Good info. Have you ever thought of asking local electricians for their empty spools of wire? Another thing I did years ago before totes, was go to any donut place like Dunkin Donuts and ask for their empty 5 gallon pails. They give them away by the dozens every week. You have to wash them out, but who cares, they're free, and hold lights and it frees up more money to buy actual Christmas display items. Keep up the great work.
I use the plastic spools from electric cables to store my lights. It works very well and the lights never tangle plus it makes the setup so much easier I also write the location of each string on each spool so I know where they go next time I put up the display. I use my weatherproof cable boxes as storage containers for the power strips and extension cords. I always switch my solar lights off to save the batteries while they are in storage.
That is wise advise, Cam! labeling each spool is a brilliant idea. I label the totes with their designated location but I can certainly see how labeling spools can come in handy. Each year I mean to label the order of my roof lights, but always forget. Thanks for making me remember that!
The hooks on the hangar are for hanging women's shirts/dresses. They sometimes have little (my wife says "annoying") straps inside the garment to hang the item from. Sometimes it is to keep the item from getting deformed, sometimes it's because the item won't actually hang on the hanger without falling off.
I make mine into balls. Grab the female end and start wrapping it around your hand 4x then start making a ball. No tangles, easy to test before putting up and easy to manage when wrapping tree trunks and branches. Probably takes up more room that way but works for me.
Another great video, thanks for posting. So here is how I store my Christmaslights. I hold one end between my pointer finger and thumb and wrap it around my elbow and then back around my thumb back around my elbow like you wind up a rope or extension cord. Once I have it wound up I sit it down and use two zip ties around the middle but towards each end to keep them bound together. There are many ways to do a job, but I guess it's whatever works best for you, right? 🎄🎅⛄🦌
Glad it was helpful, Michelle. Putting lights away now can be helpful to us next year. Every year or so, I get out a prop or certain light sets that I didn't put away correctly and it always costs me time and frustration lol.
@@ChristmasOnCrestline They went on sale in Missouri the week before Christmas and stayed on until the 4th, maybe next year man. BTW just subbed your channel and look forward to content between now and next season.
@@music09122001 That NEVER happens here. Menards is where I get mine as well and they sell like hotcakes here in Kansas. Finding at all in December, let alone finding them on sale, is an excellent pull! Thanks for the sub, we'll be cranking out weekly content all year long.
Great info. This year I bought twinkle lights 394 ft and had a terrible tangled mess once they were out of the box and I started to string them on hedges. Taking them off the hedges was not as bad, but ended up with tangled mess again. I ended up using a heavier cardboard paper roll, like at the end of paper towel roll, but this one came from a roll of Food Saver bags. I cut a little knotch at end to secure the beginning of the string of lights. I like the spool idea, and think wiil look into getting a few.
GREAT videos BUT the way you throw the lights around it's no wonder you get broken, burned out bulbs, lol! U should be more careful with them, lol! Say do you ever use c-9's anymore? I still decorate outdoors with c-7 & c-9's...LED's are just too cheap quality and expensive & they never last i'm lucky to get a full season out of them without a section dying on me so I go ahead and pay the massive electric bill (Dec. bill usually around 400-450.00) and use almost ALL incandescent. I fix mine like u do, too with my litekeeper pro! I love it! Anyways, thanks for the wonderful videos! I'm subscribing today!
lol Hey there Ross. I don't get too many burnt out bulbs. I do get a ton of bulbs that the copper wears off of the prongs. C-9's are what started it all for Christmas light displays! Well done, you!
Hey there, CYW. One trick that I use from time to time is to use parchment paper to wrap them , roll them up, and store them. That keeps the individual dangling lights separate from one another.
My Christmas lights always end up not working every year so I have to buy new ones every time :( This is great info! I will definitely use it, Thank you!
Hey there, Gguk. I always had that issue too. This device really does take out most of the frustration of broken light strings. Plus, who hates saving money?
Your question on why plastic hangers have those little hooks? Probably already in the comments by now! but some ladies’ tops are so flimsy they’re impossible to hang without them. The tops come with tiny strings sewn in so that you can drape it over the hanger, spread out the fabric and keep it from falling off. Gr8 for drying after hand washing. Love that tip btw!! - i just used it & will send a pic
They're normally good to go if you keep them elevated. Wrapping them on a hanger and then hanging them up in a closet keeps them separate and normally tangle-free.
The little hooks on a clothes hanger are to hang non standard clothes that can't or shouldn't be hung on a hanger. Usually the clothes have a special tab or plastic wire that hooks there. Copy and pasted this from what I found from a quick search online.
Thanks a lot for all the information you offered . I had a fight yesterday for hours untangling and trying to get my lights back into the original boxes. It really was messy. However, I think I “lol try the hangers. Thanks again, happy New Year!
