pre-lit Christmas tree problems

[damo]

I've got chunks of my pre-lit tree that aren't lit up even thought all cords are plugged in. Any suggestions? Replacing bulbs doesn't seem to help.

Edit: the problem seems to lie with a few sockets that have three wires going in to them. On a few strands the lights stop working after this three wired bulb. Replacing this bulb with other bulbs from working three wired sockets doesn't help. It seems to be the three wired socket that is causing the issues. Also at this point, the string goes from being 2 wires to three wires.

Any electricians out there???

 

[MidgeD79]

Mine does the same thing. Until I do "fix" it I just add strings of lights to fill it in.

 

[stinkerbelle]

are you 100% positive each part of the tree is plugged into the correct part?

that's thrown mine off before too

 

[mickeyfan2]

Ours did this. It was a beautiful 7.5 foot prelit white twinkle tree. As you see I said was. After a few year, DH was fed up and it went to goodwill this year. That is the last prelit tree for us. When it did twinkle and all lights worked, it was spectacular. Alas it is no more.

 

[damo]

are you 100% positive each part of the tree is plugged into the correct part?

that's thrown mine off before too

Even when I take the string that isn't working and plug it directly into a socket, that string won't work (well, half of it works and then the other half remains unlit). The bulbs on on half of the string are lit, then there is a weird shaped bulb (not the same base as the others) and after that unlit bulb none work.

 

[cardaway]

Make not of where the plug is and try and look down the same string of lights until you find the end. Once you have the plug (start) and the end, see if there is any bulbs working beyond the first non-working one on the same string.

 

[damo]

It seems to be some sort of fuse socket that is not working. If I pull out one of these special bulbs anywhere from on the tree (they are usually located first in a string and at the middle of a long string) the entire row will go out. I have taken other working "fuse" bulbs and put it into this one broken "fuse" socket and that doesn't fix the problem. So the problem is in the one special socket. Anyone know how can I fix this "fuse" socket???

All three wires go into this one bulb where on most of the other bulbs, only the two wires connect.

 

[ChristmasElf]

On regular Christmas tree light strands the fuse is in the plug part. Have you checked there on that particular strand?
In the meantime, if you can't replace the fuse, I would just add an additional strand of lights in the dark spot of the tree. It is so frustrating when this happens.

 

[MICKEY88]

It seems to be some sort of fuse socket that is not working. If I pull out one of these special bulbs anywhere from on the tree (they are usually located first in a string and at the middle of a long string) the entire row will go out. I have taken other working "fuse" bulbs and put it into this one broken "fuse" socket and that doesn't fix the problem. So the problem is in the one special socket. Anyone know how can I fix this "fuse" socket???

All three wires go into this one bulb where on most of the other bulbs, only the two wires connect.

pulling any light out at any part of the string will cause all the lights in that section to go out, if another bulb is out, replacing that special bulb will not fix the pro9blem....




take a bulb out of a working section, and try the bulbs from the non working section in this socket, if it's another bulb you will find it...

 

[damo]

pulling any light out at any part of the string will cause all the lights in that section to go out, if another bulb is out, replacing that special bulb will not fix the pro9blem....




take a bulb out of a working section, and try the bulbs from the non working section in this socket, if it's another bulb you will find it...

The bulb where the problem starts is a different shape than the other bulbs (the normal bulbs from the rest of the string will not fit in that socket.)

Half of the string works and the other half doesn't (on two different strings) and the problem starts with that different shaped bulb which is in the middle of the string.

Editted to add: Have gotten one string working by fidgeting around with that one socket. Stupid Christmas lights! The issue is where the string goes from two wires to three wires.

 

[MICKEY88]

The bulb where the problem starts is a different shape than the other bulbs (the normal bulbs from the rest of the string will not fit in that socket.)

Half of the string works and the other half doesn't (on two different strings) and the problem starts with that different shaped bulb which is in the middle of the string.

Editted to add: Have gotten one string working by fidgeting around with that one socket. Stupid Christmas lights! The issue is where the string goes from two wires to three wires.

I was suggesting plugging the regular bulbs into a lit section, in case it isn't that bulb.........

 

[cardaway]

Editted to add: Have gotten one string working by fidgeting around with that one socket. Stupid Christmas lights! The issue is where the string goes from two wires to three wires.

Sounds dangerous. Seriously.

Anything with shorted wires should be thrown away, which is the problem (if you want to claim one) with pre-lit trees. If the wire goes bad, so does the tree.