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Commonly asked questions about these bulbs:

Are these breakable? Yes, these traditional incandescent glass bulbs. Be sure to order and extra box to account for breakage that naturally occurs during installation. Personal experience says that if kids are helping with your install, order two.

How many can I run on a single breaker? These bulbs are rated at 5W to 10 Watts. We suggest you not exceed 1000 watts per normal household breaker. 

Consult with a master electrician who can best advise you on how many light bulbs you can safely run on your breakers. Keep in mind that multiple outlets can be connected to the same breaker and this specification is per breaker - not outlet. Again, everyone knows an electrician or has one in the family. Invest in an hour of his or her time and pay to have them approve your design and keep that advice recorded for future projects.

About how long do these last? C9 bulbs last approximately 2000-3000 hours of use. Their lifespan will ultimately depend on your environment. Strong sunlight will fade these bulbs so keep that in mind as well. All of our bulbs are warranted for 90 days of seasonal use. Be careful when you store your bulbs for the season and consider keeping their original packing materials handy for storage.

Will these bulbs get warm? Yes, these are traditional incandescent bulbs and they produce light by heating a filament so they will warm up during operation.

Planning your project with C9 bulbs

1. Measure, as accurately as you can, the eaves of your roof allowing about 30% more than your horizontal measurement for the peak of your eaves. (If you live in a tudor, you may need to double your measurement - you are the one looking at your own roof. ) You might consider taking true physical measurements of your eaves and using one as a guideline for the others.
2. Decide the length of cords that will most easily work for your project.  Choose between 25, 50 or 100-foot C9 Stringers or a combination of them for your project. The 25 foot cords can be run 2 strings in series but our other cords come with just one plug.  We do carry 1000 foot spools - you'll need to speak to a master electrician about installing these cords because there are special guidelines for exceeding your breaker rating etc etc.)
   
   For a standard residential breaker, do not exceed 200 C9 bulbs per breaker.  Run no more than 250 feet of 18 AWG wire no matter how many sockets are present. 
3. Pick your favorite color and build a theme. Remember last season, driving your neighborhood. Were you impressed with an all-red decor? How about blue? (I love the Winterland look of all-blue.)  Or how about the Christmas classic white? (clear transparent) Multi is also right up there with white as a perennial favorite. 
4. Check out our Installation Hardware for the latest in professional stakes and clips to finish your job right!

Decorating with Incandescent C9 Bulbs

Here are some decorating ideas:

1. Do you have towering evergreen or deciduous trees in your yard and around your home?  Consider larger bulbs as opposed to smaller light strings for maximum impact, less labor and reduced material costs.

2. How about outlining your business or office? Use the bright C9 lights to draw attention to your building all year.  Use white in the off season eye appeal.  Studies show that multi colored lights increase sales during the Christmas sales more than white.

3.  Our retro opaque light bulbs in the C9 size make a real statement when used to decorate:

• Trees
• Fences
• Holiday Displays
• Nativity scenes
• Churches
• Businesses
• Sidewalks
• Gazebos

Decorating During the Holidays

Christmas

During the holidays, some folks enjoy sharing a Holiday message like Merry Christmas or Season's Greetings with those driving by. Use C9 bulbs and cords to add color and holiday cheer to your banner or sign this year. 

For folks who live in the country, add a few light sets to the outline of the barn or building for added color and a stunning effect. The trees in the nearby area would be "offended" if they didn't get a few lights too!

Halloween

With our purple, green, and orange C9 Christmas light sets, create a Halloween display that will have the beggars on Beggar's Night talk about you and your house for weeks to follow! These terrific sized lights will add an eerie feel to your landscape and to the front of your home. If you live in the country and plan to have a hike through the woods on Halloween, use the C9 lights in Halloween colors to showcase creepy scenes along the way and to line the path.

Parties all year

The C9 Christmas light sets can be utilized all yearlong for your special occasions and parties simply by changing out the bulbs for another color. Remember, you can customize your light sets yourself if you have several different colors available to you. Our light bulbs are shipped and then stored (by you) in a handy box with an individual spot for each bulb.

Baby Showers

Create a unique welcome for your baby shower guests by using our opaque C9 bulbs in baby blue, bright blue, or bright pink on the trees, shrubs, walkway and even the lawn on the day of the baby shower. They'll look great even when they're not lit during the daylight hours.