How to fix Christmas lights
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- Опубліковано 17 лис 2014
- Buy the Light Keeper Pro: amzn.to/2oEbr6Z (amazon associate link)
This video shows how incandescent mini-lights work and how to diagnose problems that cause all or part of a strand go out. Nearly all mini-light strands can be diagnosed and repaired with this method.
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No need to watch other videos about repairing incandescent mini lights. This is a the only one you’ll need to figure out what to do with a string that’s not lightning. This is a GREAT video loaded with excellent information and tips (like the close pin). Thank you for posting!!!
Just put the defective string of unplugged lights on a chopping block and take an axe to them. Usually about 10 or 12 good chops on those light strings will take care of your feeling bad about tossing them in the trash.
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Or return them to the store.
May just be because it is a very long video which can get confusing...especially for those with little English 😵😅
Clothes
7:23 your welcome
Thank you. Lol
😆😆😆 Comments like yours never get old and continue the crack me up!!! @ Laila Fuqua
😀😃 America coffee break !
farts. thanks. I went through 5 minutes before I figured out he was going to measure the voltage, scanned down, saw this and sho enough that's it. 20 bucks for a diagnosis tool I need before Xmas, or wait till after Xmas and just buy a ton of lights for 25cents a pop. no brainier. the tree is going to have stripes of lights this year
he was Killing me..
So my led 500 foot light string was broken clean at the last bulb before the plug. Three wires went in and only two came out. This explanation and his drawn diagram gave me enough info to tape the right wires together to repair the string that I was ready to throw away. My husband was speechless at my electrical skill! That was a bigger reward than salvaging the two year old lights. Thanks a million.
Buddy, you are AWESOME!!! No idea why 559 people dislike this video. THANKS!!!
blaine my problem with it is that I do not have the greatest hearing and he talks so fast I have to do it a few times to pick up all the points.
Because,
1) some people do not want to learn anything. They just want the fix without understanding what they're doing. (I like learning and understanding); and
2) some people are just mean. Instead of moving on, without commenting, liking or disliking they feel the need to dislike out of sheer pettiness and meanness.
Probably Xmas light suppliers
Because they’re mad they gotta buy that gun thingy and find a sacrificial light
Some people hate puppies. :-/ I appreciate anyone trying to share info to help others. If you don't like it, keep scrolling!
I have met the Christmas tree string light GOAT
This is an incredibly useful video. I bought the repair Light Keeper 2 years ago based on other videos…..followed their directions, and it was useless. I chucked it on the shelf. Well, yesterday this video caught my eye….and guess what? The Fixer works great, it was the other videos and the Fixer’s instructions that were woefully incomplete. This guy needs an award for this video. Well done sir! 🎉 🥇 🏆
I'm a master electrician (E-1) and I learned something. I know the basic principles of parallel and series circuitry but I never would invest the time to learning how to fix these strings, but now I know the basic layout of Christmas tree lights.
Nice job, two thumbs up!
Fantastic video. I learned more about tree lights in 20 minutes than I figured out for myself in 20 years. Thanks for all the tips.
I've had my lightkeeper pro for 3 or 4 years and had long written it off as junk almost immediately and relegated it to a corner box. After testing my lights this year only to find over half were only working properly, I searched UA-cam for an answer and came across your video. I had been using it all wrong! Your video was very thorough and helped me save all but one string. I greatly appreciate the time you took to make it!
I had the same issue !!!.. using it wrong. The instructions are not very helpful or clear. I have two of these guns sitting ina my Christmas box !!!.... Thank goodness I came across this video too. !!!!
@@cfglz06 Amen to that! I've yet to make mine work, but agree that I've learned more about how it's SUPPOSED to work from this kind man's video than I have anything on the Lightkeeperpro people's website...Their instructions aren't so helpful. And their commercials are downright misleading....(Maybe they could show a woman clicking 30- 50 times (and not the perfect "3" clicks, as they would have you believe will oh, so easily do the trick....Seems all of their lights light right up with 3 simple clicks ~Seriously? NOT.)
@@karlenroseThe most common problem can be fixed with the light keeper but sometimes a bulbs wires are not touching, all bulbs are burnt out, etc. Those issues require more time and experience to find and fix
Yeah
My mom, would spend hours fixing lights like this by replacing every bulb until she found the problem bulb. She would’ve loved this video.
I appreciate you showing us how light strands work.
Great video!
So she's dead now?