Ya gotta have patience with Christmas lights sometimes, don't ya? That's what they don't tell you about hanging and dismantling a light show. Well done, Pat. Happy new year to you as well!
The hooks on clothes hangers, I believe, are used to hang women’s sleeveless dresses or undershirts, which should only be hung from their shoulder straps.
What's the best/easiest way to store a string of icicle lights.??? They NEVER fit back on the spools they come on. I've been bunching them up (with the male end exposed for testing) and binding them with Velcro tape. Makes them a bit bulky for storage. Suggestions??
I wrap them. It seems silly, but it's effective. While I don't have a video on doing this exact storing method, it is very similar to how I make my small light balls: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yPIj2X8q_So.html Then I put them into an empty box that was formally case of Coke. This allows them to keep from tangling with the other lights more aptly and stay in one easy to store spot.
I have a string of LED lights, half of the bolbs are bright, and the other is week. I can't figure it out. Do you have any idea what it could be? I notice on one string that is older than the other that it has fuses. The other don't.
Hey there, Dean. I answered you in the LED Keeper video's comments. You have a few ways to fix it. I don't remember you mentioning the string doesn't have fuses in it. That is rare to see. In fact, I don't know that I've seen that before other than in Fairy Lights. you likely just have a poor or torn prong on one of the bulbs that is keeping the electricity from following correctly.
I am glad I found your channel. I started investing in twinkly lights to replace my static LED lights. We are very good at organizing our storage but because of the expense of Twinkly, I need some guidance. Twinkly tells me the max heat tolerance is approx. 104 degrees. We store all our lights in the attack which get very hot in the summer. Because they are not in direct sunlight, is this safe to store them up there where it will exceed their max temps?
It's great to have you with us, Thom. We are live every Monday at 2pm (CST). Stop by and say hello. That is a great question. I believe the heat rating is for when the lights are operational. The heat + electricity damages the fuses and can cause a blow out. You should be good. Just don't plug them in right while they are pipping hot from the attic heat!
Hello, Michael. I use a mix of Holiday Time brand LEDs and commercial-grade LED lights from Creative Displays. The majority of the lights in my trees are Holiday Time lights.
Thanks for the tips. I bought a 330 foot/800 bulb LED string this year and haven’t taken it off the hedges yet. Any ideas for wrapping storing a single strand that long? Or just keep wrapping around the coke box until it’s done?
Hey there, Christ. 330 feet or 33 ft? If it's 330 ft, I don't think you'll find a Coke box big enough lol. That's a football field worth of lights. I have several 30 ft cords that I use Coke boxes for though. Another option is to wrap them into themselves in a ball. That keeps them from tangling.
Hello, King Fisher. I don't use icicle lights in my show so I'm not incredibly up to date on them. I switched to Dripping Tubes several years back. I would suggest asking Creative Displays, they are a commercial-grade Christmas light company that I buy all of my lights from. If they don't have it they will tell which company to get them from. You can reach them at (800) 733-9617 or by email at angela@creativedisplays.com.
I had that same problem with fairy lights. They come in huge spools and are incredibly easily tangled. I ended up utilizing a spool tool from WranNStore: amzn.to/3k64J5Y
@@ChristmasOnCrestline I had LED Lights with USB But, It became too tangled and I was piss off But, Then I accidentally broke it lol, Yea.. I'm not gonna be buying them anytime soon or later 😂
I stopped using icicles a few years back and I transitioned over to dripping tubes. When I did have them though, I unscrewed each icicle. I stored them in a large Tupperware along with their cord. This kept them together, kept them organized, and allowed them to be stackable. When I didn't have enough plastic containers, I used boxes. I don't like to use too many boxes as insects love to get into them and either damage the cords or build nests. I stopped using boxes when my wife was stung by a wasp that was in there when she opened it. Let me know if this helps.
Yep, you gotta store them how you want them to come out of the box. I hate when lights get tangled for rushing through the storage process. It's just easier to do it right the first time.
@@JChannel_ I tried to follow his methods but now I have a bunch of lights staging a sit in and won't get off the tree because I keep misgendering them. 🤷♂️
@@hansonlife9465Careful that one doesn't blowout or else you'll be dealing with a Black Lights Matter situation and out of guilt they all may prefer not to light except the racist lights.
Gosh the way you throw those lights around for sure they are not going to last very long. lol ! Always handle lights with care , those bulbs can not take that kind of abuse. The hanger idea is the best idea and cheap to get at dollars stores. I use LED bulbs they are brighter and will last longer .
You could do that, Screen Share. I'd rather not do that for the 10,000 strings of lights that I have. But if you only have a few strings then that would be one solution.
Hey there, Alan. It's not quite Cymatrax but it does give you options. This does help keep the wildlife out and prevent sun damage that some folks find their props suffering from in the off season. I would love to hear your suggestions. We are a collaborative and supportive community who share ideas. Happy New Year.
