How to Fix LED Christmas Lights

After hours of decorating, you finally plug in your LED Christmas lights, and nothing happens.

You start thinking things like “These were supposed to last forever,” and “Are LED lights really worth it?”

They are, and they can be fixed.

Before you give up on them and switch back to incandescent Christmas lights again, take a moment to think about the good side of LED lights.

Here are some LED light reminders and tips on how to fix your broken Christmas lights.

Benefits of LED Christmas Lights

First things first, let’s just get this out of the way, they save energy and save you money. It’s true, they may not save you hundreds of extra dollars, but still, any money saved is helpful and should definitely be considered when buying any kind of LED lights.

But this is especially true during the Christmas season. Because Christmas lights are left on for so long, sometimes even overnight, the electric bill goes way up during the month of December. It’s times like these you will see costs cut with LED lights.

But all money aside, there are many other reasons you should get LED Christmas lights this season.

They’re Harder To Break

Unlike incandescent Christmas lights, LED bulb caps are made from plastic, so they are much more durable. You don’t have to worry about dropping them off the roof and breaking them. Most LED lights will survive the fall and still work.

They Last A Lot Longer

LED lights can last up to 10 years before they stop working, some people even claim they can last 20 years.

If you have any experience with incandescent Christmas lights, you’ll know they only last a year or two before they start going out. It can be a real hassle to buy new Christmas lights every year. With LED Christmas lights, you don’t have to do that anymore.

They Don’t Overheat

LED Christmas lights don’t have filaments that overheat and burnout. That’s one of the reasons they are able to last so long.

But the lack of filaments also makes them safer. Roughly 52 Christmas tree fires happen every year, resulting in over $4 million dollars of property damage.

Because LED lights don’t overheat, they greatly reduce your risk of being caught in a Christmas tree-related fire.

They Come In All Different Shapes And Sizes

You can get different LED Christmas lights for each part of your house. Whether you want small lights, colored lights, lights that change color on their own, controlled lights, you can find an LED light to match your preference.

Do LED Lights Really Last 10 Years Though?

It all depends on how you use them and how much you use them.

If you keep your Christmas lights going all year, they will last a significantly shorter time. If you live in an area that gets really hot during the day or if you store them in a hot attic during the offseason, they also probably won’t last as long as you anticipated.

That said, most LED lights will last a minimum of six years. That a minimum, and that’s still a lot longer than the average incandescent lights.

So How Do I Fix Them If They Break Before That?

If for some reason your LED lights go out before they’re supposed to, you can probably fix them without much trouble.

Keep in mind, the following methods only work on Christmas lights that have removable lightbulbs. If you own LED lights that don’t have removable lightbulbs (yet another reason why LED lights can last so long), they are much harder and much more dangerous to fix.

For all your removable bulb Christmas light owners, let’s take a look at a few of these simple fixes.

Find The Bad Bulb

If one of your LED light strands isn’t working, it’s probably just because it has a bad bulb. If one bulb dies, it can cause the rest of the strand to stop working. The only way to fix the problem is to find the bad bulb.

Sometimes only a section of the lights will go out, making your job pretty easy. However, if the entire string of lights is out, you will need to check every lightbulb.

That means pulling off each bulb, replacing it with a good bulb, and plugging it in. If it turns on, you found the bad bulb. If it doesn’t turn on, you have to take the replacement bulb out, put the original bulb back in, and move down to the next bulb.

It’s a slow process, but it’s pretty easy once you find the right bulb.

To make your life a little less chaotic, test every strand of Christmas lights before you hang them on the roof or wrap them around the tree. It’s a lot easier to fix them on the ground than it is suspended on a ladder.

Look For Any Corrosion

If you replace all the bulbs and the lights still don’t work, you probably have a corroded terminal.

Each light bulb has its own terminal that delivers the charge and makes it light up. Unfortunately, these can give out from time to time.

Finding a bad terminal is the same as finding a bad bulb. You have to take every bulb out, look into the terminal, and see if it has corroded in any way.

You can usually clean the corrosion away with a small file or brush and get the bulb working again.

Adjust Loose Bulbs

Sometimes, the LED Christmas light bulbs just get a little lose, and the strand of lights stops working because the bulb isn’t adjusted right.

All you have to do is push the bulb back into place. It will start working again and turn on the rest of the strand with it.

Choose LED Christmas Lights This December

LED lights are easier to work with and cheaper than incandescent lights, and there’s so much you can do with them. Give your family a bit of extra fun this year with LED Christmas lights.

Trying to decide how you should decorate for Christmas? Check out all these creative LED holiday ideas!