It's been 6 years since the last comment, but this video is still helping people. I have 4 of the old incandescent bulb wire frame reindeer (the large ones move) and every year I'm having to repair the lights. I've also had a light keeper pro for years, but only ever really had to use the bad shunt finder. This year, 2 of my reindeer only light up partially. It wasn't a shunt. So i used your voltage detector method with clothespin and got the first section working! I'm confident I'll have baby and mama reindeer out on the yard by weeks end, joining papa and older sister. Incandescent bulbs give off a magical glow still unmatched by LED. I know LED are less power hungry, but I'll pay a bit more for the magic I remember as a child. Merry Christmas to you all from 2023.
I can't tell you how many videos/web sites I've looked at that have given me nothing but the basic information that everyone else supplies. All basically useless unless you have no clue at all what to do. As soon as you started drawing the circuit I knew I had found the right video. Thank you. It made total sense and now I feel like I have an approach to use to tackle any problem I have work strings of lights. Found my current problem in 10 minutes.
You are a great teacher! I'm a 71-year-old grandma and have been so frustrated with burned out strings of lights. But now, I think I can fix them myself. Thank you!!!
AND, I just checked my box where I keep my lights, remembering I had some kind of fix-it tool in there, and voila, I actually had bought that exact same thing you have many years ago but never knew how to use it.
My two strings of lights, half-burned out, will be fixed ASAP.
EXCELLENT informative video. Learned everything I needed to know. Can’t thank you enough for your thoroughness and explaining in a simple, straight to the point, way for all to comprehend. This single mom got the lights fixed!
Finally someone who showed the schematic so I can ACTUALLY diagnose lights now. Thank you
This is a lot different than swapping a good bulb into every single socket until the strand comes on. I thought there should be a way like this but did not research it until today. This saves me hassle, stress, anxiety, etc. I thought it was great that you created a diagram of the wiring arrangement as well. Thanks!
6 years later and I finally got an answer!!! I am so grateful for you! Thank to whomever explained this. You are my hero 😅
The absolute best video for repairing lights I’ve ever seen. Watch this and learn.
I really wish I would have found this video a few weeks ago! Literally every single strand I went to plug in only had 1 side that worked. I’m talking at least 7 strands of 100 bulbs! I was so frustrated that I threw them all away and bought new ones. From now on I’ll have me one of these gadgets and fix them! Thank you so much for the easy to understand tutorial!!
I can't tell you, how much I appreciate the full lesson on Christmas string lights! lol I have had my ass whooped by my pre-lit Christmas tree, and have had no clue where to begin to fix it. Right now, you're the world's sexiest man to me. lol Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.
Just wanted to thank you. I spent two hours trying to fix lights using my Light Keeper Pro and got nowhere. I watched your video and had them fixed in 20 minutes.
Right?!
Thank you, for doing this! I’ve been spending so much time every year trying to figure this out. You are a great teacher!!!
You just helped me 8 years after posting this video. I would still be trying to hunt down the problem had it not been for this video. And I didn’t even have the gun! I will definitely be buying one after Christmas if I find one this year. Thanks for all your help!
I found several strands of pastel lights that I adore and several of the strands are half working. I don’t know squat about electrical fixes and this video was so well done and detailed that I feel educated and confident. Thank you for the wonderful learning experience!
This is a great video. One thing to consider is, if you have a lot of lights out in a string, be sure to replace them all before plugging in. I was trying to replace them one at a time (while plugged in) and they kept blowing out before I realized the problem.
Wow! No more throwing away my mini lights! Love the detailed info you gave here. Thank you so much for posting this.
This video did the trick. Showing how to use the LightKeeper on individual lights was the key -- check only the two strands going into the light, not all three.
I’ve had this tool for a few years saved 5 or 6 sets with the shunt repair , your isolation and close pin method is Homeric . Christmas lights are the bane of my existence . Pile of 8 sets waiting to be repaired now . Thanks , great tips on the close pin and isolating that wire .
I wish that I would have watched this video 10 years a ago! It would have saved me a ton of money and time! Great video! Thank you!
You are a freakin' genius! Don't know why it took so long for me to find you. But I'm soooo glad I did! Thank you!!!
That was magical. My prelit tree was almost thrown out. Now it's perfect. Seriously...it took 10 minutes to fix the whole thing.
This man is the REAL Santa Claus!! Saving Christmas one house at a time. Thank you good sir, I now feel like a Christmas light master.
