On Dec 30, 9:26*am, Rick Brandt wrote:
gcotterl wrote:
For next Christmas, what kind of Christmas Light Strings should I buy
for the outside of my home?

On some of the strings I currently own:

* * * * *1) all the bulbs light
* * * * *2) none of the bulbs light
* * * * *3) the bulbs on only a section of the string light

On the strings I want, if a bulb dies or is missing, the rest of the
bulbs should light.

That has been the standard for many years so unless your existing strings
are pretty old they are likely already the kind where if one bulb burns out
the rest stays lit.

Where this doesn't help you is if one bulb is making a bad connection or is
missing entirely. *Then the whole string (or section) does go out. *I think
you will have trouble finding new strings that are any better in this
respect. *Bulbs can burn out, but they cannot be missing or loose. *LEDs
might not have this issue, but that is all I would buy anyway for other
reasons.

Sounds like the OP is using series string lights? AIUI those are
usually less waterproof and less rugged than lighting strings intended
for outdoor use and where more commonly, each bulb is attched to both
the hot and neutral wires. i.e. each bulb is operating at 115 volts
etc.
BTW what we usually do is to reduce the voltage on our strings of
lights by some form of step-down transformer or by puttinng two
strings of lights in series. This is epecially a good idea on lights
on a indoor Christmas tree. So bulbs are less hot and last much
longer.