How to easily troubleshoot and fix broken LED Christmas light?

[@kristinlee9485]

I haven't seen one single video yet, for fixing burnt Xmas bulbs, that isn't complicated as hell

[@jellybeanjj24]

😩 I second this comment.

[@seangangstad9597]

Gonna move back to them old school lights, at least I can see if it’s burnt out.! And they look better anyways

[@DIYable]

I agree with you.. LOL.. blame it on the manufacturer or the design. I believe it's similar to any electronics devices such as printers, the manufacturers intended to make products have a shorter life expectancy and make repair harder, this forces consumers to buy new products every 1-2 years. Agree anyone?

[@wayditay9288]

@@DIYable I second that!

[@chiichii4059]

Deadass

[@camilos007]

"More than one problem? Yes, this can happen to you if your life sucks" Hilarious.

[@DIYable]

LOL... life is not perfect, we have to admit that. We have to move on regardless...

[@keithgreene8489]

LIFE SAVER!!! Thanks! More importantly I don’t have to spend $40 to fix $10 lights

[@kristiandawe85]

This is actually really good, people can properly learn how Christmas lights are wired and how to diagnose issues with Christmas lights 👍👍

[@Buckifan127]

Your commentary is funny as hell! Thanks for making an sarcastically enjoyable DIY on an obnoxious headache issue!

[@DIYable]

That's good I know I have some sense of humor LoL

[@denniswman]

Most realistic video. Multiple issues can happen at the same time, especially from cheap manufacturing. This helped a lot!

[@DIYable]

Glad it helped!

[@wayditay9288]

Yeah, those Crappy Tire Noma Xmas light strings. Bought several warm white strings a number of years back. I thought they would last for eons, as they were carefully and permanently installed well under my high-up eaves where they would be protected from weather. They even came with a 5 year warranty. All eventually failed on one half of their strings within a year or 2 of Holiday Season use. Was only successful in exchanging one set. And that was with the receipt and a lot of whining. CT rejected the others claiming they were used outside (warranty exclusion) ...even though they are advertised as for outdoor use. Anyway, they are of very poor quality for what they cost: $25 each for a string of 70! I really wish we had kept our ol' trusty incandescents. Easy to fix with lotsa spare bulbs. Colours were more natural too. Lesson learned.

[@kimmcintyre5341]

You are hilarious and also so informational. Thank you for speaking in regular people terms.

[@DIYable]

Thanks, check out other videos on my channel too.

[@d.rabbitwhite]

Apparently my LED icicles are so cheap that the individual bulbs are not removeable. How does one find not cheap garbage?

[@DIYable]

Arrggg... In that case, it has to go to landfill

[@fionaloeffen4024]

They are all made cheaply now..you cannot replace bulbs. I'm sick of throwing lights away. I've just watched a video where he can isolate the broken light and bypass it. I'm getting that!

[@geoffsmolarz4839]

Thanks so much for your video! You are bang on how to troubleshoot the issues. The diagrams help tremendously in understanding how the lights work. Once you have the correct knowledge, following through the steps that you have provided works like a charm.

[@DIYable]

I am so glad this video helped so many people, thanks for your nice comment. Have a nice holiday!!

[@mlovitt01]

“This can happen to you too if your life sucks”… lol.

[@kurtruppenthal9506]

I just threw them all away and will not be buying anymore of this junk. To frustrating. Bah Humbug.

[@DIYable]

I hear you.. it is frustrating

[@Yankee2kilo]

I have a 4th option just go buy another cheap ass line of lights. I’m about as confused as possibly be on this video.

[@DIYable]

LOL LOL... that's fine. Thanks for stopping by. Check out other videos of mine, maybe some of them are less complicated LOL..

[@Ad-rn8wk]

Fuck it I'll just buy new ones

[@billbergquist4722]

Circuit tester, $20, New light string $20. Your time, priceless.