This video is great!!! The three wires threw me for a loop. I had no idea how the string of lights were wired. I knew they were parallel/series but that is all I knew. Your drawing of the light circuit was just what I needed. The other jewel I learned from your video was about the Light Keeper Pro. What a handy tool. I have two of these light strings with 100 lights on each string. They both have 50 lights out. I thought I was going to have to trash them and buy two new strings. Your video has saved me enough money so I can buy the Light Keeper Pro and still be money ahead. Thanks so much for taking your time to make it clear that these light string can be troubleshot and fixed.
You are awsome! I am 70 years old and I finally understands string lights. You have covered this subject completely and made it so understandable. thank you so much!
Thanks for the help. Had 5 strands out, made one of them my spare parts strand. So I fixed 4 and took the loss on 1. Much better than buying all 5 again. Much appreciated, very easy to follow, the light keeper pro is a great tool that I just bought for this project
Thank you! I found this tool at a Home Hardware in Vancouver, Canada and have fixed 3 sides of 2 strings using the shunt repair trigger. Now, I'm replacing burnt out bulbs. I'll be watching for these tools to go on sale after Christmas too!
One helpful thing I would add is, rather than moving along every few bulbs, go in "halfs". In other words, check bulb 1 (so you know the fault in amoung the other 49), then check bulb 25 (and you will then know wether its the first or second 25)... and continue until you narrow it down. You will find the fault much faster by quickly eliminating groups of working bulbs.
This is exactly how power engineers find faults on transmission/distributions lines ;) Similar to folding paper, youll find it in 7 tries or less ;)
Engineer here. We call it a binary search method.
Awesome video! Now I want to be a 62 year old lady who fixes Christmas lights!! Lol! I have a strand in my bushes right now multi colored lights..the blues and greens are working but the red and yellows quit! Gonna have fun with that.. especially since I don't want to unwind it off my bush! Oh my! Lol!
I'm about half your age and I feel the same way 😂
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I went to set up my tree today only to find two big spots of not working lights.... google searched for ideas, gave me your video - went and bought that tool, and within 5 minutes had the tree fixed. Totally brought my day back around! 😊
Found your videos, purchased the tool and quickly had my pre-lit tree back up and running. Thank you!
I got to pissed off and just went and got a new strand $5 > aggravation
ua-cam.com/video/Ar2B_VMLmJc/v-deo.html
That’s exactly what I’m about to do!! 😂😂😂
And if you have a pre-lit Christmas tree that cost $250?
The nightmare before Christmas 😏🤷🏻♀️
@@jamest1148 Chuck it.
I wish I could Like this many times over. Thorough and informative, and explains how lights works really well. Now I can tackle the unlit part of my tree! Thanks
OMG thank you for this video! I've been searching UA-cam for how to fix my lights and you're the ONLY one who makes any sense! I had no idea that not changing out burnt bulbs would cause more issues! Hopefully I'll be able to fix my lights.
thanks for keeping this video live after all these years! very helpful.
I’m kinda locally famous for having the most tastefully elegant & brightest display of holiday house lights throughout my entire neighborhood, year after year. This is my art and I don’t jack around with this stuff because I really have no other means with which to validate myself.
It always takes me a couple of very long non stop working days & a weeks worth of cold evenings to get everything in place and working correctly. I’ve had to add several dedicated outdoor outlets for seasonal use and I pay a visit to the ER for an assortment of gruesome injuries at least every other year. Although I enjoy it all while also feeling compelled to embellish & improve my art every season, this routine of mine has pretty much become an obligation I will not dodge until the day of my own death, which undoubtedly will occur from falling from the roof, hypothermia or through self electrocution. I’m cool with either ending and have fully accepted my fate because I need to leave this world as a hero.
However Ive been living with one dark & terribly wretched secret. What nobody knows (not even my own wife & kids) is that every year I end up spending a lot of cheese to replace half of these countless sets of string & net lights because I can’t friggin get em to fully light up.
This video & your tutorial has put the kibosh on that particularly shameful part of my routine & relieves the burden of this cumbersome guilt. It will also save me many hundreds of dollars a season. Thank you so very, very much!
ua-cam.com/video/Ar2B_VMLmJc/v-deo.html
This is possibly the most awesome thing I’ve ever read. And I read a lot.
Thanks this was helpful!!! I did look like Winona Ryder from "Stranger Things" while crazily trying to fix my Christmas lights lol
Sybarite Sphynx
It is strange how if one breaks 50 breaks. Lol
Wish i found this when it was posted 7 years ago. This is the most comprehensive explanation of how these are wired with some added tips that would have saved me some cash. I had no idea you could swap out a bulb from the base.
Amazingly helpful. We've had a Light Keeper pro for ages and never really understood how use it to it's full extent.
