How To Repair Christmas Lights - Ace Hardware 

Your comment made our day! Job well done!

@@AceHardwarea question

Hope it works out!

Thanks Tiffany for the feedback! Happy Holidays!

@@AceHardwarea question

Merry Christmas to you!

Happy to help, Rosie!

@@d19jordan57 Yes, just swap the wires around on the plug and make sure you are getting the voltage on the wire that goes into each light. You should not be picking up voltage on the neutral wire.

Glad to hear!

So basically alm you have to do is take a car. You can steal it if you like. Drive it to the eiffel tower and jump off.

@@misabud9537 🤔

Ig they didnt like the color maybe try red

I got one of those projectors that shoots moving images onto your house itself. You can change out the image to Halloween/xmas/etc. So much faster and easier than stringing up lights that end up in the landfil every 12 months

Hi There, LED mini lights can be problematic. While they use a lot less energy they are not all created equal and diodes can go bad and circuitry can also fail. If there are fuses replace those. There is also a version of the Light Keeper Pro called the LED Keeper that has all the necessary tools and tips to help you get those strands back to tip top shape. Here's a link to the LED Light Keeper Pro to learn more: bit.ly/3Uve4AN

I’d love to know this too. The good set lights up, and I’ve replaced both fuses in the dead string. On top of that, when I test the outlet slots, one of them is always dead, depending on which way it’s plugged in. Baffling.

lol well the one he's using is only 20 bucks then you have it forever

@@justforever96 Where are you buying your lights for more than $10? 💀😂 6:13 PM 11/26/2022

They are 50 bucks

Nobody thinks you have a tester guy.

Hahaha

Did you check the fuse?

@@rhdbmw9361 It literally says in the video "if you plug another set of lights into it and the second set works, then it is NOT the fuse". That's why he mentioned it, no doubt.

@@justforever96 I'd purchase the tool he's using and I'm sure there's a few bad bulbs on that strand of lights

Well...the entire video is listing all the things you can do about it. That's what it's about. What do you want, a remote diagnosis and exact instructions? If the second set works, then you have a bad connection somewhere in the light string. There is three wires, two make up the normal circuit (or usually a series of small "section" circuits) and the third, which just carries the power, a bus or main, if you will, and delivers it to the various circuits and to the next string. The most likely problem is a loose or blown bulb. Those can be found as shown in the video. Hopefully. A simple bad connection is possible, but less likely and somewhat harder to fix. Don't let all the talk about shunts turn you off; that's just the device that's SUPPOSED to allow the circuit to continue working when a bulb fails. That's why you sometimes see blown bulbs but the rest of the section still works. Fixing a stuck shunt is good, but the main thing is to replace the bulb, since it won't need the shunt except when the bulb is blown.

Great additional option!

LED's are not 100% fail proof.. but definitely the better option

LED is great, the lights are a lot easier to deal with and usually brighter with less current. ACE is still great, they should be in partnership with NAPA.

I prefer incandescents. They show up from down the road! Very bright and I prefer the nice warm glow. Too many "warm white" LED's are not that warm although a few of them are getting better.

Hi Jessica, Good news! The bulbs get replaced the same way as in the video. Just make sure the set it unplugged remove the dead bulbs and replace.

@@AceHardware thanks but that tester doesnt work for c7 or c9 bulbs it says so on the tester. Have to return at home depot. But I did find the source on the 1 fuse on one strand was burnt out. First find the fuse source then buy a $22 tester for mini lights only!

@@meanwhome Your problem is that you bought a "Christmas light tester". What you need is a non-contact voltage detector, which is the exact same thing, only not designed so it can only be used on a small niche application. That's just pure marketing. They know that many people will be afraid to buy something like a "non contact voltage detector", but the same people will gladly drop $20 on a "christmas light tool". It's the same exact thing, only the "tool" has a little hole sized for lights that keeps you from using it for anything but lights. And it makes the instructions easier too, I suppose.... I got a NCVD on Amazon for $10. Seems to work okay.

Have you tried fixing the connection with a Light Keeper Pro? www.acehardware.com/departments/home-and-decor/holiday/christmas-indoor-decor/9884750

Hi Elaine, There are two possibilities. Either it doesn’t have fuses or it's an older set then what we have in the video. You are welcome to bring them into your local Ace and an associate can take a look to see if they can be repaired!

