Reactor wrote:

Hi All,

I have a pre-lit, 12', 5-year old Christmas tree with about 2500 lights.
Entire sections (levels of branches, if you will) will not light. You can
imagine what it's like to search and replace burnt bulbs.

The bulbs are of the "shunt type" of course, but still, no lights. I have
good line voltage at the end of the string, so I am pretty certain it's not
a broken wire.

The first bulb in each section is a non-removable, non-shunt type bulb. The
directions say only that it is a safety bulb and cannot be replaced. On at
least one string, this safety bulb appears to be blown.

What gives here? I have shunt bulbs that are supposed to keep a blown bulb
from taking out the whole section, but yet they are all out. I have line
voltage all the way through the string, and yet no lights. And I have a
"safety bulb" that cannot be replaced, yet is blown.

What happens if I cut the safety bulb off (it's molded into its socket) and
twist the three wires together. What safety can this be providing any way?
Any other ideas, aside from what we did last year - just throw a set of
lights on it, which defeats the purpose of paying the price for a pre-lit
tree?

This is driving me and my wife insane.

Thanks in advance for your input.


The fact that are getting voltage at the end of the string does not
mean alot to me. You didn't indicate what method you used to determine
this? Did you use a field won maybe? if so, That most likely will yield
incorrect results..
The Safety lamp might be in series with the return path..
First try a small 120 Volt incandescent lamp in place of the safety
lamp.
The whole idea is to have that lamp absorb the whole load in the
case where the string may become shorted.

that is just an idea.. May not be fact but I wouldn't use anything
other than another bulb to test the string.


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