[@DIYable]

LOL... Just borrow the tester from your neighbor

[@philround6619]

Mate you are the only person to explain how to fix fantastic video 👏👏👏👏👏

[@johnfordahl4723]

Very Funny and entertaining!! I can identify with your sarcastic sense of humor in this situation! I admire your relentless perseverance, however I decided to throw away my cheap set of lights in favor of keeping my sanity and avoiding the temptation to curse.

[@DIYable]

LOL.. thanks for dropping by... check out my other videos, maybe you will find it useful.... perhaps funny too.

[@autogeek23]

This video is my life right now. Such a well made video and DIY attitude

[@DIYable]

If you want DIY attitude, check out my other videos, I am pretty sure you will like them :)

[@danielcolby7035]

As an electrician, I should have been able to find a simple solution to fix this. My lights don't have a designated neutral and can be plugged in either way. My non contact tester wouldnt give me consistent readings, either. Also, my bulbs that are in the junction spots are different from all of the rest. I ended up having to test every bulb from the bad string in a working string in order to find the defective bulbs. I even ended up pulling the led out of the base of a standard light and putting it into the base of a couple of the junction lights. Some of the junction lights also have a little built in resistor, just to make things even more complex! Thanks for the video, anyway, though!

[@SuburbanDon]

Did you.actually try this? I had the same problem and I don't see how reversing the wires helps.

[@cindyrella24673]

I had bought two long strings of let's like this. After a couple weeks they both went completely out. I changed the fuses, that didn't help. Of course I can't find my electric meter anywhere to test the lights and leads. These lights should be banned. I have ones that have worked year after year, but this brand went out. I just wish I had kept the box they came in so I don't buy them again.

[@diehardfan173]

Thanks for the comprehensive explanation. Too bad your light strain was different than my own!

[@DIYable]

Sorry I couldn't help, but thanks for dropping by. Check out other videos on my channel if you love DIY.

[@craiglumbra4871]

I'm not sure your suggestions will work 100% of the time. Depending on the low threshold voltage level of a non-contact voltage tester (NCVT) your method of testing each socket in the series ckt you will get erroneous results. As you test towards the socket nearest the 120v line the NCVT will work ok. It will continue to work ok as you go to the next few sockets as well but as you get close to the end of the line it will give you erroneous results because the sockets closest to the neutral line will have less voltage applies to them thus not likely registering on the NCVT. This will lead one to believe the bulb or the socket is the issue. In you ckt you show 6 leds in a series ckt. By the time you get to the last led there likely isn't enough voltage to trigger the NCVT threshold to show a voltage. Plus, once you start cutting out leds you likely are going to blow the leds left in the series ckt because it will mean each LED is having more voltage applied to it. Cut out too many and you will blow every LED in the series ckt. Unfortunately, the best method is not the NCVT but instead the LED Keeper or as I did in my case pull each bulb and put it in a known good ckt. I've never once found the NCVT to work for resolving a section of led lighting that doesn't work.

[@TechTed1]

Good video and thanks for sharing that tester metod of finding faults Led is a diode if you connect in wrong position it will not glow and they have a limiting current resistor 😊

[@spring977]

This is the best christmas light repair video I have seen. And I've had to look at a lot of them. And yes these christmas light products are terrible.

[@DIYable]

I am glad it helped!! Check out other videos on my channel too, you may find them helpful too.

[@TomFroese]

Super thorough and helpful video. You convinced me it’s not worth the effort though! Going back to CT to try to get a warranty replacement.

[@RobertSauders-el7bf]

If I were able to understand this process, I would have to have a PHD in electricity and therefore would not need this video. 😅

[@1weirddoe571]

What's inside the little round barrels, because there is one barrel in series with the 33 LED lights in each of the 3 parallel segments on this quote 100 light string? So there are three barrels total and all my lights are out.

[@1weirddoe571]

Anyway, I think the wire you cut and reversed is so that on the negative ac cycle that part lights, so on postive ac cycle one section lights then on negative cycle the other section lights, maybe? So there is less noticable strobing effect but not much. Anyway I used a Voltmeter set on AC, and when I got probe polarity correct to the anode/cathode direction, the lights lit dimly wherever I pulled one bulb out and stuck in the red probe--if I did it halfway then the half part lit so that may help narrow where the bad bulb is at.