Yeah I got one several years ago but it was a mystery. This helps some. It's a lot of work but at least this points you the right direction...
Thanks for going into all this detail! I use LEDs these days but I'm still very fond of the way incandescent Christmas lights look, so I enjoyed learning how they work.
ua-cam.com/video/Ar2B_VMLmJc/v-deo.html
Thank for such an informative video!! You made it so much easier than I thought it would be. Love it! Will go buy another for when this one burns out!
Thanks for posting this thorough tutorial. Just used this to fix three strings of lights. I needed each of these techniques, and can now prevent strings from going out. Thanks for sharing your expertise!
OMG Thank You !!!! I have 3000 lights on my tree, and start having nightmares around September wondering if they'll come on. Now I can fix them where they lie!!!
I really appreciate you creating this video. It was a great help! Thank you!
So helpful for understanding how the current flows, and how to isolate the single wire going to the bulbs when using the Light Keeper Pro tool (which I already had). I didn't know the trick about flipping the plug around, nor using a clothespin to keep narrowing in on the problem. THANK YOU!!!
Just a device called a non-contact voltage tester costs $15 for a decent one, so $20 for the tool here in this excellent video is worth it. That tip of making your own "lamp and base" combination is what separated this from most other tip videos. That is what users really need.
Thanks so much for the clear explanation! I purchased a light keeper pro and have yet to use it but now im looking forward to fixing string lights with new confidence!
Thanks, after I had tried a few times to replace the bulb I finally shun the outlet about 15-20 times and it finally worked, thanks so much!!!
This tutorial was fantastic! Thank you for spending the time explaining the whole process and how it all works together. That helps a great deal.
When I first saw this video was 20 minutes long I scrolled past it. Something made me come back and I'm glad I did. 🙌
That little tool is a money and time saver,,I got on to them about 6 years or so ago,,thank for showing the proper way of using it,
Awesome video! You may have missed your calling! ..... You would be a great teacher! You have an extraordinary ability to explain things in a clear, easy, sequential manner.
Thank you 🙏🏼 by far the most helpful video I’ve watched yet
After watching other videos that drone on and on about useless tidbits I came across this one. Great work, clearly understand what's going on now.
I love this video. I am a nut for Christmas decorating and hate hate light strings that won’t light. Especially the half lit ones. So I’ve been throwing them away, particularly since I’m moving more to LED. Now I’m going to fix those buggers! I have had that light repair gun for probably 20 yrs and replaced the batteries but found it wasn’t working so I gave up. I’m getting a new one and taking your advice on the sales. Great job explaining why they’re not working. That was the most frustrating thing, not knowing WHY!!! 😁 Thanks.
Great video! I have the same problem. Only half of my lights are working. They are a wreath set of lights that wrap around a banister. Unfortunately I don't have this tool, I checked the fuses in the male end. They are good. Since I didn't have this tool I replaced all 50 bulbs with new ones still didn't work. Maybe it's a shunt that isn't working? I'm disappointed cause now only half my lights work and there are no stores open now. But great video, very informative. People always tell me, dude just buy new lights. It's not about that, it's about learning how to fix something that is still of great use. The knowledge. Learning how to do something. Thank you for the lesson! Merry Christmas.
If you don't have access to the LKP tool anytime soon, you can try a simple voltage detector tool. They can be found at home centers. It won't have the audible noise and may be a bit more sensitive, but it should light up when it senses voltage nearby.
After searching for a video to help me understand the process, this one is great! Easy to understand, simple and clear. Thanks for helping us to understand how the current flows. Especially turning the male plug around and plugging it in so current flows in a different direction in order to help discover the problem.
Thank you, this will keep me from throwing away so many light sets each year. Great information!!!!!
You just became my all time favorite human being. Ever! Thank you so much. You are a wonderful teacher and I wish you every blessing as your due!💖
Great job explaining. I had the exact problem with several strings, where only half was lit. Things are getting brighter!
Went thru a lot of videos explaining how to fix Christmas lights. This one has by far the best instructions that I have come across. Thank you!
Thank you.
This is so far the best video of led string fixing and actually just helped me fix mine. Very informative.
You should be a teacher!! I have been struggling with the light keeper pro for days now. Your video has helped so much. I have now fixed 9 strings !
you are........THE MAN!!! just saved me $11, Thanks!
Gonna try on my lights tonight. Gonna be much, much harder task as I can't find light pro and the lights are built into the tree and are super hard to isolate.
Great video, thanks. I saw those Light keeps and figured they were a gimmick, guess I should of picked a few up the other day while they were on sale.
