How to Remove an End Plug from a Christmas Light String
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- Nick demonstrates how to remove the female/end plug from a string of Christmas lights and still keep it operational. Nick is not an electrician! We will not be held responsible for your actions. Any attempts made at additional modifications you might make to your light string could burn your house down. Please be careful!
We received an email from Joe the other day asking us if there is a way to do this. Nick has used light strings with the end plugs removed in numerous bottle lamps and we haven't had any issues with any of them.
Tools needed for this: Wire Cutter, Wire Stripper, An Electrical Cap or Electrical Tape
Disclaimer: No small pets were harmed during this video taping :) Our dog Lily saw a squirrel in the back yard.
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My christmas lights doesnt work at the en of the line (Female plug rusted) I cut the plug but I have three lines on the female case said L, V- ,N what lines I need put together to work ? Thanks
That's correct. The neutral wire can be capped off.
It was a lot more simple for me once it was explained to me. Just passing along the information. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi, squirrels or a chipmunk have chewed the plug in part off of my outdoor Christmas lights is there a way I can repair?
If this is an 'outdoor' light string, I would highly recommend just purchasing a new one. The cording will be more substantial and it will be harder to work with the wiring. Sorry :( 🐿
Hi .from ph here
.sir can you help me how to fix a xnas light.i plugged it in a wrong voltage.it is supposed to be plug in 110v but i plug it in 220v.still any chance to fix it?
More than likely the in-line fuse is blown. You will either need to replace the fuse (if you can access it), or throw the cord out.
Thanks for visiting.
thank you,
I just built two wine bottle Christmas lights and your advise was perfect
Leslie,
If you want, you can show case them on our DIY Show Off page on the Bottle-Lamp website.
Nick Jager
Thank you,
I built them for my wife. I also gave a couple of them away for the Holiday.It was great to be able to access your you tube clip as the wires can be a little confusing if you don't work with them everyday. I'm not talented enough to showcase the bottles but we are going to try to paint them just to have some winter fun as we consume the wine of course.
Thank you!
Hurray! I have several sets of tree lights on which half the lights work and the other half does not. I hated to throw away, so I'm going to cut and clamp them just as you have demonstrated. Thanks a lot.
Sounds good. It fits really well with the whole "recycle, reuse" mantra.
I have a question! If you can cut the ground wire out, then why is there a ground wire in the first place? Also, the last bulb in the string is only there to complete the circuit?
Is the ground wire necessary? The appliance will operate normally without the ground wire because it is not a part of the conducting path which supplies electricity to the appliance. In fact, if the ground wire is broken or removed, you will normally not be able to tell the difference.
Is the end plug thing an American only thing or do Europe have it? I’ve never seen it on irish Xmas lights
Killian, I really can't answer that one. Sorry.
Thank you so much! My dad made me a glass night light box that I had to replace the bulbs in and this demonstration was Perfect for me! Again thank you! Now I can change the colors year round too :) Great!
Awesome!
Thanks for posting I am working on a project and that end plug is just in the way.
I had a few light string sets like this myself. It was easy to make do with them but I look for the Non Connectable Green Wire Mini Lights when I pick them up.
thank you nick for getting back to me so quick. the video answered all my question. I will definitely be subscribing to your channel and will be recommending your channel. thanks again for the help.
👍
Nick, thanks for sharing! I’ll just look for a shorter strand.
👍
Thank you Cathy!
DIANA MONTENEGRO,
I wouldn't recommend stringing the lights together. The LED's have a built in fuse that regulates the current. It would be better to purchase a longer string of lights.
If the string on one of the sockets in a pre-lit tree got pulled out, meaning that there is only one going into the socket with the bulb and it needs two to work for the whole string of lights to work, how would you fix it?
I think you would be better off just cutting the whole plug off and attaching a new one. If you're going to do that then you might want to splice in a plug with a light switch so you don't have to unplug every time your done using it.