@@AceHardware a

Way to go Terry! Happy Holidays!

Hi Aline, Lights don’t usually blink unless they are meant too (i.e. function light sets for LED which has a control box, or a blinking light bulb inserted for traditional incandescent list). Lights that are failing usually just go out all-together rather than blink. If you bring your lights into your neighborhood Ace, they can take a look and diagnose the issue!

pull out the clear one with the little red on top

Hi There, If the light is faint it may need a new fuse. Here's our video on replacing that! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Qdi3147GGoA.html Hope this works!

Yikes! Could it be animals chewed on the wires? Another option is the Light Keeper Pro. The tool contains a bulb tester, fuse tester, bulb puller so you can just narrow it all down fast. You could also bring them into your neighborhood Ace and an associate can take a look.

Hi There - The fuse size varies based on the light set. If you bring in a fuse to your local Ace, they can help match you with the appropriate one.

Hi There, Not anything that we have found that lasts long. Sorry!

Hi Jimmy, They are available on acehardware.com www.acehardware.com/search?pageSize=30&query=light%20fuse&categoryId=170& If you're unsure of the right size fuse, consider bringing the light strand into your local Ace so they can provide you the right fit. Here's the store locator: www.acehardware.com/store-locator?

In each string of lights there's a small cellophane bag with a couple of extra lights... and a couple of those fuses. I'd never noticed they include spare fuses until we needed to replace a couple.

@@BBovee-qo8bl nice tip! Keep them safe since they are fragile!

@rockxop - Lightkeeper Pro -- www.acehardware.com/departments/home-and-decor/holiday/christmas-indoor-decor/9884750?

Hi Rose, The light Keeper pro tool should help you find the dead connection point. Follow the instruction with the unit to test each bulb to find where the circuit is interrupted. Also, check the cords of the lights. Sometimes damaged cords can disrupt the connection. Hope this helps!

Preach it! LOL Nothing is more frustrating than dealing with those crazy lights. Don't even get me started about our beautiful pre-lit Christmas tree. As soon as I got that thing up, a section of the lights stopped working! Spent all day trying to fix it! 😡 Somebody shoot me! LOL

@@SmashFan2012 same

😂😂 laughing but so true.

Hi Leone, For safety reasons, you'll want to use the same size.

Hi There - Just so we understand, the set was working and then you replaced the bulb and now it is not. There could be two issues occurring. 1) the wires of the new bulb are not straight - OR 2) the new bulb is not of the correct voltage and/or milli-amperage. If you have tried that and they are still not working we welcome you to bring in the strand of lights to your neighborhood Ace Hardware to take a look and diagnose the problem in person. Hope this helps!

Ace Hardware thanks so much!

Google "cord cap" ace, home depot, Lowes should all have them.

Easy enough to fix.

The joys of cat ownership, hey? But I bet you love the little bastard anyway, right? Funny, "tree cat" is my name for squirrels; another variety of pestilential four-legged rodent that steals and causes mischief and misery, but which happens to live in trees instead of on the ground like the other kind of vermin, cats. ;)

My cat used to climb our Christmas tree when she was little. Last Christmas, my only hope was for her to get out of her bed and ask for food, because she was 15, had arthritis and was slowly dying. She was put to sleep just before 2020. It's sad when they go. :(

Time for a dog, smarter the breed the better.

Some of us don't like the idea of just throwing it away and buying new cheap crap and throwing that away every year. It's disgusting, and a perfect sign of everything that is wrong with this country these days. "Ah, hell, who wants to bother with repairing or storing lights? just throw them out with the tree, easier to buy a new one next year". So the landfills fill up with 99% good materials, wasted because "it's not worth fixing them". Vacuums, microwaves, stereos. Cars are scrapped when they are still 95% good parts because 'it's too much hassle". This is what the availability of ridiculously cheap imported crap has brought us. I'd rather see things be more expensive and people forced to actually take care of them and to make them last instead of the disgusting fact that one of the biggest problems most people in the US face is how to avoid being overwhelmed with all the studidly cheap or free junk we find floods over us. People's biggest problem is how to AVOID having too much stuff, how to get rid of what they don't want any more.

You mean clear and proper? Yeah total oddball.

Omg you are so right!!

😂😂

That's the best and fastest way to repair them. You could also see if any of the lines are frayed, warn, check all the bulbs are tight.