Save Christmas the easy way
Let’s face it: It’s frustrating to start decorating for Christmas only to realize your lights aren’t working. That’s why it’s important to learn how to change a fuse in Christmas lights.
For safety purposes, Christmas light strands often have a fuse or two that are the weakest links in the circuit, which, by design, is the first to fail if there’s a problem. Learning how to replace a fuse in your Christmas lights only takes a few minutes and can make you seem as handy as one of Santa’s elves.
Before changing the fuse in your non-working, plugged-in Christmas light strand, carefully use your hand to check the plug and cord for excessive heat. Immediately remove the plug from the outlet if you sense anything more than a mild warmth, and contact a local electrician if there’s no apparent problem with the light string.
Although repairing Christmas lighting is a straightforward DIY project, remember that the task involves working with electricity, so there’s always an inherent risk. Ensure that the light strand is dry and unplugged before attempting to replace the fuses. Learn safe operation methods for electrical testers if you decide to use one. You should also refrain from using a ladder outdoors during wet weather and follow ladder safety guidelines at all times.
Never work on a strand of Christmas light that’s plugged in. That’s why the first step to any Christmas light fix is to remove the plug from the wall outlet, extension cord, or power strip before performing any other task.
Before taking apart your string of multicolored or white lights, check that the outlet has power. Plug in and test another item, such as a lamp, to see if it works. If you're familiar with their use, you can also use a multimeter or voltmeter. If the outlet doesn’t have power, check the circuit breaker panel for a tripped breaker switch. Flip it back into place before moving on to the next step.
The next step is to locate the plug end of the light strand, which is the end with prongs that plugs into the outlet or electrical source. Find a small cover in the plug that may or may not have a fuse label. Use a small flathead screwdriver to slide the cover open by pushing it toward the metal plug-in prongs.
Take a good look inside the fuse panel. Behind the cover, you’ll see either one or two fuses. Use the screwdriver to gently pry the fuses loose and dump them into your hand. Be careful not to drop them onto the carpet, where only the vacuum cleaner will be able to find them later, or onto a hard floor, where they’ll likely roll away.
Using a flashlight, inspect the fuses to determine their status. If you find dark staining that looks like a burn mark inside the glass, you have a blown fuse that needs replacement. If no staining is present, look to see if the filament is intact. An intact filament will look like a continuous, thin wire stretching from the metal cap on one side of the fuse to the other metal cap. If the filament appears broken or you can’t see it, the fuse is no longer usable. Be sure to discard any blown fuses.
If inspecting the fuses is inconclusive, use an electrical continuity tester or the ohm setting on a multimeter. Discard the fuse as unusable if the continuity test is negative or the ohm reading is infinite.
It’s time to bring in the new guard. Install the replacement fuses by setting them between the electrical contacts in the plug and gently but firmly pressing them with your finger. Slide the fuse cover panel closed when complete.
You’re almost done! Plug the light strand in and check to see that all the bulbs light up. Keep the strand plugged in for several minutes. Again, check the operation of the lights and carefully touch the cord and plug to ensure they’re not getting hot.
The fuses in Christmas lights can and should fail when there’s an electrical overload on the circuit or the strand has damage that causes a short. Luckily, there are ways to prevent your fuses from failing during your holiday party.
To keep fuses from blowing too often, inspect your light strands for frayed wires or loose bulbs before installing them, always plug into the closest safe power source, such as a GFCI outlet, limit extension cord use, and plug no more than five light strands into the same outlet.
Replacing Christmas light fuses is a relatively simple task that only costs the rate of your replacement fuses. However, you should postpone working on exterior holiday lights if the weather outside is frightful. Ladders, snow and ice, water, and electricity aren’t combinations that are delightful—they’re dangerous.
If repairing and installing Christmas lights isn’t your idea of a joyous holiday season, local Christmas light installers will happily perform the task. The average cost to install holiday decorations costs about $413, depending on location.
Often, simply looking at a Christmas light fuse will reveal whether it’s blown or not. Dark staining inside the glass that looks like a burn mark means the fuse has blown. If a burn mark isn’t evident, visually inspect the fuse for an intact filament inside. The fuse is no longer usable if the filament is broken or appears non-existent.
It can be frustrating to see one half of your lights working while the other half is dark. Long strands of Christmas lights often contain more than one circuit. If half of your strand won’t light up, there’s likely a burned-out or loose bulb on that circuit in the strand. Check the strand and replace any loose or damaged bulbs.
Repairing a strand of Christmas lights will save you a few dollars and the hassle of going to the store to purchase new ones. That may or may not be enough to make fixing them worth it to you. However, if the lights are already hanging or around the tree, removing and replacing them is far more time-consuming than performing a quick repair job.