I have done just the opposite with some older loop C-6 sets. I have removed the plug, laid out the series set in a straight line, and twisted in a hot and neutral run using the same size and color wire (usually 20AWG automotive wire) so that the series run terminates at the end and I can add a female connector. I usually also add two more sockets for a total of 10 lights so that the vintage 15v cone bulbs burn cooler and last longer. The old bakelite C-6 sockets are easily separated and re-soldered so that I can make any combination or length of C-6 sockets that I want. I have had fun making vintage-looking sets using green, black and red wire with 10, 20, 24, and 30 sockets.
Alexander,
You might have a retro-product that people would enjoy having! Thanks for your knowledgeable explanation.
Nick:
That skill evolved over many years of collecting Christmas lights. I was always frustrated with the old loop design. For one thing, it puts stress on the soldered connections at the sockets, many of which eventually break apart. I saw how some mini light sets ran hot and neutral runs all the way to the end connector (instead of joining at the last socket) and I figured out how easy it would be to simply solder on regular male and female connectors to the old C-6 sets. It worked out great. Some of the C-6 sets do look very cool. I've made some with green wire that connects all the sockets in series, and the hot-neutral run is in red and black. Although they are not authentically vintage, they are made from some old original parts, so i think of it as "reconditioning" these sets to be like brand new. Also, with the ability to control how many sockets are in the string, I can choose exactly the modern bulbs I want to use and design the set so they burn at just the right intensity. I will try to post some pics of the sets I've made.
Basically, what I am doing is stretching the series set over an extension cord. Three wires run the entire length of the set from male plug to female connector.
C-6 sockets are pretty easy to find cheaply if you look for sets that are torn apart or not working. Most collectors avoid non-working sets because they don't know how to take the sockets apart. You just have to gently tap the brass insert from the bottom and it will come out of the bakelite socket. Soldering is easy and you gently punch it back into the bakelite sleeve. I use modern plastic or rubber connectors on the ends that match each other (Leviton, Hubbel, Eagle, etc.).
Alexander,
This sounds really cool. We have a website; bottle-lamp.com, that features a DIY Show Off Section. Your DIY project would be perfect as a post. Let us know if you're interested. contact@jagerfoods.com
Hi Nick! Thanks for your video. I have several christmas light strings, can I link them together so I can use only one control box? Each light strip has 100 led.
It would be better to keep them separated.
I have a brand new string of incandescent Christmas lights that worked perfectly until I cut off the female end. The lights will not come on at all after I cut off the female end... why is that?
Was there a third wire (i.e. ground wire)?
good ,nick. good video.
👍
How to cut it when you have a fuse in between?
Keep the fuse with the lights so that your only removing the plug.
THANK YOU!
👍
Not the actual plug that goes into the outlet, but the base that holds each individual light itself. If you look closely, there are two cables that go into each base. One on each side to make contact with the light bulb wires themselves. One cable got pulled out and I can't find it. The whole light string section went out on the prelit tree and won't work until I have a solution for it. Please let me know if you have a fix for this.
Erik Contreras,
I'm sorry but I think you're going to need a new light string.
To clarify a little more, one of the strings is missing now and I can't find it. How can I fix this with only one string going into the socket?
Are you working with a regular light string or LED's? I'm afraid you would be best scrapping this paticular light string.
How would you shorten a whole string of icycle lights?
+Dottie Cummings,
The same principle should work for the icicle lights. Make sure you are closing the circuit so your light string still works.
Is removing the ground wire a safety hazard? Isn't that why it's there?
Don't do it if you don't feel comfortable. I never had a problem with overheating. This is just a simple get around.
Sorry for the late reply. I agree, don't remove the ground if you're not comfortable. This is just a light string and we never had any issues either, but you are messing with electricity, so be mindful.
How do you shorten the string of lights?
Danny,
I wouldn't recommend doing this as the fuse that is incorporated into the light string is designed to handle that electrical load. If I sound like an electrician, I am not. I'm speaking from experience. I shortened a light string and realized that the bulbs were burning a little brighter than previously. A huge red flag that should have tipped me off that something was wrong.
I clipped the ground wire and the whole set shut off. Tried to rig it back together but nothin....
Did you cut it past the fuse?
