Central Florida lighting expert warns of tile roof risks as holiday decorating injuries rise

A Lake Mary outdoor lighting company is urging Central Florida homeowners to avoid climbing on tile roofs this Thanksgiving season, citing federal data that show about 14,900 holiday decorating injuries in 2023 and nearly half tied to falls. The advice is aimed at homes with barrel tile roofs and second-story eaves, where ladders and roof clips can damage tiles and lead to leaks.

Why it matters: - Holiday light hanging is one of the riskiest home decorating tasks, and falls make up a large share of the injuries. - Central Florida homes often use concrete and clay barrel tile roofs, which can crack when weight is concentrated on one point. - A broken tile can lead to leaks that may not show up until months later, turning a decorating shortcut into a roof repair.

What happened: - Brad Sloan, owner of Lake Mary-based Sloan Lighting Solutions, is warning homeowners with tile roofs and second-story eaves to plan before climbing. - Sloan says the biggest seasonal risk comes from the combination of ladders and barrel tile roofs. - Thanksgiving weekend starts the busiest stretch of holiday light hanging in Central Florida. - The warning comes as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates about 14,900 holiday decorating injuries during the 2023 holiday season. - That is roughly 160 injuries a day, and nearly half involved falls, according to the CPSC's Nov. 19, 2024 holiday safety release.

The details: - A December 2024 CNN analysis of CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data from 2004 through 2023 found ladders were involved in 17% of estimated hospital visits tied to Christmas decorations, more than any other product in the record. - Sloan said concrete and clay barrel tile roofs are common on custom homes in Lake Mary, Heathrow, Winter Park and Maitland. - The roofing material can handle sun and wind, but individual tiles can crack under a ladder foot, a boot heel or a light clip forced under the tile lip. - Sloan said a clip under the tile can lift the tile just enough for water to get in later, especially during summer storms. - For DIY installers, Sloan recommends setting ladders on firm, level ground, keeping a second person at the base and using clips made for gutters or fascia instead of tile clips. - Sloan also recommends checking the roofline from the ground after January takedown for shifted or cracked tiles. - Light sets should be rated for outdoor use and connected to outlets with ground fault circuit interrupter protection. - Homeowners who want to avoid climbing can switch to permanent roofline lighting. - Sloan describes that option as a low-profile aluminum track mounted flush along the roofline and color matched to the fascia and trim. - The LED system can run warm white accent lighting most of the year and switch to holiday colors in November and December through a phone app. - Sloan Lighting Solutions also offers traditional seasonal installation, including design, in-season maintenance, takedown and off-season storage. - The company brings a demonstration trailer to in-home consultations so homeowners can judge color temperature, brightness and spacing on site after dark. - Sloan said that matters in December, when Central Florida's earliest sunsets arrive around 5:28 p.m., according to WKMG News 6 in Orlando. - Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year.

Between the lines: - The warning is not just about avoiding slips. It is also about preventing hidden roof damage that may not become obvious until months later. - Permanent roofline lighting is being pitched as both a safety move and a convenience upgrade, reducing the need for repeated ladder work each season. - The after-dark demo approach reflects a practical reality: holiday lighting is judged at night, not in daylight.

What's next: - Homeowners who still plan to decorate on their own will likely focus on safer ladder placement and roof-friendly clips before the holiday rush. - In Central Florida, the short December evenings will keep holiday displays lit for longer hours, making proper installation and electrical safety more important. - Sloan's core advice for this season is simple: keep the ladder off the tile.

The bottom line: - Holiday lights can wait. A cracked barrel tile and a fall from a ladder are the costlier problems.