HOW TO EASILY FIX CHRISTMAS LIGHTS plus SOME COOL PHYSICS
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- Опубліковано 17 гру 2019
- You've taken out the Christmas lights and half or the entire strand isn't working... UGH! Or you get all of your lights up on the tree and half a strand burns out... UGH! You could replace the whole strand of lights or fix it in less than 10 minutes. In this video, we show you how to quickly and easily diagnose the problem and fix your Christmas lights. We explain the physics behind the magic!
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Equipment Used to Film This Video:
Panasonic Lumix G85 - amzn.to/2ymNfHq
Panasonic Lumix G Lens (25mm, F1.7) - amzn.to/2pCsy9h
Rode Videomic Pro+ - amzn.to/2zJeOeD
Rode Shotgun VideoMic with Boom Kit - amzn.to/2UmSYHq
Softbox Lighting Kit (2 lights) - amzn.to/2J9ehaZ
DJI Mavic Pro Plantinum - amzn.to/2YBpUjS
Sandmarc Aerial ND Filters - amzn.to/2LQv0mm
SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC - amzn.to/2yqqqT7
SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB microSDXC - amzn.to/2SRfzuW
Supplies you'll need:
Home Depot Christmas Decor - homedepot.sjv.io/LVdnL
Greenlee GT-12A Non-Contact Voltage Detector - amzn.to/2RZud53 - Навчання та стиль
This is just the reminder I needed. I have the same "non-contact Voltage" detector and that's what I needed to be reminded of. I had heard of the "shunt" but didn't know how they worked. Now I do. A big thanks!
So glad it helped!
👍👍 Best Christmas light repair video!
Thank you!
Thank you! This is awesome. I was already in tears trying to find out. I have to bookmark this for next year. Thank you for making so much fun to watch. One question, I bought the replacement bulbs and are 6V. I put a couple of in the string they both burned out almost immediately. I figure it must be an excess of voltage. Do I test one by one and then plug the whole string?
Hi Jose, Merry Christmas! I’m glad the video is helping. My guess is that either the replacement bulbs you got don’t match the other bulbs on the string or you have so many bulbs out that it’s sending too much voltage to the working bulbs. Less bulbs equals a greater voltage drop across each individual bulb. When you put the couple in the string, did the working lights come back on? If you’re able to see the remaining bulbs out, stretch your strand out, plug them in quickly, take a photo of the strand and then unplug. Use the photo as a reference to replace dead bulbs so you don’t burn out anymore. I hope that helps. If I’m off on my assumptions or your situation, let me know and I can try to help you navigate.
This is the first explanation that makes sense and i believe will work. And its also the simplest. Im going to try it. Thanks !
Awesome! I hope it worked okay for you!
@@HandzforHire It did perfectly. Thanks again.
The problem with most of these sets and pre lit trees is after about five years all the bulbs start burning out all at once because when the lights or the tree are in storage during the rest of the year every year, the moisture and the humidity starts corroding the little wires on the bulbs and it eventually works its way up the wires all the way to the inside of the bulb causing the vacuum seal to break which causes them to burn out more frequently and sometimes all at once, I've heard of people buying new old stock lights that were 5 years or older and they only lasted about a week when they started to use them.
Yes, I agree there’s definitely a shelf life, but the strands I was working on in this video were only two years old. Merry Christmas!
@@HandzforHire Oh I know, I've seen this problem a lot with the sets and the trees that I've had through the years, the bulbs start to burn out here and there every year and then I replace them and then one day they're all working perfectly when I turn them off and the next day when I use them or turn them on, every bulb is out and all the bulbs are black inside and every bulb I looked at closely, the small wires were black and oxidized and there was green corrosion on the glass around the wires, if it's just a set I'll toss them and get a new set, if it's an expensive pre lit tree, I'll just buy a set with the same voltage bulbs and replace them all and then I should be good for a few more years :). Merry Christmas to you too!
@@Truckguy1970 I can relate to everything you said. The joys of the Christmas season. Lol. Have a good one!
I was about to trash several strings, but this has saved the day! Thank you so much.
You're welcome! I'm so glad it helped!
I love your singing voice
The light keeper pro fixed the first half of the string. I flipped the polarity, & all, but the broken bulbs turned on. After changing them every bulb on my 25 year old pre-strung tree is now working. Thank you!
That's awesome!!
Thank you for the great demo and clue to what you use to test each bulb. I have a 100-bulb string of dark purple lights I used for the first time last Halloween. Not one light goes on this year and I was not about to remove 100 bulbs looking for the one not working. I also have a string with pumpkin globes that I have used for 30 years and suddenly they also won’t work.
You're welcome! I know it can be difficult or just a pain to seek out the one bulb. Hopefully this video helps make the process a little quicker!
Thank you so much!
You're welcome! Merry Christmas!
First of all thank you for a great video and explanation! What would cause a single bulb to short out immediately upon insertion? I have gone through multiple bulbs that immediately flash and blow out as soon as I insert the bulb can you help me?