[@DIYable]

If all your lights are out, there is a high chance you have a blown fuse, have you checked that? If not, here is a link and hope that helps. blog.christmas-light-source.com/do-christmas-lights-have-fuses/

[@zairahmaldonado]

Thank you, this advice worked perfectly! I connected it upside down.

[@DIYable]

Glad it worked :)

[@MarioDallaRiva]

Bravo 👏🏻 👏🏻👍🏻

[@DIYable]

Thanks 👍

[@richasperger768]

Wow. Thanks for the tips. My wife was about to trash our lights, I just fixed the lights in 5 minutes....

[@DIYable]

Don't let women touch your tool box or toys

[@TheDefcom3]

This happens because your life sux ! Ha ha ha ha ha ha I just luv it, Thanks.

[@ajgjr9962]

Every year I put them up… on for 2 days.. then they ALL GO OUT.

[@DIYable]

I hear you.. these cheap quality made in China garbage are very annoying

[@Overcaffenated]

Great video. I didn't understand a single thing though.

[@bobby1970]

This is by far the best video explaining how to fix these Christmas lighting problems. In the video, he is loud and clear, without speaking too fast and not too slow, with perfect English.

[@DIYable]

Thanks, glad it helped and you enjoyed it.

[@jessiehansen2131]

thank you sooo much for making this video! 👏😍

[@davidheywood3611]

Excellent video. You have all the other videos beat.

[@charlesparriet3992]

Thanks for sharing

[@DIYable]

Thanks for watching!

[@inwarsaw97]

This was one of the most entertaining videos I've ever watched on KZbin.

[@DIYable]

Woww.. really that good? Thanks..

[@travispelley5140]

Booooo Noma Boooooo. Good video though.

[@CallieCEntertainment]

I didn't fix my lights, but I got a good laugh. Thank you!

[@DIYable]

Glad you had a good laugh... too late to fix Christmas light now, maybe bookmark this video for next year :)

[@CallieCEntertainment]

@@DIYable Actually, there are lots of people here in Seattle that have kept their lights up. I still have mine up. My problem was basically cheap strands, and the LED contact wires wearing out. I DID have one strand that needed one of the lights clipped and the line spliced, and I remembered this video.

[@andrewsimmons8157]

Thank You. This was very helpful and life did completely suck for awhile today. Not now, Thank You.

[@mohawksteel2215]

I put my working lights away in dry storage and they were working , now this year they as you say ,suck. I fixed them easily by chucking in the garbage after farting around for an hour. I will sleep well tonight and never buy another Chinese light again .

[@DIYable]

The other day, I saw Costco selling a new style of LED Christmas light called "Stay-lit" by "Sylvania", it CLAIMS it won't have the same problem. It said QUOTE "Sets are designed with advanced technology that keeps the set lit even if bulbs are burnt out, broken, loose, or even missing" END QUOTE.

[@weijielu9678]

@@DIYable This light is still made in China.. It may be a design problem, not a manufacturer’s problem...

[@tchevrier]

that was painful to watch

[@DougLo]

My life sucks!😆

[@lynnebaillie]

I was looking for a video on another kind of lights but stumbled upon this. Whilst it doesn’t fix my issue, it was very informative and I watched the whole thing out of enjoyment! Thanks

[@mjb2345]

Great video. Thank you. Do you have a video on how to connect 2 strands of lights LED lights when the strands don't have plugs on both ends? Based on this video, I think some level of dicing and splicing should make this possible. If you don't ... could you pretty please make one? Thanks :)

[@HATAXA07]

Exactly the problem i'm having! Thank you!!

[@DIYable]

Glad I could help!

[@davidheywood3611]

Excellent

[@Jonathan-jo2xu]

easier way to reverse hot and neutral is to snip off wider parts of the larger prong so they can fit into the recepticalneither way, No splices needed. But great info indeed! Thank you sir✌️

[@joeschmoe5923]

Haha! Trooper keeping it going even in the cold A❄️ss ice outside! + love when added {this can happen to you, if your life sucks} 😄 kept me watching til the end. Wish I had your commitment to fix🔎 my Stupid LEDs wit half the strand out‼️

[@DIYable]

Thank you!!!!! really appreciate your time and keep watching till the end!!! Check out my other videos too, maybe you find them helpful.

