Takedown & Storage · Orangeville
Christmas Light Takedown and Storage in Orangeville
January in Orangeville averages a high of minus three and a low near minus twelve. Takedown is a cold, slippery job, and it is where most lights and a fair number of eavestroughs get damaged.
ESA's holiday guidance is to take seasonal decorations down after the holidays because they are not made for year-round use. In Orangeville there is a practical reason too: a strand left up through February rides out weeks of freeze and thaw, the gutter fills with ice around the clips, and the spring melt pulls everything loose. Takedown is booked for January.
Working around the weather
Environment Canada's normals for Orangeville put about 23 January days below freezing all day, with snow on the ground for nearly the whole month. Takedown is scheduled on the milder, dry days. If the eavestrough is frozen solid, clips are left until they release rather than pried out of the ice and cracking the gutter. Most displays are down by the end of January; a hard winter can push a few into February, and lights left up an extra week with the timer off do no harm.
What takedown includes
- Every clip and tie removed. Nothing left in the gutter to catch spring debris, nothing left on a tree to girdle a branch.
- Strands tested. Dead sections, cracked bulbs and damaged cords are found and set aside rather than packed away.
- Labelled by run. Front eave, garage peak, porch rail, lane spruce. Labels match the install plan so next year's display goes back exactly as it was.
- Wound on reels. So nothing comes out of the box in a knot next November.
Storage
Labelled bins can stay in your garage, basement or barn, or the lights can be taken away and stored dry until the next install. Country properties with a lot of lane and tree lighting often prefer the second option. Either way, the reinstall is faster and usually less expensive than a first install, because the runs are measured and every strand already fits its place.
Supplied-light and lease options
Some owners would rather not own lights at all. A supplied-light option is available where it suits, in which the installer owns, maintains, stores and replaces the lights and you pay for the installed display each season. Terms depend on the house and the display, are set out in writing with the quote, and do not renew without your say-so.
Retiring old lights
Old incandescent strings, sets with cracked plugs or chewed cords, and anything without a recognised Canadian certification mark are not rehung. Health Canada's sampling of decorative light strings found four of eighteen with problems, mostly cords pulling out of their housings, so a worn older set is not worth the risk. The federal recalls database is the place to check a set you are unsure of.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take down lights someone else hung?
Yes. Takedown is offered on its own, with the same care for the eavestrough and the same testing and labelling.
Do you store lights for country properties?
Yes. Lane, fence and tree lighting can be stored off site so the bins are not taking up barn or garage space, and come back with the crew in November.
What if the gutters are frozen in January?
The clips wait. Prying them out of ice cracks eavestroughs, so takedown moves to the next workable day.
Request a Quote
Call 289-513-2180 or send the form and we will get back to you within one business day.
Serving Orangeville and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.