Hey Frank, my pleasure. It sounds like there's still way too much current running through the wire. Are there a lot of bulbs out on wire? Perhaps when you connect the first one, it completes the circuit, but the resistance is so low that it just blows the new bulb? Is there moisture in the socket? Maybe the lights were outside and the moisture is lowering the resistance in that socket? Good luck my friend!
Good job, new friend from London UK 👍, merry Christmas in advance all the best for next year 🍾🎄🥂⛄🎆🍸🍷🍹🍺♥️🥃🥂🍻🎅
Sorry for super delayed response, but Merry Christmas!
thnx alot, we have a mini-tree on the window sill and all of a sudden all the lights got real bright and went out. i noticed most of the individual lamps are kinda black so i guess they had over voltage like you said, maybe i'll try and fix it. would you say the black lamps which seem to be all of them are toast? i'll have to get my test equipment out. merry xmas and your tree looks great.
You're welcome! Unfortunately I think those black bulbs are toast. You can check with your voltmeter like shown in the video or look for physical evidence to see if the filament is detached. Hopefully the fix won't be too bad. Good luck!!
Well done. I learned a lot. Many of my questions were answered and I can fix my lights. One question: I have some 12 volt mini lights. What will happen if I use one of these in a string of 2.5 volt lights?
Hi Charles, I’m glad the video helped. I imagine your 12 volt mini lights and 2.5 volt lights are LEDs? Also, do the sockets match okay between the two types of bulbs? With incandescent lights, normally if you add a bulb with higher resistance in series with others then the voltage drop across that one bulb will be higher than the rest. This will cause the other bulbs to dim (less voltage to be shared among the rest). In short, there shouldn’t be a problem adding the 12V mini bulb but it may result in different brightnesses. Please let me know how it goes if you decide to try.
@@HandzforHire I tried one 12 volt mini- incandescent light in the 100 string of 2.5 volt mini-incandescent lights and the 12 volt light flashed and immediately burned out. I won't do that again. Nothing but 2.5 volt lights for these strings from now on.
Great video thank you! Why was it necessary to reverse the polarity…..wouldn’t you still be able to find the bad bulb or socket without the plug reversal?
Thank you! Great question and the answer is yes! I reversed the polarity just to bring the voltage drop to the wire I was examining. I could have kept moving right without voltage, and then when I hit a voltage drop, I know I would have known I was a bulb beyond the problematic area. I was kind of just trying to explain how it worked by flipping the polarity. Another option would have been to start at the end of the string and work left, but in the beginning, I didn't know which of the 50 bulbs was problematic, so it was a 50/50 shot on which end to start. I hope my response was clear enough to understand. Merry Christmas!
No because elec would not flow in that direction giving you a misleading conclusion
Will that tester work with the little button/flat topped LED's?
It should as long as you can isolate the wires to test.
Maybe it's my tester but it didn't work well on my LED string which uses DC after converting from AC. After an hour and a half of futzing I grabbed my meter connected the negative wire on one end and fixed 2 strings in less than 5 minutes.
Thank you for the TARDIS reference!
"Its inside is bigger than its outside." Lol. You know they could make a whole episode about hiding the Tardis as an ornament on a Christmas Tree. Merry Christmas!
i have some christmas lights but one day there all working goood then when i went to hang them up i put a thumb tack threw the cord by mistake how can i fix it
Do they still work? As long as the copper wire inside the cord wasn't severed by the thumb tack, you should be good. Wrap with some electrical tape. If it was severed, then you'll have to splice the wires back together. Cut out the bad part and pick up some barrel connectors at Home Depot. Place a wire in either end of the barrel connector and crimp down until each end of the wire is secure. I hope that helps!!
Yo las repararo usando un foco de neon Conectándolo asta encontrar el que está fundido
si el neon prende el foco de ese soquet es el que está fundido
¡Eso es muy interesante!
Hey, my lights are flickering when I put them in the switch board. Is this some loose connection? Can someone tell me what do I need to fix ?
I'm trying to picture your scenario. Do you mind providing more details? What kind of lights and how are you using them in a switch board?
Never works for me. I’ve tried everything. Bought a multi meter, bought the Klein no contact, tool and even the light keeper pro. I still have to wind up checking each bulb individually. What a pain..
I have a strand of 50 lights that suddenly stopped working . I checked the fuses , they are good , and I have power at the plug on the end of the line . What's up ?
So they're probably wired in parallel so that power still passes to the next strand. There's a good chance you have a bulb with a broken connection like I did in the second half of this video. Use a voltage detector to check the first bulb on either side of the 50 light strand. I bet one side will have a voltage drop and the other side won't. Let me know how it goes!
I have a Christmas tree star with 10 bulbs run in series, for some reason after I replace the fuses and the bulbs and then plug it in to the wall outlet, it immediately flash surges every light then turns off, burning the bulbs. I guess it’s too high voltage from the wall?
hmmm yeah sounds like it. I would try plugging the Christmas tree star into the rest of the lights on your tree instead of the outlet to see if that works.
@@HandzforHire tried that too and it still blew. It’s an old decoration, so maybe the bulbs that it had stock were different voltage or something?
@@Mygary that's so strange. Sounds like there's not enough resistance in that circuit so you're ending up with too much current running through the bulbs.
