They weren’t the cheapest around, I found out, and they were cheaply made. Look for the lights that have a splash of red on the bulb near the bottom. Does anyone have a good idea of how to fix these lights? Run it along the length of the wire, starting at the first bulb in the string at the plug end, until the light goes out, indicating the circuit is dead after the bulb you just passed. I plug my lights in and I have a bunch that just don’t turn on. Sometimes only a section of the lights will go out, making your job pretty easy. They are apparently series-wired lights in two circuits. Asked By: Dong Groneberg | Last Updated: 29th January, 2020, Don't pull too hard on the wires. Remove the fuses inside the plug and replace them with new fuses. When only half the string lights up, it's usually because of a single light in the bad section. Like the incandescent strings before them, the, Pull out one bulb at a time, and stick a piece of folded up foil into the bulb socket. When it comes to lens damage, the general rule is if the lens is cracked all the way through to the core of the LED, then either the entire set or on longer stringers, half the set will go completely out. Is the edge of a half plane another half plane? Then, how can you tell if a Christmas light fuse is blown? Copyright 2020 FindAnyAnswer All rights reserved. Christmas lights are a big part of the holiday season. Why is it always half-way down the string. The only way to restore the circuit in a series lighting scheme is to replace the bad bulb with one that is known to work. Why is it that if you pull out or break one of the bulbs, the whole strand of lights goes out? Check the light again to see if any of the bulbs work. If the net does not come on at all, you may need to replace the fuse. Why is this? Your lights may turn on for a few seconds before you hear a popping noise and the lights cut off again. A light bulb has come out of its socket or is half out of its socket and it has brought down the circuit. One string comes on if you wiggle it? If the, There must be a sufficient power source to generate the energy necessary to. High heat and pests can take a toll on lights. The only way to fix the problem is to find the bad bulb. If one of your LED light strands isn't working, it's probably just because it has a bad bulb. Also, you can get non-contact voltage sensors in many places, including hardware and home improvement stores, electronics hobbyist shops, and electrical supply houses. Blown Fuse – Just like mini string lights, the commonly included power cord of 120-Volt rope light can blow its fuse. In older lights strings, though, a single dead bulb may cause the entire string to go dark. If one bulb dies, it can cause the rest of the strand to stop working. If you discover that the bulb is burned out or damaged, replace it with a new bulb, but be sure it has the proper voltage rating or you risk damaging the whole light set. I put a new bulb in the first light that doesnt work, but it does no good. Make sure both fuses are secure before closing the plug door. Place the fuses into the fuse socket. Issues with Rope Lights I put up christmas lights on my house and they work fine until I put everthing away, then half of one string wont work. I saw this asked already with out a good answer. So, you’ll have three wires–one common, one for one string and one for the other. If the plug prongs on your string of lights look dark or corroded, bring back their brass shine by rubbing them with a sheet of medium or fine grit sandpaper. If both strings are out, repeat the procedure above with the other string.  If one of your light strings isn’t working at all, or if only half of the lights are working, unplug the string and look for a small access door on one side of the male plug (the one with the prongs). I've fixed the problem by individually pulling each light and inserting a light you know is working. Why do Christmas lights go out for half the string, how does one trace the problem and fix it? Wow, thanks for the answer. If your light string has multiple circuits then that’s the reason only a portion is flashing. Why do only half of a string of christmas lights work? First, plug in the lights. If one bulb dies, it can cause the rest of the strand to stop working. I have other strings which have only half the string light up. Where is the transporter refueled filmed? Turn the light switch and the circuit breaker on. As November and December roll around, you might see strands of lights everywhere -- on Christmas trees, houses, shrubs, bushes and even the occasional car!Have you ever wondered how these lights work? You should hear a click each time. The flasher bulb will only cause the circuit it is a part of to flash on and off. Once you’ve installed them, you can paint them to match the ceiling and leave them in full time. How do you fix a blown fuse in Christmas lights? If you find one, open it and inspect the very small fuses inside the plug. Open the sliding compartment door and remove the fuse(s). How can I test Christmas lights without a tester? Saving a few bucks is not worth burning down your house. We couldn’t fix it by replacing the bulb right where the light string stopped working, so I looked into it and found this helpful (but a little too technical) article . Unplug the lights. I’m throwing a party for my other sister and for a little decoration, I decided to hang my X-mas lights around the room and on the ceiling. How do you troubleshoot Christmas tree lights? Why do my Christmas tree lights keep blowing fuses? If one of your LED light strands isn't working, it's probably just because it has a bad bulb. Remove the two fuses, and inspect them by looking at them up against a bright background (such as the sky). (Friends from Wisconsin say that squirrels love to eat their lights.) BTW the above instructions apply to the common configuration of having every other bulb belonging to a given string. