Christmas is a time when we all are busy with something, planning for festivities and buying the best lights to illuminate our property. With so much going around, there are possibilities that a few things might be missed or a problem may occur in the holiday arrangements. The best thing to know is that no matter what lights you set up for Christmas, any breakdown and shortage can be fixed earlier than you thought. All you need to do is find out the root cause of the problem.
Let’s educate you more about Christmas lights failure and how to deal with common electric issues in Christmas lighting.
Inspection of lights before hanging is crucial
As soon as you unpack your lights, you must start testing your lights. First, ensure the strands are tight enough, with broken or missing bulbs. Find out if they work fine by plugging into a safe outlet. Start decorating when they look fine. The problems may also arise when you have conveniently hung them up. It is easy to fix the issue by carefully inspecting a few areas, and your lights should be working fine with the promise of display you expected.
Find out the ‘bad’ bulbs
One bad bulb can affect the lighting in the entire strand. That applies equally well to LED and incandescent lights. When the entire strand is not working, you might have to check each bulb and find out which has been burnt out. You do things faster with the help of a light tester, which can save enough of your time, and if that fails, you shall have to inspect each bulb manually. Replace the bad bulb immediately, plug it in, and you will all be good to go with the lights.
Find out the loose bulbs
For most of the year, people tend to store light strands without moving them. However, after storing them for a longer time, they might become loose. Therefore, these bulbs must be carefully inspected as soon as they have been unpacked.
Identify the blown fuse
Most light strands you buy during holidays have fuses that are usually hidden inside the smaller compartments within the plug itself. If the bad fuse or the blown one is causing the issue, it must be pulled out and checked for a broken filament. If you need more clarification about the fuse, you may have to replace each fuse one by one with a new fuse, and it should start working fine.
Identify faulty electrical outlet
Tripper breakers can look like a bigger problem, but if the issue lies only in a faulty electrical outlet, it can still be easy to mend. A tripper down the line indicates that more load has been demanded than what is actually available in the line. Check the breaker box and find out whether it has blown a fuse. Resetting the breaker would help, but if it happens again, make sure to find a different outlet to avoid overloading the circuit.
There can be multiple reasons for the breaker to trip down, including outlet moisture or an issue with the lights or the cord itself. When using extension cords for this purpose, make sure they are suitable for handling outdoor electric requirements.
In plenty of cases, waterproof covers designed for sockets outdoors can also be an immediate problem-solver, as the sockets can be well protected against snow and rain. If the existing outlet doesn’t work, make sure that you choose a different outlet that serves your needs.
Frayed and broken wires can be a problem, too!
One reason your strands may not be working is frayed or broken wires. If that appears to be the issue, better avoid using such lights. They must be replaced immediately, and the old strand must be recycled as soon as possible. Frayed wires, when exposed, may cause a severe fire hazard, which must be dealt with as a priority. Disposing of such wires is the first thing you need to do for the safety of life and property at your location.
Tips to avoid damaging your Christmas lights
One must never try to:
- Install staple guns with lights that may severely affect the wiring and coating, leading to damage.
- Expose the light set plugs to gutter areas and standing water.
- Leave the lighting exposed to the outdoor environment for more than 90 days without once checking in.
- Plugging the light into non-GFCI-rated outlets.
- Go for placement of Christmas lights around the open sources of high heat.
- Yanking the Christmas lights out of the bushes and the trees
- Attempt poor storage and installation.
Summing up!
Using Christmas lights for not just aesthetics but also safety is a rising concern during the Christmas holidays. When you are decorating your residential or commercial property, trees, or anything else in your backyard, using lights that meet your demands and suit the electrical requirements in your location is crucial.
