Christmas Light Wire Repair

Examine the plastic closely on the side of this box and in between the prongs for a cover you can slide or pry open.

Christmas light wire repair.

Pull the trigger on the light keeper several times to bypass the bad bulb and light the whole strand leaving the bad bulb dim. Cut a vertical slit in the coating with a craft knife and peel it back with your fingers. There should be voltage detected at the live wire going into the first light. Yesterday we had a three wire christmas light string where the first half of the string was working but the second half of the light string wasn t working.

We couldn t fix it by replacing the bulb right where the light string stopped working so i looked into it and found this helpful but a little too technical article. With the lights plugged in use the voltage detector to check the live voltage wire between each light starting at the end that plugs into the wall outlet. Replace the bulb you used to test the strand then remove and replace any bad bulbs. A string of christmas lights typically has one or two tiny fuses in the plastic box attached to the prongs.

How to fix christmas lights 1. If you find one open it and inspect the very small fuses inside the plug. Cutting the wire to fit makes for a precise installation. Open the fuse case.

Step 4 select a crimp on butt connector also called a barrel connector for each wire in the light strand. If one of your light strings isn t working at all or if only half of the lights are working unplug the string and look for a small access door on one side of the male plug. Strip the plastic coating away from the spot where the wire is torn. These often get stuck so you may need to use some force.

Then check the wire that goes from the first light to second light. Cut out the damaged portion of your christmas tree light wires using wire cutters taking away about an inch of wire on either side of the damage to ensure you are working with good wire for the splice but leaving the portion you taped. The best option is to use either an electrician s multimeter or a tool specifically designed for repairing christmas lights such as the lightkeeper pro. Step 4 thread the broken strands of wire together so that at least an inch or two of the two pieces overlap.

For families intending to use the christmas lights year after year troubleshooting these lights may be necessary. Basic mini christmas lights are typically three wire strands. Plug in the strand of lights and remove a bulb to connect the light keeper pro to an empty socket.