Here is a quick guide on how to find common problems with Christmas lights and how to fix them conveniently from home.
Finding the missing link in a string of burnt-out tree lights can be tedious and frustrating. At Wallace’s Garden Center, we offer tree light repair services for both NeumanTree and O Tannenbaum tree brands and are happy to get your tree back up and glowing! The warmth and yellow color that incandescent bulbs provide make it worth dealing with a few burn-outs here and there. Before you bring it in for a repair service, try out some of these simple fixes that you can do at home! Some repairs are quite easy and helpful to know so that you can maintain your tree lights during the entire holiday season.
Change Burnt Out Bulbs ASAP
Fixing burnt-out bulbs is important to preserve the lifetime of the rest of the bulbs on your light string. If you have a standard string of tree lights with two bulbs burnt out, the rest of the bulbs’ lifespan decreases by over 30% because of the extra current running through them! If you have four bulbs, it diminishes its life by over 60%. This quickly adds up and will cost more in repair services if not maintained.
The best way to get the most out of your incandescent tree lights is to check all the lights when you set up your Christmas tree and when you take it down so that you catch any burnt-out bulbs or issues right away.
How to Fix Christmas Tree Lights
There are a few things that might cause your string of tree lights not to work, but not everything necessarily needs a full repair service to fix!
You might have a burnt-out or damaged tree light bulb!
If a single bulb is burnt out, simply replace it by pushing the little button at the base of the bulb holder, pulling the glass bulb out, and replacing it with a new bulb, ensuring that the tail of the bulb lines up with the hole in the holder. If the wires are bent at the bottom of the bulb, try realigning them and see if that fixes the problem.
The tree light strings between tree sections might not be connected.
Double-check to make sure that everything is connected correctly between sections. Sometimes all the wires between sections can get confusing, and the wrong plugs can be connected.
The shunts inside the bulb holder might be corroded or broken.
Broken shunts happen from the tree being jostled around during take down and set up, leading to a complete light section outage. By fixing the shunt, the electrical current can properly flow through the bulb holder and move down the cable to the next bulb. You can fix the shunt with a repair tool or by visiting us for a service.
The plug fuses may need changing.
Not all products have replaceable fuses, and needing to change them is very rare, but here is a brief how-to just in case. In the male plug of your tree light string, check and see if there is a sliding cover on the box. If there is, slide it out and check the two cylindrical fuses. If they look dark (burnt) or have a low voltage (which can be tested with a voltmeter), then they will need replacing.
You can find various light repair service tools that will help troubleshoot what is wrong with the tree light string at our local store, such as voltmeters and the Light Keeper Pro.
Does Wallace’s Offer a Repair Service?
Yes, we do! If you’re struggling to troubleshoot why your tree isn’t lighting up and giving you the perfect holiday glow, we have a tree light repair service available. For a tree light repair service near you, pay us a visit at Wallace’s Garden Center.
