Low Voltage Christmas Lights

We have many customers asking the differences and benefits of choosing either mains or low voltage Christmas lights, so we have decided to explain all, giving our advice and top tips along the way.

Low Voltage Recommended For Indoor

For indoor decorations, whether its in your home, party or the office, at Lights4fun we recommend when theyre in the reach of children, pets and even adults that only low voltage lighting is used. Our low voltage fairy lights run on 24 volts, making them safe around your loved ones. Our range includes string lights, net lights, icicle lights, fancy lights, twig trees, wreaths and garlands.

Furthermore, do you really want to put your loved ones at risk from old fairy lights? Electrocution and fire is a serious risk from old mains fairy lights, as older 'pointy' fairy lights are easily damaged and tend to get hot. We all know children love Christmas lights, and it is difficult to keep an eye on them at all times. Take one worry off your shoulders by selecting a safe choice of indoor low voltage LED fairy lights for your home. Our indoor LEDs always stay cool, operate on a 24v transformer, and will give you a lovely display and peace of mind.

For offices, restaurants, bars, hotels and all public areas, low voltage is a must. Conforming to health and safety regulations, you can be sure that your staff and customers are perfectly safe.

Also consider battery operated LED fairy lights, LED tea lights and LED candle lights as an alternative to real candles for indoor decorations.

Outdoor Christmas Lights

Outdoor Mains - When it comes to outdoor displays, our mains connectable outdoor Christmas lights give premium quality and stunning results time after time. Perfect for dressing trees, hedges, walls and draping from balconies our system comes in the form of string lights, net lights, curtain lights and icicle lights. Made from full rubber cables, they can withstand all weather conditions and have fantastic reliability and durability. They are weatherproofed to IP44 standard, have fully sealed plugs and connectors.

Our outdoor connectable Christmas light systems are available in long life traditional bulb or LED format. LEDs consume less energy and stay cool to the touch whereas traditional bulbs tend to look warm and friendly. The key advantage of the mains connectable system is the large number of connections and bulbs possible from a single socket. With a mains outdoor LED system it is possible to connect up to 5,000 bulbs and still use less than 350 watts of power.

The mains connectable systems are a heavy duty product and ideal for outdoor use where people cannot touch or interfere with them.

If you are buying a mains outdoor product from elsewhere please ensure the product is at least IP44 standard and check the plug is suitable for outdoor use.

Outdoor/Indoor Low Voltage Fairy Lights

Low voltage outdoor Christmas lights are now becoming more popular. In LED format they are just as bright as the mains products, but run from a 24 volt transformer. The transformer gives added protection if they were to be inadvertently damaged by a child, pet or member of the public.

All our Low voltage LED fairy lights, marked for indoor or outdoor use, are supplied with the best quality (more expensive) IP64 grade weather proofed transformer. This means the transformer can safely be left outdoors, even in the wettest of British winters.

Please take care when buying outdoor Christmas lights from elsewhere that they are really suitable for outdoor use. Many manufacturers save money on outdoor low voltage lights by providing a cheaper IP20 (indoor only) transformer. This can be very inconvenient and a potential tripping hazard trailing cables through windows or doors to the lights. Never be tempted to place an IP20 transformer outdoors.

So are Low voltage LEDs as good as mains LEDs? In most cases, yes. The main limitation of low voltage lights is the number of lights than can be illuminated from a single transformer.

Lights4fun was the first UK supplier in 2007 to introduce a low voltage connectable system. Now from our IP64 transformer you can safely connect up to 8 sets of LED lights (64 meters and 640 bulbs). It can be used indoor or outdoor with total peace of mind. Choose from low voltage connectable String Lights, net lights or Icicle lights.

Harrogate Town Council purchased hundreds of Lights4fun Low voltage string lights in summer 2007 to illuminate the trees around the famous 'Stray' park land on the entrance to the town. These lights were switched on for six months October 2007 to March 2008 with superb reliability. Both Lights4fun and Harrogate Council are delighted with the results and they have ordered some more! These same fairy lights would look just as good on an indoor tree and with one simple transformer you could have a professional display in your home.

If you are having any difficulty making the choice - we are always happy to offer practical and friendly advice. Call us on 01423 857888 or from outside the UK +44 (0)1423 857888.