Icicle guide

Shortly before the first Sunday of Advent, many families have the tradition of decorating the house together. Especially lights in all colors and variations create a festive mood and increase the anticipation for the party. The classic candle has long been replaced by modern and energy-saving fairy lights, which fasten on the inside and outside of windows, doors and roofs and let the house shine in bright light. For a change in the Christmas lightsprovide fairy lights with new shapes such as icicle , They provide a wintery feeling in times when white Christmas is the exception.

Luminous replacement for real icicle

In winter, when temperatures fall below freezing and the roofs are covered in snow, the edges of the roof make a stunning impression icicle , They stand like no other for the winter and Christmas time. Unfortunately, in this country, the climatic conditions no longer prevail icicle can form. With an icicle string of lights nobody has to renounce this symbol of winter. The fairy lights are ideal for decorating gutters, balconies, gables or railings. The different lengths depending on the chain icicle made of transparent plastic are flooded with light and reflect it like a crystal on all sides. In this way creates an impressive lighting effect, which stands out from the effect of conventional fairy lights.

Today’s fairy lights rely on the economical LED technology. It only needs a fraction of the power of a classic one light stringwith light bulbs and is also not so vulnerable to external influences. Meanwhile, the LED technology has progressed so far that the bulbs can emit as pleasantly warm white light as their predecessors. But also rather cool whites are available on request. Again and again chains are equipped with colored LEDs. For example, they let the icicles shine in a cool ice blue. Of course, the LED chains equipped with icicles cost a little more in purchase. However, the investment pays off later by a lower power consumption and a long shelf life. An additional plus is the low heat of the LED icicles, which minimizes the risk of fire.

Icicles for indoor and outdoor use

When buying an icicle string, it’s important whether it’s for outdoor or indoor use. For chains that are attached to roofs, bushes or railings as decoration, the lights and the power adapterbe frost resistant and waterproof. Most icicle chains recommended by the outdoor manufacturer meet the IP44 protection standard. This means that they are protected against splashes from all sides and thus weatherproof. No less important is the technical safety of the fairy lights. Buyers should absolutely make sure that the chains are equipped with the well-known GS and / or VDE seal. They indicate that a string of lights has been professionally checked for safety.

In most cases it depends on the purchase of the length of the fairy lights. The effective lighting systems are available in lengths of, for example, 4.5 meters, 8 meters or 15 meters. Differences show up in the distance between the individual illuminated icicles and thus the total number of lights. The more lights per meter a chain contains, the more expensive it is usually. An influence on the price also has the light effects, which brings a chain. While most chains only light in one mode, other different modes of lighting such as a waterfall effect or a flashing effect. Whether the icicles shine permanently or provide an effective play of light, is of course a matter of taste. In any case, buyers should make sure that the individual LEDs and icicles are interchangeable. This is often not the case with very cheap models, which can lead to the whole chain not functioning if a LED fails.