@@HandzforHire Yes, this is likely the case. It’s a “cascading failure” mode, which is usually known to be caused by bulbs failing in shunt mode (filaments burn out and activate the low-resistance wire bypass current path). When enough bulbs burn out, it reduces the overall series resistance of the circuit. As Ohm’s law dictates, this means that current will increase (V=R*I). If current is too high for the remaining bulb(s), then they burn out too.
The solution would be to check and replace all bulbs with new ones that satisfy the total power rating and resistance requirements for the circuit to perform normally. This is sometimes easier said than done, given the terrible quality of low resistance bulbs out there.
how do i fix it without me the tool?
Hello! Unfortunately without the voltage detector, you'll have to pull out each bulb and test one you know that works, until the lights go back on. It's just trial and error. Still works, but takes longer. Good luck!!
Udaya💡💡💡
I would like to see a pre-lit tree fixed. I've spent about 10 hours on mine so far and haven't gotten anywhere.
We have the similar pre-wired Christmas tree. The trouble-shooting procedure is exactly the same it's just not as convenient. You will have to get in there with both arms and use your fingers to trace the wires.
I used a couple of "Chip Clips" (clips to hold shut a bag of potato chip but you could use spring-type clothes pins). I attached a long strip of bright orange tape (the kind used to mark hiking / horse riding trails). I used these to keep track of where I started; where I was when I stopped to take a brea or where the demarcation was between the half string of lights that worked and the half that didn't.
Getting a non-contact voltage detector is a big help. But again, it's not as convenient when working on a pre-wired tree vs working on a set of lights laid out on the floor. The pre-wired tree lights don't have a lot of slack and the wires must be separated (per the video) for the voltage detector to work properly. If not separated enough you make get false readings.
Ugh, that's frustrating. Richard Marton's response is excellent. I couldn't have said it better myself. Merry Christmas and I hope you finally had some success!
I just plugged them in and they worked. I plug them in 10 minutes later and nothing. I changed the fuses, no black bulbs or anything. I took each bulb out and put aluminum foil to see if I can find a bad bulb & still nothing. Please help 😩
It's actually a tinsel sign that's prelit. It's a nice sign I don't want to trash if it just worked 10 minutes ago
@@robinnorth2966 hey Robin. Do you happen to have a voltage detector? They're pretty cheap and I have them linked in the description of this video. The voltage detector will help you determine where the issue is located. I bet it's a loose connection somewhere since it worked and then didn't work. I know it's super annoying, but I'm confident you can figure it out! Let me know how it goes.
They don’t tell you about the need to isolate the bulb in the tester instructions!
Yeah, on one of the parallel wires, you will have voltage. It’s important to isolate the bulb so your voltage detector isn’t falsely triggered. Have a great day and Merry Christmas!
These string lights are manufactured to minimal standards. If you take a close look inside the socket, you'll quickly note that the copper contacts have a flimsy weld to the wire leading to them, and are not really optimally fastened to the sides of the socket. They contact can pop loose. The weld can break Either problem can break the circuit and leave you with a dead string of lights that no amount of bulb testing can fix.
Very true, but with the voltage detector, you should be able to find the problematic area. Sometimes it may be beyond repair, but it's always worth a shot. Have a great day!
I bought 20 feet of 50 bulbs for $3.49 at Walmart. You want to pay more for quality? It's avaible, you choose
After learning about all the requirements and testing that products need to go through to meet the National Electrical Code, and UL/ETL testing standards and requirements, plus 4yrs of school for an Electrical Engineering degree… it’s astonishing to realize how horribly bad the quality and engineering of these strings of christmas lights is! To think that these cheap shoddily designed bulbs with such thin gauge wires are exposed to mains voltage is quite horrifying.
I suppose they rely on the most probable failure mode being within the filament in a high enough percentage of cases to avoid catastrophic fire danger. Plus the built-in fuses add an extra layer of protection but not to mention an extra layer of annoyance to diagnosing failure.
The newer bulbs with shunt failure mode also create a new problem… Shunting current directly across failed bulbs causes a new cascading failure mode. This occurs when the resistance of burnt out and working series bulbs reaches a critical low threshold. Then current increases to a high enough level to fry all of the remaining bulbs. This is quite an annoying failure mode which ensures that any single bulb replaced will immediately burn out, unless enough burnt bulbs are identified and replaced simultaneously to make the total series resistance high enough to reduce current below the cascading high-current failure threshold. Now you need to replace all the bulbs at once… Crapitalism at its finest… 😒
@@TrinitronX I love this! Lol. You're completely correct! Sell them something that won't last more than one season so they'll keep buying more each year. I salute those who take the time to do what I did in this video. I can usually fix a string of lights in about 10 minutes which is faster than running to Home Depot for a new box.
My lights have 3 wires going into each bulb
I hate prelit trees.
Can you please turn off your music on your future presentations ?
Gee it's hardly noticeable.
It’s easier to get to target and get new lights 😂😂😂😩😩😩
Haha true, but with a little patience, the old ones can be as good as new.
Easier but worse for the environment.