Light bulbs for holiday decoration use a specific coding system. Understanding this coding system allow a person to choose the right light bulb for a particular holiday decoration task. Each brand of light bulb has a name that begin with a letter that indicates the shape of the light bulb and a number that indicate the diameter of the light bulb in eighths of an inch.
For example, a C7 light bulb is a cone shaped light bulb with a diameter of seven-eighths of an inch. This information allow a person to select the right size of light bulb that will fit into a decorative lighting socket. In addition, a person must ensure that the base of the light bulb match the base of the decorative lighting socket.
How to Choose Holiday Light Bulbs
For example, some decorative light bulbs has small candelabra bases while others have medium sized bases. Therefore, before purchasing replacement light bulbs, a person should determine the base type of the decorative light bulbs. The shape of a light bulb will affect the way that the light bulb light an area and the way that the light bulbs appears in a decoration task.
For example, cone-shaped light bulbs, like C7 and C9 light bulbs, is visible from a distance and are often used to highlight the eaves of a house. Globe-shaped light bulbs emit their light in many direction and are often used in wreaths to highlight the greenery around them. Straight-sided light bulbs are often used on pathway stake to highlight the path that individuals take while walking.
Therefore, because each type of light bulb emit light in a different way, individuals should select light bulbs according to the kind of lighting effect that they desire for their holiday decorations. For example, if an individual would like a dense sparkle lighting effect, they should purchase light bulbs with small diameters. If an individual would like to create an ambient lighting effect, they should purchase light bulb with large diameters.
A person should choose the size of a decorative light bulb according to the size of the holiday decoration in which the bulbs will be used. For instance, if the decorations to be use on a Christmas tree include light bulbs that are too large in diameter, the large size of the bulbs may prevent ornament from being added to the tree or cause the branches of the tree to sag under the weight of the large decorations. Using light bulbs that are too small for a Christmas tree may make it so that the light from the small bulbs is not visible against the branches of the tree.
For outdoor Christmas trees, it is often better to use larger light bulbs for the branches. This is because larger bulbs can be placed farther apart on the branches to illuminate large area of the Christmas tree. The size of the light bulb will determine the density of the light that the bulb emits.
Therefore, it is important to consider the size of the bulbs that will be used in a Christmas tree display to avoid creating areas within the tree that do not emit light, or areas that are more bright. It is important to use the correct type of light bulb for each application. For instance, small globe-shaped bulb can be used to wrap around a Christmas wreath.
Additionally, bulbs can be used along a walkway to provide light to the feet of those walking along the path. Slim cone-shaped bulb are often used for Christmas window displays. Each location where light bulbs will be placed should have the appropriate type of bulbs used in that application.
If using a Christmas tree, bulbs must be rated for outdoor use to allow the bulbs to withstand the weather condition outside. If indoor bulbs are used on a Christmas tree outside, the bulbs may short circuit due to the moisture in the air. Christmas light bulbs made with LED technology are often used in decorations.
LED bulb use less power than those made with incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs come in a variety of color. Bulbs can also fail within a string of lights.
It is important to use a bulb tester to find the broken bulb, and to inspect the wiring for any hazard. If light bulbs of the wrong voltage are placed in a string of lights, the failure of the bulbs or damage to the lights string can occur. Through understanding the code for the shape and size of the bulbs, people can select the proper bulbs for their decorations to avoid frustration caused by broken decoration.
