When it comes to Christmas lights, do you fix or replace? Before you decide, try these steps to help you figure out exactly what you want to do:
Diagnose the issue. The light repair tool will allow you to fix a shunt, test the voltage, and check the fuse. Do you have a bad bulb, or is this something more serious? We all want to be responsible with our things—no one wants to just rush out and buy something new when we can fix the old—but if you aren’t already armed with basic electrician tools, is it really the more responsible decision? It doesn’t seem to matter if I safely store them away, or throw them haphazardly in a bag, they refuse to ever be on the same work schedule. If this doesn’t work, things could get tricky. Most often you’ll get lucky and find the faulty bulb by working your way through the strand, wiggling each bulb to see if any are loose. (Image credits: Ashley Poskin) If you find the loose bulb, gently push it back into place. Without fail, every year I end up with half lit (no, this has nothing to do with egg nog) strands of christmas lights.