How to Fix Christmas Lights to Use Year After Year

Let's set the oh-so-familiar scene of the season: You've pulled all of the Christmas decorations out of storage, set up your tree, and strung it with lights (after detangling them, of course), but they don't work. We have a few tips and tricks for repairing Christmas lights and getting the holiday season back on track to save you a trip to the store for a new strand.

Common Reasons for Repairing Christmas Lights

Christmas lights aren't the most reliable decoration. While string light technology has improved, homeowner-grade lights at big-box stores aren't always made to last. If your Christmas lights aren't looking their best, here are the three main issues that might need to be addressed:

• Burnt-Out Bulbs: Because most string lights are designed to carry the electrical current through each bulb, a bad bulb can break the current, causing a portion of the lights to go out.
• Bad Fuses: In the male end of the strand is a slide-out cover housing two tiny fuses. These fuses can burn out over time, causing the strand to go dark.
• Worn or Detached Wires: Your Christmas light woes could come down to worn or detached wires. Rodents are prone to chewing the insulation of wires, which should be inspected each time they're removed from storage. Additionally, wires can pull from each bulb socket, breaking the electrical current.

How to Replace Christmas Light Fuses

The quickest way to identify a bad fuse in a Christmas light strand is to plug a separate, working strand into the top of the male plug on the bad strand. If the separate strand lights up, the fuses are good. If not, the fuses are bad. If you don't have another strand, check the top of the male plug with a voltage tester.

To replace the fuses, unplug the strand and slide back the small cover located on the male plug. You may need a small flat screwdriver to do so. Use the flat screwdriver to pop the fuses out of the compartment. If it isn't immediately apparent which fuse is bad, replace both with fuses of identical size and amperage. Replace the cover and test the strand.

How to Replace Bad Christmas Light Bulbs

Repairing Christmas light bulbs is quick and easy. Often, all it takes to identify the bad bulb is to plug the lights in and look for the first one in the sequence of bad bulbs. It might be as simple as pushing the bulb firmly into the socket, as they sometimes loosen, compromising the connection.

A replacement may be needed if securing the bulb's connection doesn't fix the issue. Unplug your light strand and remove the faulty bulb. It might easily pop out, but sometimes, a small tab holds the bulb in place. Replace the bulb with a new bulb with an identical size, voltage, and design.

Some string light bulbs are designed with an attached plastic base that simply pops into the socket, while others require you to insert the glass bulb into the plastic base from the bad bulb. In this scenario, straighten the two wires on the bulb and feed them through the two holes in the plastic base. Bend the wires upward in opposite directions and smooth them down before placing the base into the socket.

How to Fix Christmas Light Wiring Issues

The thin wires on homeowner-grade Christmas lights go through a lot of wear. After being wrapped around objects and stretched across rooflines, it's a Christmas miracle they hold up at all. Additionally, improper storage can lead to cracked and frayed wires from rodents or other causes. For this reason, you should always inspect your lights before stringing them up.

While some choose to tape over cracked and worn-out insulation, discarding string lights is safer. However, if wiring has been pulled from the socket, there is an option for repairing Christmas lights that's quick and easy.

After ensuring the string lights are unplugged from all power sources, use wire cutters to cut the wire from the other side of the socket, removing the socket and bulb completely from the strand. You should be left with two bare wires. Use wire strippers to expose around 1/2 inch of wire, then wrap the two wires around each other. Place an appropriately sized wire nut over the two wires and tighten it until it holds firmly. Wrap the wire nut and wire with electrical tape to keep the wire nut in place and prevent water from entering.

How to Keep Christmas Lights in Good Condition

Prevent spending time repairing Christmas lights by storing them on a reel or other secure organization solution, and place the lights inside a container to prevent rodent access. Once it comes time to replace a strand, look for LED string lights, which last longer and use less energy than traditional incandescent lights.

Other Ways to Use Christmas Lights

If you enjoy Christmas lights during the holiday season, there's no reason you can't illuminate your space with them during the rest of the year. String up lights in your backyard for a magical touch on warm spring and summer evenings, or add them to a potted tree in your home that's not Christmas-themed for late-night warmth. Twinkle lights in a kid's room (or a dorm room) are fun and an easy and inexpensive way to decorate, and can take the place of night lights. Add lights to Halloween decor for illuminated witches and pumpkin faces.