Re: Christmas Light Puzzler - HELP

Don't try to short out the safety bulb, or you will have a fire. It is there to act as a fuse.

As the "shunt" bulbs burn out, the voltage (and current) accross the remaining bulbs increases thus accelerating failure of remaining "shunt" bulbs. Eventually the "safety" bulb in the string blows out. The solution is to replace "shunt" bulbs whenever they blow out. Delayed too long, the "safety" bulb goes as well.

I would string a new set of lights on the worst branches this year and replace the tree next year for safety's sake.

2500 lights, thats a lot of lights!


Reactor wrote:

Hi All,

I have a pre-lit, 12', 5-year old Christmas tree with about 2500 lights. Entire sections (levels of branches, if you will) will not light. You can imagine what it's like to search and replace burnt bulbs.

The bulbs are of the "shunt type" of course, but still, no lights. I have good line voltage at the end of the string, so I am pretty certain it's not a broken wire.

The first bulb in each section is a non-removable, non-shunt type bulb. The directions say only that it is a safety bulb and cannot be replaced. On at least one string, this safety bulb appears to be blown.

What gives here? I have shunt bulbs that are supposed to keep a blown bulb from taking out the whole section, but yet they are all out. I have line voltage all the way through the string, and yet no lights. And I have a "safety bulb" that cannot be replaced, yet is blown.

What happens if I cut the safety bulb off (it's molded into its socket) and twist the three wires together. What safety can this be providing any way? Any other ideas, aside from what we did last year - just throw a set of lights on it, which defeats the purpose of paying the price for a pre-lit tree?

This is driving me and my wife insane.

Thanks in advance for your input.





--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"©

"Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

"Follow The Money" ;-P

.

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