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You can use outdoor electrical outlets to conveniently power landscaping equipment such as electrical lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and pressure washers. From a recreational standpoint, outdoor outlets are handy for powering electric grills, mini-fridges, and stereos. They're also helpful when it's time to string Christmas lights on your home and around your property.

The five common types of landscape lighting are up-lighting, down-lighting, spotlights, built-in lighting, and pathway lighting.

• Up-lighting casts light upwards from the ground, mostly for aesthetic purposes.

• Down-lighting directs light onto the ground, lighting pathways, or outdoor space.

• Spotlights cast direct, focused lighting in any direction.

• Built-in lighting integrates lighting into an outdoor feature.

• Pathway lighting illuminates walkways, increasing safety.

If your lights are shorting out during rain storms or other winter events, you should probably replace them. These shorts indicate electrical issues that could cause serious hazards. Look for outdoor-rated lights with connectors made for rainy conditions to replace them. But if your Christmas lights are new and you want further protection, you can find weatherproof covers to add to the male-end connectors of your Christmas light strings. These can minimize the risk of shorts.

While wet-rated and damp-rated lighting is designed to handle contact with moisture, there’s a difference between the two. Wet-rated lighting is safety-rated to be placed in areas with direct exposure to water, including your shower. Fixtures classed as wet-rated are made with waterproof seals to protect the filament and other electrical components from water and moisture. 

Damp-rated fixtures can be used in places with some moisture contact, but not direct exposure. They don’t have the same waterproof seals used in wet-rated fixtures. Damp-rated lighting can be used on your bathroom ceiling or along a wall outside of your shower.