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to keep the lights up there that doesn’t include too much damage to the ceiling. What does a burned out Christmas light look like? Don't pitch 'em, you can FIX them, and it's pretty simple, … Do this in a space where you have plenty of room where the lights do not become tangled again while you work. Because it’s only halfway to Christmas (OK, It’s a little more than half). In Canada at least, the three wire system is generally one that is equipped with a plug at one end to attach to the wall outlet, and an outlet at the other end to attach a second string of Christmas lights. Good thing you didn’t try them out in January. I think I’ll just buy new lights. Use a clean cloth or tack cloth to wipe away any sanding dust, then try plugging in the lights again. Check the fuse or fuses from the plug at the end of the light strand (usually the glass-cylinder type with a wire filament). Fix Holiday Icicle Lights: So! How? This begs the question why bother providing the fuse. Similarly, why is a section of Christmas lights out? Probably not the ideal solution, aesthetically, but stucco is difficult to attach things to temporarily without pulling some loose. Don't force them in. Click to see full answer Also asked, why do only half of my LED Christmas lights work? If the fuse is good, you should see an unbroken strand of wire running between the two metal contacts. Sometimes, if I drop it or jar it a bit, the entire thing lights up and will carry a current to the next set of lights. They can last 10 times longer than traditional lights. But, just a fickle as the first rough handling, a subsequent rough handling causes the lights to go off again. If half the string is out, look for the dead bulb closet to the end. Why are there 3 wires on Christmas lights? Just like finding an LED that is open except not looking for the LED's to turn on, but will increase slightly in brightness. Each string taps one backbone wire at one end, and the other backbone wire at the other end. Finding the bad bulb or even bulbs in a string of lights is often easier said than done, however. The first several search results made me gag: people actually suggested cutting out the offending half-string and patching in another one. For light strings that commonly have over 50 bulbs, they are constructed in 2 or more continuous circuits. lights still don't work. Sometimes touching and twisting the wire fixes it. If the bulb does not come on after tightening it, remove the bulb and check to see if the center wire is in the middle of the bulb, if it is not, discard the bulb and replace it with a replacement bulb. The string recepticle is the logical location but it appears to be difficult to open without destroying the casing. ... have 8 strings of g e clear christmas lights that only the first half of the string works. When half a light strand is out it is usually a defect in the wire, apparently when a bulb burns out what happens is that the electricity bypasses that bulb to reach the rest of the lights, however if the channels in the wire are not working properly it will not allow the electricity to pass through to the rest of the string. Christmas lights might just be the most cheaply made appliance in the world. These are not necessarily old lights. Plug the string of lights into a normal outlet. The LEDs are probably strung in series. With the plug in hand, slide the door marked "Open" in the direction pointed by the arrow. You're done with this exercise when … Does anyone know why half a string of Christmas lights light up and half do not? They should be firmly in place in the grooves of the fuse socket. I kept searching, and further down the list was a fellow who described in detail how strings of LED lights work, technically. It depends. Unravel the entire strand of lights. Or they suffered in storage. On a somewhat related note, I’m finding it difficult to tape these lights to the ceiling (stucco house paint, type ceiling, but very cheaply done). Noma does not give appropriate directions on the maintenance of their string lights. What gives? It’s really annoying, especially since I only got one season out of them. That’s how you can lose 1/2 or 1/3 or 1/4 of the string. To fix Christmas lights, the only tool you’ll need is a bulb tester. So if one light bulb is out, then none or half of the lights don't work. Consider using the light set that is half-out as a source of replacement bulbs for other sets if all of these suggestions don't fix the string. A regular strand of incandescent lights work, but whenever I plug in a strand of led lights in, only half of the strand works. I've had this happen to me a few times now. Holiday lights usually have cartridge fuses in a small compartment in the cord plug behind a sliding door. Locate the tiny fuses (there should be two: one on each side of the AC line, inside the AC plug). So it sounds like you have at least two bad bulbs in the string that doesn't work (at least one in each parallel/half) of the string, and at least one bad bulb in the half of the other string. See "LED Christmas Lights and How to Fix Them" by Terry Ritter. The idea is you can replace bulb #1 with a flasher4 bulb and make