• A peak reason that indoor Christmas tree lights malfunction is an overloaded electrical excursion.
  • Discard damaged bulbs promptly and replace them in club to extend the life of Christmas lights.
  • Requite your cord lights an end-of-the-season check-up to prevent future lighting problems.
  • Visit Insider's Home & Kitchen Reference library for more stories.

Lighting and trimming an indoor Christmas tree is one of the most treasured — likewise as potentially troublesome — vacation traditions. If part of that tradition is the inevitable failure of a strand of lights, there are a few like shooting fish in a barrel solutions you should try before you toss them into the trash.

Below, Eddie Bello, owner of Illuminations Holiday Lighting, and Gary McCoy, store manager for Lowe's, walk us through how to troubleshoot Christmas light bug, so you can expect forrard to a vivid holiday season.

1. Check the excursion breaker

Reset the circuit by turning the switch off and on again.
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When to try it: When none of the lights piece of work.

If none of the bulbs in a string of Christmas lights work, and you as well find that other lights in the same section of the business firm become out, yous've likely tripped the circuit breaker, says Bello. An overloaded electrical circuit — a situation where more than electrical demand is placed on an outlet than it can handle — is the nearly common (and least serious) reason for this, he explains.

To check the circuit breaker, plug the lights into an electric outlet. Next, reset the circuit billow. To practice this, locate the labeled circuit in the metal circuit box panel, which is unremarkably institute in your home'southward utility room, basement, or garage.

Once you locate the circuit you lot believe is tripped in the panel, motion the switch all the way to the "off" position, and so to the "on" position. You tin often tell which circuit was tripped because the switch will be slightly out of alignment with the others.

If the bulbs light dorsum upwards, an overloaded and tripped electrical excursion was likely your problem. This is proficient news, and yous don't need to do anything farther, other than taking care not to plug in multiple high-voltage electrical items simultaneously in the same area of the house.

two. Replace the fuse

String calorie-free fuses are under a small-scale panel on the plug.
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When to try it: When the entire cord won't light upward

"If you accept ability coming from the outlet but your lights are non illuminating, information technology could exist the upshot of a blown fuse," says Bello. Replacement fuses are often included when you purchase lights, but yous can also buy them at most stores conveying holiday lights, says Bello.

To replace the fuse, slide open the chapeau on the back of the plug that inserts into the outlet. If the fuse is blown, one of the fuse tubes will likely appear black in color or have visible burn marks, he says.

Take a modest tool, such every bit an eyeglass screwdriver, and pry out the fuses. Then, gently printing in the new fuses. Close the embrace, plug the lights in, and they should work.

Bello notes that if the fuse blows again, it is likely due to damage in the light strand. If this happens, he says you should discard the lights and replace them.

3. Supplant burnt-out bulbs

When to endeavor it: When private bulbs or parts of the string won't light up

If the fuse isn't the problem, there is probably a problem with a bulb, says McCoy. To prepare burnt-out bulbs, untangle all string lights and check for frayed wires, damaged sockets, or broken bulbs.

Discard any damaged bulbs, and then replace them with spare ones. "Simply exist sure to employ bulbs with the same voltage rating as the rest of your string lights," says McCoy.

4. Exam bulbs for harm

When to attempt information technology: When no bulbs are visibly damaged and the lights aren't working

If no bulbs are visibly damaged, and your lights are not working, use a seedling tester, says McCoy. Follow the manufacturer'southward instructions to test each bulb. Once you find the faulty bulb, unplug the associated light strand from the outlet and replace the faulty bulb with a new seedling. Exist certain to firmly seat each seedling in its socket when replacing it.

Requite lights a mail service-holiday cheque-up

Inspect lights for any signs of damage before and later on use.
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A dandy style to prevent future issues is to examination your lights at the cease of the season, says McCoy. As you have down each strand of lights, replace any burnt-out or broken bulbs. Throw away strands with broken or frayed cords. When information technology's time to trim the tree next year, your lights should all be working.

Insider'southward takeaway

Christmas light problems can quickly drain the joy out of your holiday decorating happiness. Tripped circuit breakers, blown fuses, and burnt-out bulbs are the almost common issues, and thankfully, each one has a simple set up.

Before yous pack your Christmas decorations away at the stop of the season, give your string lights a postal service-vacation checkup. That style, you'll look frontward to a bright and trouble-free holiday adjacent twelvemonth.

A consumer-focused journalist with 20 years of feel, Jackie Perrin has covered domicile, health, parenting, nutrient, travel, and business topics for publications ranging from TripAdvisor to Gannett News Service.