How to Test Christmas Lights with a Multimeter (Guide)
Content
One of the most common problems when using Christmas garlands is a broken connection or failure of individual connections to the garlands.
Below, we'll walk through the steps and give you a guide so you can make sure all your lights are working and fix any breaks in the connection, including changing fuses and checking for bad bulbs.
Troubleshooting Christmas lights is pretty easy. It's just a couple of steps:
- Check the wire for continuity
- Set up your multimeter
- Test string for continuity
- Bad light bulb test
- Start at one end of the line
- Pull out the light bulb and disconnect the wires
How to check Christmas lights
Christmas lights range from 25 feet to 30 feet. When buying, I would suggest that you test your Christmas lights by plugging them in to make sure everything is in good working order.
A multimeter can be used to check Christmas lights and repair them by doing a simple continuity test. This is your best tool when troubleshooting Christmas lights.
Step by Step Guide to Testing LED Lamps
Steps to take after purchasing LED tree lights include the following:
Check string for continuity
When doing a continuity test, make sure the holiday lights are laid out and all parts are visible to make sure you haven't missed anything.
You can perform a continuity check by doing the following:
Multimeter setting
If your holiday lights are one full length, you will need to set up your multimeter. You can purchase a digital multimeter online or at any electrical supply store. I would advise you to choose a digital multimeter as it is better and easier to use than an analog one.
First, connect the two probes of the multimeter. The red probe enters the mAVΩ hole. The black one is connected to the COM hole on the multimeter. Although it will still read even if you have connected it incorrectly, this is the correct way.
Test string for continuity
You will then need to set the multimeter to continuous mode. This checks the connection between two points and determines if they are well connected.
To set it to continuous mode, look for the diode symbol on the multimeter's pen.
Then touch the two probes together. This will create a low tone. If your LED Christmas lights are not working, the best way to check is continuity.
Replacing the Christmas Light Bulb Fuse
When half of your Christmas lights don't work, you might have a blown fuse in the lights.
Sometimes you can visually tell if a fuse is blown as the metal filament inside will be broken. If so, you will need to replace the fuse. This is a simple but essential step to making your broken Christmas lights work. You will need to carefully remove the old fuse.
Use a screwdriver or pliers to slide the fuse cover off and replace the old one with the new one. Most LED Christmas lights usually come with an extra fuse that can be used. You can also buy the appropriate fuse online or at your local hardware store.
All this ensures that the Christmas tree lights are not damaged and that they work perfectly when powered.
Test for faulty light bulbs
This is the next important step. Below I will show you how to check for faulty light bulbs and replace them.
You can check for faulty lamps by following these simple steps:
- Start at one end of the line. You can roll incandescent bulbs into one long length. Then roll out the bulbs at the end of one strand.
- Pull out the light bulb and disconnect the wires. Separate the wires and check their condition. Do this for each light bulb, checking them all carefully. You can return the bulbs if they are in good working order.
What to do if two light bulbs burn out?
If two or more bulbs are burned out, you will need to replace them with other new working bulbs. I would advise you to make sure that burned out light bulbs are properly replaced to ensure good working condition.
First, make sure the power is off and unplugged. Then start at the one closest to you and work your way down.
Slightly shake the bulb, and then remove it. Replace the burnt out light bulb with a new one and move down the chain of lights.
NOTE. A burnt out light bulb will shorten the life of other bulbs, as they will receive more current.
After pulling out all the burnt out bulbs, plug in the headlights, turn on the power and check if all the bulbs are on. If there are unlit ones, you can repeat the above process until there are no dim bulbs left.
The light is off - use a splitter
After you fix the broken bulbs, connect the lights to the Christmas tree and turn on the power. If the burned out light bulbs were replaced correctly, the entire filament should light up. If the light is off, you can use a splitter.
The lights will not burn due to the size of the string and the amount of energy passing through it. This problem can be solved with a splitter. This allows you to connect two or more devices to the same power source. (1)
You can connect two long strings to the same power supply to have the whole string turned on and glowing.
How to Fix Flickering Christmas Lights
If the indicators are flashing, this may indicate that one or more lamps are not installed correctly. You can try wiggling the bulbs and see if they work. This is a good way to make sure your Christmas tree lights don't flicker anymore.
Can you tie too many Christmas lights together?
Yes you can. However, this will depend on the type of lamp and the power supplied to the filaments. I would recommend that you connect a maximum of five lines. Although today there are some fixtures to which you can connect up to 50 fixtures.
How many lamps can be connected to one outlet?
LED garlands can have up to 43 pass-through Christmas garlands connected to one socket. This is the amount they can take at a time. (2)
Summing up
People usually throw away newly bought Christmas lights instead of fixing them. Here we taught you how to test Christmas lights with a multimeter to avoid broken Christmas lights.
Recommendations
(1) power source - https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/power-source
(2) LED - https://www.britannica.com/technology/LED
