in the Treasure Valley, including Middleton, Star, Eagle, Meridian, Nampa & Surrounding Areas
We want our customers to be absolutely delighted by our services! If you have signed up for any of our full season programs and if for any reason you are not absolutely happy with our work, we won’t be happy either.
That means we will immediately send our team to fix the problem, no questions asked. We want you to be completely satisfied with our services. Let us prove it to you!
What you need to know about outdoor Christmas light timers
Let’s Talk Christmas Timers
Our Christmas lights work best when paired with a photocell timer to help homeowners manage the time of day their lights turn on and off. These external timers are often placed near the ground and plugged into an outdoor power outlet by your front door or back door. Some homes are equipped with a plug-in in their eaves that is connected to an internal power switch that controls the power to their Christmas lights. For these internal switches, we often recommend that homeowners go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and purchase an inexpensive timer switch that can replace this internal switch which allows them to control their Christmas light settings from inside their home.
On rare occasions, we may install a brand new “defective” timer. The first thing that homeowners can do to check if their timer is working properly is to set the timer to the “2 hr” setting during broad daylight and then cover the small circle photocell on their timer with their hand. The lights should kick on within a few seconds. When you lift your hand from the photocell, your lights should turn off.
If your photocell is working properly and you are still having issues with your lights, follow these troubleshooting tips:
If your lights are not coming on when it gets dark, the cause is most likely one of two things:
Your timer is set to “Off”. You will need to locate your timer that was installed at the time of your installation (usually near the ground plugged into an exterior power outlet by your front door or back door) and turn the dial to your desired setting. Settings range from 2 hours to 8 hours or even from dusk to dawn.
Your timer was placed in a very sunny, well-lit area or the photocell is being exposed to a light source such as a porch light. If you cover the timer photocell with your hand it should kick on the lights within a few seconds. You can remove the light source by shading the timer with an exterior decoration (table, chair, holiday item, etc.) and this should cause the lights to kick on at your desired time setting.
If your lights are not turning off during the day, consider the following:
Check that your timer setting is set to a setting other than “On”. This setting will leave them on all the time. You will need to locate the timer that was installed with your installation (usually near the ground) and select your desired time frame.
Your timer was placed in a dark, shaded area such as a back porch, or it is a very dark and stormy day with low light. Your timer may need to be moved to a more lit area or items near it rearranged to allow more light near the photocell. Patience will need to be exercised on cloudy, darker days.
Because we install many of our client’s lights in October, we do not run power from the house lights to trees because most homeowners are still mowing and cleaning up their yards, and we do not want cords running across lawns.
If you are turning your lights on for the very first time for the season and you find that your tree lights are not turning on, check the following items:
If you are finished with your lawn mowing and maintenance, check that there is power connected to the tree lights. There will generally be a power cord from the house lights coming down the corner of your house closest to the tree(s) that just need to run out to the tree(s) and plugged into them. This power connection will connect the tree lights to the house timer and they should come on with the house lights.
If you find that the trees are connected to a power source, check that all connections are secured. If it has rained, unplug the connections and reconnect. You may need to rewrap the connections with electrical tape to prevent further moisture intake.
Installing Christmas lights on rooftops and trees can be challenging for many homeowners due to time constraints, lack of correct equipment, or physical limitations. Moreover, it can be risky, as stated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC records an average of 200 decorating-related injuries each day during the Christmas season, with half of them being falls. In 2019, six deaths occurred, and in 2018, approximately 17,500 people required emergency room treatment due to holiday decorating accidents. Professional Christmas light installation services can avoid these dangers and bring festive cheer to your home during the holiday season.
Prioritizing safety during Christmas light installation and removal is crucial, which requires the right equipment and training. Our experienced installers are comfortable working on roofs for 3-4 months each season and possess the necessary expertise with heights, ladders, and rooftops. They undergo comprehensive safety training to ensure a secure and efficient work environment. This makes our service much safer than homeowners attempting to do it themselves for a day or two each year.
Christmas lights add seasonal brightness and cheer to every property they adorn, and they’re part of what makes the season so special! Let us help brighten your home or business in festive color this year by professionally installing our holiday lights. Since 2010, we have provided high-quality Christmas light services to property owners and businesses in the Treasure Valley, including Middleton, Star, Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, and surrounding communities in Idaho. Give us a call today at 208-585-9400 to schedule an appointment. Our Christmas lighting schedule fills up fast, so give us a call as soon as possible to make sure you get a spot on our calendar!
