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- These lights are designed to be wired in series, and so drop the 120V line voltage to typically 2.4V (120V/50bulbs=2.4V/bulb) without using an expensive transformer. As a result, any single bulb failure could darken an entire circuit. To avoid this, each bulb has a "shunt" of several turns of tiny wire inside the bulb near the bead.
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The first step in learning how to fix Christmas tree lights or holiday lights is diagnosing the problem. Whether you're using traditional incandescent lights or LED lights, most plug in Christmas lights usually stop working for the following reasons: The circuit isn’t carrying power. A fuse has blown.
Dec 16, 2015 · A shunt is any device that allows current to continue flowing through a circuit by creating a path of lower resistance than the original path. In incandescent holiday lights, shunts are small wires wrapped beneath the filament. Initially, they are coated with a substance that makes them an insulator.
- Inspect the Christmas lights. This is an important step that should be carried out before you even plug in your Christmas lights, but it is important as it could reveal a problem that needs fixing before you try switching the lights on.
- Check the fuse. Plug the Christmas lights in. Entire string not working? Check the fuses in the plug, and be aware that there might be two of them. Using a small screwdriver, remove a blown version if this is the issue, and replace it with a new one.
- Look for faulty bulbs. Wondering how to fix Christmas lights if the problem is that one bulb isn’t working? First of all, check the problem isn’t a loose connection.
- Mend a section of Christmas lights. Perhaps the problem is that a whole section of the lights isn’t working? ‘ Christmas light strings share a circuit so when one isn’t firmly attached, it throws out the entire circuit which means the others aren’t going to light up either,’ explains Andre Kazimierski, CEO, Improovy.
- Determine LED vs. Incandescent Bulbs. Incandescent Christmas lights are hardwired in a series on two or more continuous circuits. When a bulb in the middle of the strand goes out, the circuit isn’t complete and the lights that follow won’t receive the proper voltage.
- Consider Purchasing a Christmas Light Bulb Tester. These devices typically cost between $25 and $30 and will make your job significantly easier if you need to track down one bad bulb on a strand.
- Clean the Plug Prongs. Sometimes corrosion on the prongs of the electrical plug is the culprit for a partial outage. Since it’s the easiest cause to diagnose or rule out, it’s best to start here.
- Examine and Repair the Fuses. With incandescent Christmas lights, a blown fuse usually results in the whole strand going out, but with LED lights, you can potentially fix it with a new fuse.
Jan 22, 2024 · Each Christmas light bulb has a "shunt" that is supposed to close the gap when the bulb burns out. This often fails, but a small surge of current can trigger this and put your lights back on. This will not work every time, especially with this DIY approach. If you're looking for quick results, try the methods above instead.
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Mar 23, 2022 · Problems in trees typically occur when light strings go dark, or when the tree is first assembled. To troubleshoot, tests can be performed on the light strings to determine if a bulb is defective, or the light strings can simply be replaced with working sets.
