Holiday Lights: Top Tips for Troubleshooting, Repair, Care, and Safety

“They worked last year; why aren’t they working this year,” is a common phrase this time of year as people are putting up holiday lights around their homes. Several things can stop a string of lights from what they are meant to do; share happiness and joy. It is frustrating when a string of lights stops working either in whole or part. But before just tossing them into the trash and buying a new set, here are some simple solutions to get them shining again.

Suppose all of your lights are out. It seems obvious, but try another plug. Outdoor outlets sometimes blow fuses or get damaged, so ensure you are getting power to the lights.

If that’s not the answer, with the lights unplugged, check the fuse or fuses on the lights. Most strings have a sliding door on the plug itself, which reveals one or two fuses when opened. Check to see if a fuse may be blown. A blown fuse’s element will appear broken in the center and may even be discolored from the heat when it blows. If a fuse is blown, you are getting closer to the solution. Most light strings come with spare fuses and bulbs when you purchase them. If you kept those fuses, replace the blown one, close the door and test the line, more than likely, you will be in luck.

If only part of the lights are not working, this is typically a result of how many light strings were designed in years past. Before LED-type lights, many incandescent strings would fail after any bulb that may have burned out. So in this scenario, go to the first light that isn’t working and replace that bulb with an extra that was provided when you bought them or from another string of the same lights. If you don’t have another line or a spare, you may try using the last bulb from the string to replace that bulb. If that works, put the burned-out bulb in that last socket, and you are good to go.

If the fuse is OK, and you cannot determine which bulb is burned out, you can take a spare bulb from another set or a spare and, one by one, starting at the first from the plug, begin swapping out each bulb with the next. You will likely get to one that when the last bulb goes in its place, the entire set will illuminate again.

If none of these things work, you are welcome to bring them into one of our Cardinal Home Center stores, and we can give a final look to see if we see what the issue may be. Sadly, if we can’t, you may be out of luck and need to replace the entire string. If you still have incandescent strings, you may want to upgrade to the newer LED lights. One of our team members can help you choose the lights that will best meet your needs, considering whether you will be using them indoors or out.

There are many advantages to LED lights, including:

• Longer life
• If one bulb goes out, the others still light
• Very energy efficient
• They operate at a much cooler temperature
• They are often dimmable
• Some can be switched to more exciting patterns and colors
• They are very affordable and typically last a long time

You can roll up the individual strands like an electrical cord when storing your lights. Tie them neatly with some used ribbon or string, plug the ends together, and put them in a tote or box. You will be happy next year when they are nice and neat, waiting to shine again. Keep the spare bulbs and fuses in a zip lock inside that same bin.

A safety note about holiday lights: outdoor or indoor lights can become damaged by animals, weather, or other issues. Visually inspect your strings thoroughly each season, and if you find damage, do not take the risk of shock or fire. Discard the lights and replace them.

Enjoy your holidays and please stop in or call us at Cardinal Home Center if you have any questions we can help you with.