Christmas Lights

[Fluttershutter 2,529]

Why is it that in this day and age they can't make Christmas lights so that when one bulb goes out half the string doesn't go out???   

I want to do the decorating but I'm too aggravated to start. I have one of those pre-lit trees and now half of it won't light. What's the point if they only last a couple of years??? The only way to fix it is to pry off each bulb and test it. So damn annoying!!

[Celtore 2,770]

Because the cheapest way to do these sorts of lights is to have the current go across the filament in the bulbs. If one light goes out, the circuit is basically dead and the electricity can't get to the rest of the string. It is pretty annoying when that happens though, especially if you're stringing them together over a long distance (like across a house roof) and it just dies half way through.

I don't think modern strings of lights are generally wired that way anymore. At least, we have this LED set which has a few dead bulbs and it still functions perfectly fine. Well, other than those few dead bulbs.

[Fluttershutter 2,529]

7 minutes ago, Celtore said:

I don't think modern strings of lights are generally wired that way anymore. At least, we have this LED set which has a few dead bulbs and it still functions perfectly fine. Well, other than those few dead bulbs.

Mine are only a couple of years old but they're not LED. Probably less aggravating to just buy some new lights. 

[SDP40F amtrak 2,447]

I got old one from 2000 they still work some don't

[Crimson storm 1,837]

the untangling of Christmas lights, so annoying 

[Tao 7,974]

I got a tree with the lights on it so I don't have to deal with the testing of the lights or unknotting them. 

[Fluttershutter 2,529]

10 hours ago, Tao said:

I got a tree with the lights on it so I don't have to deal with the testing of the lights or unknotting them. 

I have one. Now half of it won't light.

[Lucky Bolt 35,085]

When it comes to Christmas lights, we mostly only use LEDs, cause they last MUCH longer than the regular ones. And we usually don't use pre-lit trees unless they're LED. Although, I have a little pre-lit tree in my room that isn't an LED one, but I've had it for about 5 years, maybe even a bit longer than that. And so far not a single bulb has burned out.  

Edited November 26, 2018 by Lucky Bolt

[Spacey 748]

i can definitely feel that frustration  i put up my tree a couple days ago and i had the same issue, luckily i found the dud light on the 3rd bulb. So simple yet so complicated~

[Phosphor 11,532]

I ran across this problem last weekend, while helping my grandparents with their Christmas tree. It's a pre-lit tree with clear incandescent lights. 2 sections were out due to a burnt bulb. Luckily, it was easy to find since the 2 bad bulbs were blackened on the interior. 

I definitely like the LEDs better. 

[Jedishy 3,549]

I love my LED bulbs. I use a red set around the baseboard of the bedroom for lighting at night. It does not mess with sleep pattern or night vision and LEDs last forever, run cool and are cheap to use. 

Also blasphemers and fake trees.... 

[Narcissus 355]

Try this:

 

This thing is fantastic and really works. My cousin and I fixed a ton of lights with this last year and expect to do so again this year. It costs about $20 but worth every penny. It's not guaranteed to work 100% of the time, but in my experience it works about 75%, which is pretty good and a lot better than having to replace pre-strung trees and decorations altogether.

[Dreambiscuit 10,092]

On 11/30/2018 at 1:26 AM, Narcissus said:

Try this:

 

This thing is fantastic and really works. My cousin and I fixed a ton of lights with this last year and expect to do so again this year. It costs about $20 but worth every penny. It's not guaranteed to work 100% of the time, but in my experience it works about 75%, which is pretty good and a lot better than having to replace pre-strung trees and decorations altogether.

Light Keeper Pro has saved a lot of money, not to mention quite a few special decorations. I've used it for three years now and I love it. I even took it to work to fix a little Christmas tree that was only half-lit. Did the job nicely!