Christmas Lights

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:50 am

If you buy Christmas lights this year, buy spares. Buy as many spares as you think you might need over the life of the light strings.

Three years ago, we changed to the modern style of lights. Previously we had been using older style bulbs (those that got rather warm).

Since decorations were put up this year, we have discovered three different bulbs that had burned out. No problem the three strings came with spares. I decided we better pick up some more spare bulbs.

I can buy spares but they do not match the profile of the ones we already have. Even an online search has come up blank.

The ones I need are GE C5s. Yup, those are available online BUT they too are different.

Buy spares when you buy the new strings. I'll bet that my wife buys new lights before she packs the decorations this year. I hope she buys spares too.

ss50th · Post by **ss50th** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:35 am

If the lights are for the exterior of the house the profile may not matter. When I lived in SW Missouri, we had a saying...."If you can't notice something from a galloping horse it really doesn't matter"

reible · Post by **reible** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:35 pm

We don't put up lights anymore but I do have a large box of tangled working/none working lights stored up in case I ever feel the need to waste a few hours.

If I ever want to get into this again it will be led's. We use them indoors year round as "night lights" at 4 watts a string. We have had them (3 strings) for more then 5 years now without any failures and they are on every night.

Ed

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 4:03 pm

We switched to LED's on the main tree (living room) this year. They look just like the old soft color 7 watt lights that we used to use which get too hot for safety. They call the look of these "ceramic".
I don't recall the wattage on these but they are supposed to be guaranteed for I believe 5 years and claim an normal life span (when used only seasonally) of 22 years...

Many times in the past I have probably connected a string or two too many together but I try not to. I looked on the package for these which are a 14' long with 25 lights (I have 5 strings connected), and it said that I could connect 90 strings together...

While the tiny lights we were using only got barely warm these LED's actually feel cold to the touch...

.

camerio · Post by **camerio** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 4:14 pm

I bought two strings of those led lights and I have discovered while installing them, that the bulbs cannot be changed, I hope they last all the same amount of time, otherwise I will have strands with some lights off and some on.
It is not the case yet, but like other posters, I like the colours, the soft glow and the fact that they stay cold to the touch. I use them inside.

reible · Post by **reible** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 4:30 pm

This is a little off subject, however I'm going to add it anyway.

A few years ago I got my wife a "KILL A WATT" (TM) meter. She has measured about everything in the house that plugs in and when we got the led lights she found them to use less power then the 7W night lights. So we now save 9 watts with the christmas lights and they are much brighter. I know it isn't much but it makes her happy. (if the math confuses you it was (3) 7 watt = 21 vs (3) 4 watt = 12, 21-12= 9)

Ed

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:47 pm

camerio wrote:I bought two strings of those led lights and I have discovered while installing them, that the bulbs cannot be changed, I hope they last all the same amount of time, otherwise I will have strands with some lights off and some on.
It is not the case yet, but like other posters, I like the colours, the soft glow and the fact that they stay cold to the touch. I use them inside.

Our LED's came with extra bulbs and fuses and instructions on changing them. I haven't really looked at others to see if they are changeable.

We just got tired of fighting the burn-outs and dead sections on the real cheapies. I do have a combination tester / and shunt setter that helps a lot when more than one is out at once. Still they can be a real pain. Also many of the cheapies have different base shapes from each other which then requires bending the wires and removing the glass part of the bulb and putting them in the other kind of base. Hopefully that will become mostly a thing of the past with LED's.

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spiderclimber · Post by **spiderclimber** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:46 am

We put up about 600 C9 LED lights the GE brand around the roof of our home. They have all worked out the past 2 years. I have had a bulb come lose which makes it go out but overall they work.

The problem is the lights will last for 100,000 hours but that is only the bulb and not the connection plates or the wires coming out of the bulb. The ads are a bit misleading. Still, I like the look of them on the home and they are cool to the touch which is nice as well.

I try to purchase one whole extra strand for replacement bulbs. That way I know they will fit, and it gives me 25 to use over time.