Using weatherproof heat shrink tubing: Use a wire cutter to remove the defective socket from the light strand. Strip about 1/2″ of insulation from both wires. Solder the wires back together or make a western union splice. Then follow the instructions in our How to Use Heat Shrink Tubing guide to protect the wires..
Likewise, why is only half of my Christmas lights working?
Don't pull too hard on the wires. A loose bulb, broken socket or frayed wire is sometimes all it takes for the strand to malfunction. After taking down the lights, plug them in before storing them, to make sure they still work.
Similarly, what do you do with Christmas lights that don't work? Ways to recycle old Christmas lights
- Contact your city's municipal solid waste office. Many will recycle the lights if you drop them off, so give a call and ask.
- Ship your old lights to Holiday LEDS Recycling.
- Drop off your lights at MOM's Organic Markets.
- Mail your lights to Christmas Light Source.
Likewise, why are there 3 wires on Christmas lights?
Removing a bulb (or twisting it until the wires break) removes the shunt as well, so they all go out. These lights have three wires to carry electricity from end to end so that strings of lights can be daisy-chained together.
How do you troubleshoot Christmas tree lights?
Checking Faulty Christmas Tree Lights
- Plug the lights into an electrical outlet.
- Turn the light switch and the circuit breaker on.
- Check the fuse or fuses from the plug at the end of the light strand (usually the glass-cylinder type with a wire filament).
- If the fuse isn't the problem, there's a problem with a bulb.
Related Question Answers
Do LED Christmas lights have fuses?
Like the incandescent strings before them, the LED strings have a fuse in series with each side of the AC line, located in the plug. Usually there is a trap-door in the plug to open and access the fuses, or there may be a section that pulls out.Do LED Christmas lights burn out?
LED Christmas lights use light-emitting diodes, rather than filament to produce light. This new technology makes LED lights more efficient, durable, and longer-lasting than fluorescent incandescent lights. They don't burn out, like other bulbs; and they also don't get hot to the touch, so they're a lot safer, too.How can you tell if a Christmas light fuse is blown?
Step 1 Blown Fuses With the plug in hand, slide the door marked "Open" in the direction pointed by the arrow. Remove the two fuses, and inspect them by looking at them up against a bright background (such as the sky). If the fuse is good, you should see an unbroken strand of wire running between the two metal contacts.How do you troubleshoot 3 wire Christmas lights?
How to Troubleshoot Three-Wire Christmas Lights - Unravel the entire strand of lights. Do this in a space where you have plenty of room where the lights do not become tangled again while you work.
- Unplug the lights. Locate the tiny fuses (there should be two: one on each side of the AC line, inside the AC plug).
- Keep the lights unplugged.
What happens if you string too many Christmas lights together?
Because light strings have a maximum wattage capacity, which is why many string lights come with a little fuse just in case you connect too many together at once. The fuse is designed to blow so you don't overload and damage your Christmas lights. This happens when your wattage exceeds the amp capacity of the circuit.How do you check Christmas lights with a voltage tester?
Use a non-contact voltage detector to find a dead bulb on Christmas lights. - Plug the lights into an outlet.
- Turn on the non-contact voltage detector.
- Replace the bad bulb, and then try the lights.
- Discard the string of lights if they are not working because of faulty wiring.
Why is half my strand of Christmas lights blinking?
Locate the blinking bulbs. Some light strands blink because they have special bulbs that twinkle. If that's the case with your lights, you can get rid of the twinkle feature by switching out the bulbs. Oftentimes, the bulbs that blink on these strands will be marked with red or silver tips.Why are there two fuses in Christmas lights?
Typically, these strings of lights have two tiny fuses, one in each side of the AC line, located inside the AC plug. The fuses are intended to melt or "blow" before the copper wires in the string could melt or cause a fire from overload.Where is the fuse on Christmas lights?
Modern sets of mini lights have a small cartridge fuse found in the cord plug, inside a small sliding door. Slide this door open, pry out the small glass fuse and examine it closely. Some light strings may have two fuses; examine them both.What type of circuit is used in Christmas lights?
Parallel Circuits The other type of Christmas light strands uses a parallel circuit. This is a closed electrical circuit where the current is wired in parallel, like rungs on a ladder.What happens if one light goes out in a parallel circuit?
Circuit Example If the light bulbs are connected in parallel, the current flowing through the light bulbs combine to form the current flowing in the battery, while the voltage drop is 6.0 V across each bulb and they all glow. One bulb burning out in a series circuit breaks the circuit.Why are my Christmas lights not working?
A loose bulb, broken socket or frayed wire is sometimes all it takes for the strand to malfunction. After taking down the lights, plug them in before storing them, to make sure they still work. Then carefully wrap the lights in their original or similar containers, making sure the bulbs don't bang together.What gauge wire are Christmas lights?
The lower the gauge, the thicker the wire. Mini lights use 22 gauge wire. C7s and C9s generally use 18 gauge wire. Specialty bulbs have a large base that requires them to be on 12 gauge wire.How are LED Christmas lights wired?
When an electron and an electron hole collide, a small amount of energy is released as a photon. The result is the visible light we see in an LED. LEDs are wired in series-parallel just like the traditional bulbs we described above. Unlike incandescent lights, however, LEDs do not typically make use of shunts.Can I cut a string of Christmas lights?
The best way to shorten lights wired in series is to remove an entire series section of lights by cutting lights apart where there are only has two wires, with the lights unplugged. Then, simply cap each of the two cut wires with a wire connector.How does the Light Keeper Pro fix lights?
Fixes most light sets in seconds using the Quick Fix Trigger This is because miniature light sets are wired in “series” and electricity must flow through each bulb, to the next, for them to light. The LightKeeper Pro Quick Fix Trigger sends a shaped, electrical pulse through the defective bulb, clearing the shunt.What is light keeper?
Fix holiday lights with a squeeze of a trigger. The Light Keeper PRO is the complete tool for fixing miniature light sets! A must for Christmas time. This all-in-one tool fixes most light sets in seconds by addressing the damaged bulb at the plug or at the socket. The LED Head Light helps visibility in light repair.How can I fix Christmas lights without a tester?
Try running your hands along the lights, and if they flicker on or off at one point, start testing the bulbs in the area you were just touching. If they don't, you'll just have to start at one end and work your way down. Pull out one bulb at a time, and stick a piece of folded up foil into the bulb socket.Does the Light Keeper Pro work on LED lights?
NO. The LightKeeper Pro's Quick Fix Trigger will only work in series Miniature Light sets with shunted bulbs. The LightKeeper Pro would not be appropriate for the larger lamped C7, C9 sets, tube/rope lights or LED Lights. 