I don't think you clipped the ground wire.
how can we connect Christmas lights to a lamp? that way it turns on and off with the lamp switch?
Thomas Lopez,
I'm going to refer you to another video that we put together that will help answer that question: ua-cam.com/video/OYEAeBE5BNA/v-deo.html
how can i steady the light of my christmas light? please reply
Slow and steady wins the race.
What is the advantage of removing female end of string?
Once you have the end removed you will be able to feed the string of lights into the bottle. This video is tied into the 'How to make a bottle with lights' video.
Once I removed the female end from my incandescent lights my lights no longer work. Why is that?
Hello; I have christmas led lights with 8 functions. I would LOVE to know what can I do to only Have one función, having ALL the lights just turned on. Please, help.
Bespoke,
I'm sorry. I don't know how to bypass the settings.
Bespoke...Isn't there a switch that you can actuate to the desired setting? Or maybe you have a blinker bulb in the set that needs to be replaced with a regular bulb.
I have a question... what if I want to connect a christmas lights that has no end plug to another christmas lights that has no end plugs either??? please I need a help... thanks :)
You dont there is a reason they can not be connected, run a cord.
I would not recommend doing this as it might be a fire hazard.
Can you put a USB charger on the male end and plug it up to your phone?
Great question. I'm not sure if it will have enough amperage. It would be interesting enough to try just to see if it would work. The length of the cord will also be a determining factor to whether it will work as well.
Why not just cut the 2 wires at the end of the circuit (femaile plug) and tape them separately?
Never cut the green wire.
The answer to Rufus Aphonso's questions is... because you need to complete the circuit in order for the lightstring to work.
Bad! The hot glue is more than likely going to come off at some point, if you can make it stick at all.
why do they have a female end ?? is this just an american thing ??
The female plug is used to attach several strings of lights together or you can also plug in something else like a lighted star on top of your Christmas tree. Not sure if that's only an American thing, I wouldn't think so.
well i haven't seen them here in Australia.
Nateyboy1990 nor I in Ireland
Nick how to froze a bottle
Nando Edgar Hi, I'm not sure what you mean. Are you talking about frosting a bottle?
cut ass end off of lights hot glue the hell out of it:good? bad?
Sounds like a plan! 👍
BAD IDEA!! If you go to the store to buy replacement lights you will find there are 2.5 volts to 12 volt bulbs. By cutting out lights in a string you are changing the voltage drop across each bulb. What that means means is you are adding more voltage and more HEAT across each bulb. The more lights you cutout the hotter the bulbs get! Never tell people to cut a ground wire if a fire inspector found that after a fire that could affect there claim. If you want to that these chances fine , please don't give others that dangers advice. You want to check the law you may be held somewhat accountable yourself for posting such dangers advise.I'm not trying to be a no-it-all I posted this for you benefit!
Jim Conard ,
I was trying to find a way around the end plug. If this was all that was removed would it still affect the over all performance of the light string?
Probably not but removing ground wires is. If you were to wire a circuit in your house like that it would not pass inspection. It's all about fire safety and sort circuits going to ground to prevent fires. Reading people comments about cutting out lights that we not working scared me.
Jim Conard
A very valid point. I would like to thank you for clarifying that with myself and our Bottle-Lamp viewers as well.
Thanks just trying to help.
@jimconard87 Isn't that the same concept of how they are designed to keep working when a bulb goes out? Instead of strings from back in the day, nowadays if a bulb goes out the lights continue to work but for each bulb that has burnt out that voltage that would normally goes to the bulb that burnt out is now divided amongst the remaining bulbs and continues for each additional bulb that burns out....correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the same concept?
how can i steady the light of my christmas light? please reply
Carmela,
You can remove the bulb with the color tip on it (usually this one is located at the beginning of the light string) and replace it with another bulb. No more blinking.
Nick Jager new bulb?
Cousin's,
This "extra" bulb usually comes with the light string and is in a little plastic bag that is attached around the cord near the plug in.
how can i steady the light of my christmas light? please reply
Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not.
how can i steady the light of my christmas light? please reply
Neither the sun nor death can be looked at with a steady eye.