Fantastic video. I just spent several hours pulling every light out of part of the top section of a pre-lit tree and testing it with a meter and replacing it. When I was ready to plug the last bulb back in I paused to prepare a heavily spiked glass of egg nogg to celebrate. I put the glass in the refigerator and hit You Tube to find out what was happening. (when in doubt, look it up!). I don't have a Magic Christmas Light Gun, and can't get one until Monday and TODAY is the day to get the tree set up. Now that I know about the shunts, I can probably get it working ( I have an eyepiece from an old microscope I use to see the inside of the lightbulb - getting old and see that close any more).
Thank you VERY much Mr Paxton!
Great video. I learned a lot. Especially how these lights are wired. It's a PIA to fix but I am tired of buying new light strings every year. Thanks
Great video! I have no idea why anybody would give this a thumbs down! Experience or not this is very informative. Harry Homeowner thanks you!
Your aunt and I would like to fly you out to WA state to fix our $&!%# pre-wired Christmas tree. Seriously, helpful and informative video, Victor. Unfortunately, there's no unbraiding the wires in a pre-wired tree and there's 3 strands out. Probably time to take the tree to the range and make my day. Have a great Christmas! J&K
I absolutely love this video. I'm no electricity expert nor do I understand many other standard things but THIS video helped me fix my lights last year and this year!!! It's saved forever now.
You are amazing. Love the way you laid it all out for a layman like me. Kudos to you!! Thanks for spreading your knowledge.
Thank you for such a detailed and thorough explanation. This is the best video tutorial!
Exactly!
Do I get some type of certification for watching? TY
Rique Rod Decorating professional certified 😜
No, first you have to pass the test actually doing it, and that a few times too.
You could print your own certificate out and help out friends and neighbors who are thinking about throwing their lights out and maybe they’ll buy you a beer.
Just go buy a new set when Christmas is over for $3.99. Chuck the half set. Then next year you have new, not tangled up lights. Then drink some beer and watch the game !!!!!
@@jamesoconnor3562 too much trash in the environment - it’s a great skill to repair rather than replace
Hands down one of the best explanation of fixing Christmas lights. Great job!
Outstanding explanation of circuitry and using all of the functions of the light keeper pro and troubleshooting the Christmas light string! I spent a few hours today trying to fix half a 100 bulb string using a non-contact voltage tester. I also tested suspect bulbs with the light keeper pro bulb tester port. All to no avail. Fortunately I found your video and learned the other functions of the light keeper pro. I decided what the heck I’m going to try the shunt fixer function. To my amazement it worked on the third trigger pull! Wow wow thank you for saving my lights! Great job! I’m saving this vid for future reference!
Very informative! Great explanation and at the right speed for a beginner.
Perfect description. Thanks for the help!
I wish I had watch this 8 years ago but I'm glad I saw it now Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!
I watch this video at the start of every year now before I throw out my problem lights. Thank you
Awesome job explaining this. Not intimidated any more by these little lights!
thanks A lot man, really helped, i couldn't understand from other videos
At last I finally understand Christmas tree lights! It still might be easier to buy a new set after the holidays when they are on sale. But this is definitely the more environmentally safe approach
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this video!!!! I used to just throw away light strings that were half lit and buy a new ones. This video taught me so much about how light strings work and how to fix them! (My Light Keep Pro is on order at Amazon.) This video is the only thing you will need to keep ALL your incandescent lights lit! (I only use incandescent lights as I think LEDs are ugly.) I feel like I just got a college education on holiday lights! Thank you so much for this!!!!!!
The best Christmas light repair video ever! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
you did a great job explaining how it works and how to fix it. thank you very much!
Great job explaining the cause and cure for these type lights. Best I have ever seen and I have seen a lot of them. Many thanks.
Great video!! Thanks for the helpful info. Bought one of the tools you recommend and paired it with your info and repaired a prelit tree with ease! Wish I would have known your info and had one of the tools YEARS ago, makes it SO much easier!!Thank you!!
TIP: You can find those,
"expensive " batteries at the dollar store! ;)
WHY ISN'T LIGHTKEEPER PAYING YOU!!!!! I'm about to throw it and my lights out. Your video is fantastic!!!!! I should put exclamation marks to the end!
This video has changed my life forever. Thank you friend.
Thanks so much for the information. These little lights can be quite a headache when a whole section of the light string goes out. I can see the advantage of having a spare string of lights to use for bulbs and sockets. I guess I should shop for a light keeper pro device!