Takedown & Storage · Guelph

Christmas Light Takedown and Storage in Guelph

Taking lights down in a Guelph January is the part nobody wants: a ladder on frozen ground, clips stuck in ice, cords stiff with cold. It is also where most lights are damaged, and where a labelled box saves next year's install an hour.

ESA's holiday advice is to take seasonal decorations down after the holidays because they are not meant for year-round use, and a Guelph winter is a good reason to listen. Cords left up through February take months of freeze and thaw, the eavestrough fills with ice around the clips, and the spring melt pulls at everything. Takedown is booked for January.

Timing around the weather

January is Guelph's coldest month, with highs averaging below zero and freezing rain on three or four days, so takedown is scheduled on the days when it can be done safely: above freezing or close to it, dry eaves, no ice on the trough. If the gutters are frozen solid, the clips are left until they release rather than being pried off and cracking the eavestrough. Most houses are clear by the end of January; a hard month can push the last few into February.

What takedown includes

• Every clip and tie removed. Nothing left in the gutter to catch leaves or on the trees to girdle a branch.
• Strands tested. Each run is checked for dead sections, cracked bulbs and damaged cords. Damaged sets are set aside, not repacked.
• Labelled by run. Front eave, garage peak, left gable, cedar by the step. Labels match the install plan so next year's install goes back exactly as it was.
• Wound, not stuffed. Strands wound on reels or cards so they come out untangled.

Storage

Lights can be stored in your garage or basement in labelled bins, or taken away and stored until the next install. Stored lights are kept dry and off the floor. When November comes round, the reinstall is quicker and usually cheaper than a first install because the runs are measured, the clips are sized and every strand is already cut to its place.

Supplied lights and lease options

Some owners prefer not to own lights at all. Where it suits, a supplied-light option is available in which the lights belong to the installer and are maintained, stored and replaced by them from season to season, and you pay for the installed display rather than the hardware. Terms vary with the house and the display and are set out in writing with the quote; nothing about it is automatic or auto-renewing.

Old lights

Older incandescent strings, sets with a cracked plug or chewed cord, and anything without a Canadian certification mark are not rehung. Health Canada's testing of decorative lighting strings found problems in four of eighteen products sampled, most of them cords pulling out of their housings, and an old set with that kind of wear is not worth the risk. Check the federal recalls database for anything you are unsure of.

Frequently asked questions

Serving Guelph and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.