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Q I’m putting up my outdoor Christmas lights that I used last year. Half of the lights won’t work. I know it’s cheaper to just replace them, but I hate to throw them away. Yet I also hate to pull out every bulb to find the bad one. Any solutions?
— Mike Koning, via e-mail
A Judging by our mail, it seems that most of us have experienced the frustration of uncooperative holiday lights. There’s a simple way to solve the problem.
Keep in mind that inexpensive strings of lights aren’t durable. At the end of the holiday season, take down the lights with care. Don’t pull too hard on the wires. A loose bulb, broken socket or frayed wire is sometimes all it takes for the strand to malfunction.
After taking down the lights, plug them in before storing them, to make sure they still work. Then carefully wrap the lights in their original or similar containers, making sure the bulbs don’t bang together. Proper storage is key to their continued success. Wadding them up in a coil and stuffing them into a box will almost guarantee they won’t work next year.
Also be aware that most holiday light bulbs have short life expectancies, about 1,000 to 1,500 hours. This means the lights are designed to last one to three seasons, depending on your usage. Newer style LED (light-emitting diode) lights are the exception. They can last 10 times longer than traditional lights.
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