half the lights flash, or replace bulb #2 with the flasher and have the other half flash instead, or replace both #1 and #2 with flashers and have both sets flash. Once you’ve found which one, leave it out and replace the other with a known good one. What's the difference between Koolaburra by UGG and UGG? I have other strings which have only half the string light up. Why are there two fuses in Christmas lights? Step 1 Blown Fuses With the plug in hand, slide the door marked "Open" in the direction pointed by the arrow. A loose bulb, broken socket or frayed wire. Tighten the bulb gently and checked to see if the rest of the strand lit up. A string of lights typically has two parallel circuits and the power is carried through from one end to the other. Every year you take the box of holiday lights off the shelf, plug them in, and only half of them work. The only way to fix the problem is to find the bad bulb. Sometimes, if I drop it or jar it a bit, the entire thing lights up and will carry a current to the next set of lights. This means the lights are designed to last one to three seasons, depending on your usage. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. Every strand of LED lights I own have this problem and they are only 1 or 2 years old. Unfortunately, if any bulb is loose or burned out, it will disconnect all the bulbs in that string. You can find the bad bulb easily enough if you have a non-contact voltage sensor. Why does only half of mini Christmas lights string work? The known good bulb becomes a tester as each bulb is replaced individually until the string lights up again. How much does it cost to play a round of golf at Augusta National? Considering this, why do only half of my LED Christmas lights work? Within each string, all lamps are in series. Once you’ve found which one, leave it out and replace the other with a known good one. Continue with the voltage sensor to find the remaining bad bulbs, if necessary. Actually. If all or part of a string of lights is dark, the problem may be a broken filament or a faulty shunt. A failure will darken the whole string, except the bulbs have fusible shunts so if a bulb burns out, it will shunt and the other bulbs will remain lit (at a slightly higher voltage, burning them out faster). this is the cheapest construction method dating way back from incandescent light strings. Plug the lights into an electrical outlet. replaced first bulb in section that is out with bulb that i know works. Pull out the first lit bulb (the one closest to the plug). Next, check out our handy holiday decorating tips here. But, just a fickle as the first rough handling, a subsequent rough handling causes the lights to go off again. These lights are key. If the pattern is different, you’ll need to modify the testing procedure as necessary. Is my problem fixable? Can you substitute half and half for heavy cream in cheesecake? Remove the two fuses, and inspect them by looking at them up against a bright background (such as the sky). Duh! I have 8 strings but with 4, only 1/2 of the lights work. Note any bulbs that are burned out. It’s not as bad as it sounds from my description. If you replace the end bulbs and the string of lights still does not work … Wait, what month is it? It means, there is either unconnecter/badly connected wire somewhere or one bulb(or more) is out. Stuff like that spells FIRE! Plug the lights into an outlet plug. I've checked for missing bulbs, and these days the string is supposed to stay lit when individual bulbs burn out. Masking tape works, somewhat. That seems like a lot of work. Press the button (or pull the trigger, depending on the model) about 20 times. How do I remove a broken lightbulb from the socket? Why did the eastern half of the Roman Empire last longer than the western half of the Roman Empire? So I went to Walmart because someone told me they had cheap lights. Now you can use your voltage sensor to find the bad bulb in the energized string. As for hanging the lights, I’d recommend using small plastic drywall or stucco anchors with screw eye hooks. 100 bulbs is a popular configuration. Where are the fuses on a pre lit Christmas tree? And, after thinking it over, you can greatly simplify it by replacing this: Then determine which string is out by unplugging first bulb #1 (the closest to the plug), then bulb #2 and see which one makes the lit string go out. Close the plug door. Replace the blown fuse with a replacement fuse of identical size and rating. The color organ changes the voltage continuously causing the lights to flash. Then determine which string is out by unplugging first bulb #1 (the closest to the plug), then bulb #2 and see which one makes the lit string go out. Remove corrosion from the plug prongs and plug the string in again. Use the small flathead screwdriver or kitchen knife to cover the fuses back up. Newer style LED (light-emitting diode) lights are the exception. (I’ll find lights from someone else). Solar Fairy Lights Trouble Shooting Guide that will help you fix nearly any set of Solar Fairy Lights, if you are having problems then please read this guide. Does Hermione die in Harry Potter and the cursed child? If the entire string is out, start with a bulb at the end of the string. The plug on your power cord should have a section that slides out, allowing you to see and replace the blackened fuse. If it flickers and goes out again, the problem is a loose bulb. Yes, the LED Keeper can find the culprit. Plug the string of lights into the socket on the repair tool. 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