Every single year. I am so sick of this. Why can't anyone make things of quality anymore?????????
So, this year I decide to decorate just two pine trees. One is only 6 feet tall and the other is probably 15 feet tall. No big deal, right. WRONG!!!!!!!! Christmas lights have some sort of conspiracy against me. Why can't I just simply string up some lights and plug them in??? Huh???? Why?????? The dumb fuses in the strings keep blowing!!!!!!!! I realize that I can't run a bunch of strings attatched to each other. I know that I have to split them apart and then plug them all into a power bar or an extesion cord. This is what I am doing, but everytime I look out the window, another fuse inside the string has blown. What is the deal?????? Why can all of these other people string thousands of lights and attach them all together and NEVER have a problem? Why is it just me?

Maybe you guys can help me out. What do you suggest I do? Why do I keep blowing fuses (in the string, not the house)? I am using the larger sized outdoor lights. It can't be that I have too many strings of lights plugged into each other, can it? I would guess (I don't remember for certain) that I have at most 5 strings of lights plugged into each other, and then I plug them into the same extension cord (It is a big cord and has three plug ins on it. ) I then run this cord to an outside outlet on the house.

What is the deal with today's lights anyway? My parents saved light sets from back in the 70's that still work today. I have never had a problem with them and they never blow fuses. Why, you may ask? Because they don't have fuses. So, why do today's lights have fuses? They prevent you from stringing lights together. They cause more harm than good.

What should I do????
thanks for any advice
brad

 

Humidity ....Age of wire ?

 

I'd rather have a fuse blow and have to buy new lights, than have no fuse and set the tree on fire. its a safety thing, kinda like new cars with air bags and crumple zones, it just might save a life, what a Christmas gift that would be.

 

bypass the fuses?

 

I forgot to mention that these are two year old lights. I have had this problem with them ever since I bought them. I bought a bunch of sets (twenty I think) and had this problem with all of them so I am sure it isn't a defect or age problem.

How would I prevent humidity from causing problems?
thanks
brad

 

I threw away three sets this year of the mini lights and have decided to go with either C7 or C9's from now on. No more mini lights for me!

 

If they are the large "bulbs" it could be a voltage overload issue. Also, what is the gage and length of your extension cord? I have two strings of 25 lights plugged into a 14 gage cord and I don't know if I would add any more. You can try plugging one string at a time into the cord and leave them on to see if they blow the fuse. Repeat this for all the strands. If they don't blow the fuse, you could assume that together, they overload the extension cord. If you still have the packaging you can see what the wattage of all the bulbs are. To long an extension cord, to many lights, to small gage on the extension cord ??????? Or like Mil1ion said, old worn out wires that have breaks in the insulation and short out.

 

The extension cord is also new. It is 100 ft long I think. I am unsure of the gage. It is pretty thick though. (it's one of those orange colored ones)
The thing about this situation is that I was fully aware that I should not go overboard on the lights this year. I always dream big, but know that I would be wasting my time trying to do too much. Two years ago I tried decorating a forty foot pine tree (that's what I originally bought these lights for). I had to string up twenty lights and plug them in in various places in/on the garage/house. This was one of the worst experiences with Christmas ever. I don't ever plan on doing it again. I ended up blowing fuses in the house and in the strings and ruined one outside house outlet. Well, apparently the electrician who built this house in the seventies didn't do things to code which resulted in the blowing of house fuses and outlets. So, when this year came around I decided to do something simple and tasteful. I have had no problems with the fuses in the house, it is just the fuses in the strings. However, the fuses don't always blow right away. I set up the lights and tested them for a while in the middle of the afternoon. Then I turned them on later at night and left them on for probably 5-6 hours. No problems at all. So, I turned them on the next night and left them on for about 3 hours, I look out the window and two fuses had blown (the fuses to the two lead sets that I put on the large tree.) So, I just unplugged all of the lights. Now, six days later, I go out and replace the fuses. Little while later, one fuse blows (however, this wasn't a lead set; it was right in the middle. I don't know why it blew and not the lead set) So, I replace it and a few minutes later, another fuse blows. I did not bother to replace this one.

It just doesn't make sense to me. My parents used to light up the entire house, and they never had problems. How do all of these other people do it????? They cover every single object in their yards, but don't seem to have any problems.

thanks for all the help
brad

 

Be sure to find out the gauge of the cord. It should say on the cord, or on the package. If the wire size is too small, and it is that long, you can get a voltage drop over the distance. Then, when you add lights, they draw more current because of the drop in voltage. Ohms law. Try a larger gauge extension cord, and use a shorter length cord if you don't need 100 feet.

EDIT


Also, if the strings are plugged in end to end, the fuses will be protecting 5 strings instead of the 1 it is meant to. So, try plugging the strings into power strips, and get a different extension cord like I mentioned previously.

 

I would just buy some new lights. I get tied every year too of the mini ones that half a set doesn't work because a bulb came loose. Didn't even put any outside this year because I also get tired of messing with them. The neighbors look good though LOL