LightFAQ-5

	The Christmas Light Guide - Page 5
Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas Lights

12. Can I get Christmas lights with a different color wire?
Lights usually come on either a green, brown, or white wire. Green wires are best for use in Christmas trees. White wires are best for houses, while the brown wires are inteded for use on bare-branch trees. The color should be specified on the packaging or the advertisement.

13. How can my lights blink?
The packaging or advertising for the product should specify whether or not the lights blink. However, it is possible to convert a regular strand of lights with the help of either a blinker bulb (one for every string of fifty bulbs) or a multi-function controller.

14. Why aren?t the strands of battery-powered lights longer?
Batteries aren?t capable of powering long strings of lights, so they generally come with only 10 bulbs apiece. Because of their limitations, battery-powered light sets are not recommended for large decorating jobs, such as trees.

15. Why can?t I get a 100 foot strand of mini-lights?
The longest string of mini-lights commonly available has 140 bulbs and is approximately 40.5 feet long. Connecting more than two strands of these lights or more than three of the more common 25 foot, 100 bulb set together is simply dangerous, as they were not designed for such heavy-duty decorating.

Commercial grade mini-lights are recommended for cases like these, as their wires are thicker, making it possible to connect up to 6 strands together.

16. The Christmas lights I bought carry a lead warning. Are they dangerous?
The amount of lead contained in the electrical cords of Christmas lights is negligible and poses no immediate threat. Lead is mostly used as a fixative to hold the paint onto the wires. There is no more lead in Christmas lights today than there was fifty years ago. It is still recommended that everyone, especially children and the elderly, wash their hands after handling the lights to avoid accidentally ingesting small amounts of lead, because it can accumulate over time.

The reason why lights now come with a lead warning is because the California state legislature requires all products which contains even insignificant amounts of lead to say so.

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