[@RyanSnyder_P]

"yes, this can happen to you if your life sucks".. yep, that was me last night.. I figured out that the 3-way junction was faulty, spliced it all together assuming that would fix the problem. It did not, so I went through each led looking for any bad bulbs. I found two led bulbs on that strand with only 1 lead (I am assuming that they fatigue easily and fall apart sometimes when I take the bulb out). Anyway, after replacing those faulty bulbs I still did not have much luck so I went to bed defeated.. Not being able to let any problem go, I woke up today and found this video. It feels good that I more of less (with many extra steps) followed your steps. I just felt dumb at 3am for not being able to get the last strand of lights lit. I debated about giving up, but thanks to your video I have a bit more motivation to -waste more time trying to fix- try again.

[@DIYable]

Don't do it in 3AM. but I hope it fixed your problem.. sorry for late reply.

[@tjthain444]

Great video! Very helpful because my life does in fact also suck

[@phiphiots]

A section of my lights are out, right after the junction point. There are two LEDs side by side that have 3 wires going into them, the first (coming from the plug) is lit and the second is not. Can I do this without the circuit tester? There are only 2 lines connecting the side by side junction LEDs, can I just assume one is hot and reverse them?

[@captnjaygreybeard6394]

What part of the lights failed ?

[@westeed1]

Why she talk like dat? 🤡

[@DIYable]

That's Christmas

[@jeffmurnahan]

I have another problem. My wire had an ice sickle and it broke the wire from the bulb. Have any videos on how to fix that?

[@DIYable]

Arrgg... sorry to disappoint you, I don't have.

[@lanceprime]

Brilliant, thanks.

[@chappy43p]

Thanks Great technical video !

[@chrisburke7646]

Thank you for your efforts to teach me how to fix maybe in the future we can buy great lights that last year-to-year like American-made Lights of the past

[@bobby1970]

The American made (old school) lights of the past would last at least from decade to decade, and some over 30 years. These new lights sets from China don't even make it from Christmas to the next.

[@DIYable]

It's very frustrated for bad quality made in China stuff..

[@way2fast503]

Great video and the trick about tracing the section with the dim bulbs to find the one that’s out works most of the time. What happens when all of the bulbs in the section are in good working condition but are all dim and will not fully light up? I have this problem right now and I’m boggled. I even tried the bulbs from the 3-wire junctions at either end in the neighbouring sockets to verify they are working. I have not yet tried tracing the wires with a circuit tester (I was standing on a ladder up at the eaves in the cold!) but I’m not sure what to look for next. Any advice would be much appreciated! Worst case, I’ll just return them to the store for a free exchange as they’re only a few weeks old and I kept the receipt.

[@DIYable]

In that case you do need to trace the wire with circuit tester after you switch the +ve and -ve explained in the video. Hope that helps

[@way2fast503]

@@DIYable thanks for the reply. In that case, I will just take the string back and exchange it since it is still under warranty and Canadian Tire is good about exchanging faulty lights within the warranty period.

[@jeffreymacdonald5002]

Thanks for the tips I fixed my lights

[@DIYable]

No problem 👍

[@Lantor51]

This was incredibly helpful! Thank you!

[@DIYable]

Glad it was helpful!

[@missyalbright1819]

This was a very helpful video for us. Thank you so much for sharing it with everyone. May I ask what the name of the tester that you are using?

[@jeffreymacdonald5002]

it looked like a greenlee voltage tester GT-16

[@DIYable]

Any tester from your local hardware store would work, mine happens to be "Greenlee GT11 Voltage Detector"

[@chappy43p]

I’m an engineer and your right others vidéo suck a lot

[@Donmud]

Looks like mine are going in the trash . Fuck xmas I guess they won’t get my money anymore

[@DIYable]

LOL Blame it on those Made in China crap