets were secured by threading and tightening the ends together with a rubber gasket generating a watertight seal. Around 2007 and 2008, these sets became the norm in commercial-grade LED Christmas lighting. At that time, they were only available in 25-light configurations and were fairly expensive. Despite the short lengths and high costs, many of us in the premium Christmas market quickly adopted and favored these new light sets. We appreciated the coaxial connectors.
Initially, we anticipated that GFCI problems would diminish by 75% or more, but after using these lights for a few seasons, it became evident that we were overly hopeful, with the actual reduction being closer to 30%-40%. Nonetheless, despite the lower reduction rates, we were still excited to have a light set that minimized nuisance tripping. It was also highly beneficial to have a light set that would stay plugged in, even under the harshest weather. On top of that, the advantage of using heavier 20-gauge wire provided a light set that not only reduced GFCI issues but also fared better in demanding lighting scenarios.
Nowadays, only about 25% of our light set sales to general consumers and professional installers involve coaxial connects, but for our installations in Florida, we use 100% coaxial sets. The GFCI reduction alone justifies the choice. There is approximately a 15% price difference, but the GFCI improvements and the enhanced longevity of the light sets due to the thicker electrical wiring more than compensate for this.
Don’t Despair…Prepare
If you’re in a region where temperatures consistently remain below freezing during late November and December, GFCI issues may not be significant. However, for property owners in warmer parts of the country, GFCIs can vary from moderately annoying to extremely bothersome daily.
Before you begin your first holiday light installation, determine which GFCI tripping reduction solutions suit your decorating needs the best, and then implement the plan. By spending a little extra time during the installation process and addressing as many GFCI trigger points as possible, you could eliminate up to 75% of the typical GFCI problems.