How to Check Christmas Light Bulbs This Holiday Season
Christmas lights installation by Clear Cut Group is among the most reliable in Mississauga and the surrounding areas. The team understands the importance of checking for bad bulbs and replacing them accordingly. Replacing malfunctioning bulbs or bulbs that are burning extends the entire string's lifespan since the same current runs along the string.
Having fewer bulbs in light strings makes the rest of the bulbs burn hotter, shortening their lives. Clear Cut Group shares valuable tips to help home and business owners check and replace their Christmas light bulbs.
How to Check Christmas Light Bulbs This Holiday Season
Start with Easy Solutions
The first step to checking Christmas light bulbs is determining whether a single bulb or a wiring problem exists. Check for the following issues before looking for a bad bulb:
- Frayed or damaged wires
- Damaged electrical plugs or outlets
- Loose bulbs
Figuring out whether the culprit is a faulty socket can be challenging without the necessary expertise and tools. An experienced electrician can best handle this task.
Checking for Bad Incandescent Christmas Lights
Incandescent string lights work in a series connection. Electric current must pass through each bulb for a complete circuit. One burned bulb will render the entire string dysfunctional.
Some larger light strings have two circuits, so a bad bulb would cause only one section of the string to go dark. Using a Christmas light tester is the simplest way to identify bad bulbs on incandescent Christmas light strings.
This process involves bringing the tester close to the base of the bulb. If a bulb functions properly, the tester’s indicator will light up.
Another way to identify a faulty incandescent bulb is using a non-contact voltage detector. This method involves bringing the testing device close to the wire section between bulbs to test the voltage. The wire section after a bad bulb will be dead.
Checking for Bad Bulbs on LED Christmas Lights
LED Christmas lights often have no removable bulb. A single bad bulb won’t render the entire string dysfunctional.
Identifying malfunctioning LED lights with detachable bulbs involves a similar process as their incandescent counterparts. The procedure involves using a light tester or voltage detector to identify the burned bulb or dead section of wire. One should start from one end of the string or in the dark section of the strand.
Another method of checking for faulty bulbs in LED Christmas lights involves using a new bulb. One can go through the whole length of the string, switching out each bulb and checking to see if doing so resolves the issue each time. However, this technique can be time-consuming.
Replacing Faulty Christmas Light Bulbs
Besides knowing how to check Christmas light bulbs, knowing how to replace Christmas light bulbs is essential. First, ensure the replacement bulb is the correct color and voltage rating. Unplugging the Christmas lights from the power source before removing or replacing a bulb is another crucial step.
If the Christmas lights don’t function correctly even after replacing the faulty bulbs, the problem could be a faulty circuit breaker or bad wiring. An experienced technician can accurately diagnose the problem and recommend the most effective solution.
Clear Cut Group is a premier landscape maintenance company offering a wide range of services in Mississauga and the surrounding areas. Their wide range of services includes snow removal, sod installation, lawn mowing, mulching, window cleaning, eavestrough cleaning, yard cleanup, and professional Christmas light installation.
For Christmas light installation services, the company focuses on commercial-grade LED Christmas lights that one cannot find in a box store. While these lights are more expensive than their traditional counterparts, they offer homeowners exceptional value for their money.
Commercial-grade LED Christmas lights provide five times more light than standard LEDs. Their durability allows them to withstand high winds, heavy rain, and even harsh winters. Besides traditional colors, Clear Cut Group offers pure white and warm white for commercial installations.
Contact Clear Cut Group today to learn how to check Christmas light bulbs in Mississauga, ON. Their team can also assist with professional Christmas lights installation. Interested customers can contact their office by phone at (905) 824-6597 or email at sales@clearcutgroup.ca.
