Getting the Christmas Lights out for the holidays and finding they don't work is quite frustrating. However, there are a few steps you can take to try and avoid buying new lights all together.
Troubleshooting
The first step in fixing Christmas Lights is to identify what's wrong.
- If the entire chain is non-functional, a blown fuse could be the issue (most lights come with replacement fuses)
- The fuse generally sits inside the plug. Unplug the lights and use a flat-head screwdriver to slide open the door. Remove the fuse and inspect it. If it's brown or black inside or is clearly damaged/severed it means the fuse has gone bad. Simply replace the fuse and try again.
- If a section of the light strand isn'y working it could mean that there's a bad bulb or a bad connection. Try replacing some of the bulbs.
- This step can be very time consuming. A time efficient method of checking each bulb is using a Christmas bulb tester. Simply turn on the lights and pass the tester accross the entire strand of lights.
- The Tester will constantly emit a sound when it detects voltage. When the beeping stops, it means there's no power flowing through that area.
