Outdoor string lights fuse? (2023)

Why do my outdoor string lights keep blowing fuses?

Overheated outlets and wires are the main reasons for blown fuse bulbs. Adding dedicated circuits and GFCI outlets, especially for exterior holiday lighting, can help prevent this problem. For the same reason, limit the use of extension cords. Connecting too many extension cords will likely overload the outlet.

Most string lights have two tiny fuses inside the plug.

ou can power your garden lights from a spur off a ring circuit, via a 5 amp fused connection unit. Once outdoors, you should supply your lights via 1.5mm² three core steel-wire-armoured cable (SWA).

Whether you're using traditional incandescent lights or LED lights, most plug in Christmas lights usually stop working for the following reasons: The circuit isn't carrying power. A fuse has blown. A bulb has burnt out and has created a cascading outage.

If one of the resistors fails or is removed, the circuit is now open, current flow is disturbed and none of the resistors will work. This is why one bad, loose or missing lightbulb will make the whole string go dark!

Step 1 Blown Fuses

Remove the two fuses, and inspect them by looking at them up against a bright background (such as the sky). If the fuse is good, you should see an unbroken strand of wire running between the two metal contacts.

You can tell which bulb is out on your string of traditional Christmas lights by looking for the bulb that is “burned out” by looking at the tiny little filaments in the light bulbs to see which bulb is “burned out” or has lost it's filament. Many times the bulb will be “smoked” as well.

The blown fuse will be apparent because the wire element within will have melted or burned from the higher electrical current. You can also use a test light or a multimeter to identify the dead fuse without having to pull it out. Both tools are affordable and easy to use.

Look at the fuse wire. If there is a visible gap in the wire or a dark or metallic smear inside the glass then the fuse is blown and needs to be replaced.

What fuse do string lights use?

What Type of Fuse Does My Light Set Use? Incandescent Mini Light Sets use 3 amp fuses. Heavy Duty light sets 5V use 3 amp fuses. C7, C9 light sets use 5 amp fuses.

You should never just upgrade from a 15-amp breaker to a 20-amp one just because the current one is tripping. Otherwise, you may burn your house down via electrical fire. To help you understand why this is so dangerous, you need to know what the circuit breaker is for.

According to 2011 National Electrical Code, there is no problem mixing lighting and receptacles on a 15 or 20 ampere circuit.

In the case of a fuse that keeps blowing, it's even more important NOT to just replace with a larger one! Most newer houses don't have fuses. If you have them, chances are that your wiring is older, with insulation that is not as heat resistant, and you have more likelihood of deteriorated wire terminations, etc.

When a circuit breaker regularly trips or a fuse repeatedly blows, it is a sign that you are making excessive demands on the circuit and need to move some appliances and devices to other circuits. Or, it may indicate that your house has too few circuits and is in need of a service upgrade.

Any fuse that has a higher amperage than what the circuit allows for will blow the fuse out.

If none of the lights are coming on, that means there is either an issue with the transformer/timer or the high voltage outlet it is plugged into. We always recommend using an outlet that has a bubble cover on it if the outlet is outside so that it is protected from being tripped by moisture or wet weather.

If one of your LED light strands isn't working, it's probably just because it has a bad bulb. If one bulb dies, it can cause the rest of the strand to stop working. The only way to fix the problem is to find the bad bulb. Sometimes only a section of the lights will go out, making your job pretty easy.

3 Common Reasons Your String Lights Won't Turn On

Begin by replacing the fuse, if the fuse blows immediately after connecting it to power, it means that your lights are faulty, either a string is severed, or there is a malfunctioning rectifier.

What happens if you overload string lights?

In modern homes, when a circuit is overloaded with Christmas lights (or anything else, like a hairdryer), then the circuit breaker trips, causing the power to go out from anything on that circuit. All you need to do is move a few lights to a different breaker, then locate the breaker that tripped and reset it.

Because light strings have a maximum wattage capacity, which is why many string lights come with a little fuse just in case you connect too many together at once. The fuse is designed to blow so you don't overload and damage your Christmas lights.

The answer, though it may surprise many, is a resounding YES.

The most common cause of a blown fuse is when something draws too much power from the circuit. This is most often caused by either too many lights or from using too many plug-in appliances at once. The biggest culprit for this kind of issue is a multiple outlet adapter plugged into a socket.

Plug the Christmas lights into your Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI), or outdoor outlet. Wrap Teflon tape (electrical tape) securely and carefully around the plugs, completely coating the plug to prevent water from getting in and effectively creating a water-tight seal.

The corrosion that builds up inside the outlet makes them more prone to tripping. This is especially true if an outdoor outlet does not have a proper bubble cover and has been exposed to the weather for a number of years. If outlets appear to be old and weathered, having them replaced can help reduce tripping.

This can be caused by many things, a loose connection (badly fitted connections can come loose with time) in a light fitting or junction box, leak from upstairs, rodent chewing through wire, nail through a cable etc.

The bulbs used for outdoor lighting systems are designed to last a long time, so if they're burning out sooner than expected, it could be an indicator of deeper issues, like faulty wiring or improper installation. Make sure you have All Wet change the burnt out bulbs and inspect your system for deeper issues.

A fuse switch that keeps tripping is usually caused by a faulty electrical item or an overloaded circuit. Locating the root of the problem is largely a process of elimination and something you can do yourself. Here we'll talk you through how to work out why your electric keeps tripping and how to repair a tripped fuse.

You can find shorts in outdoor lighting by looking for wires that are cut, broken, frayed, are improperly connected, or are stretched by roots or rocks. We'd also look for bad, wet, corroded, or damaged sockets. We'd be checking for any areas that could be exposing wires or bulbs to moisture too.

How do I stop my outdoor Christmas lights from tripping the breaker?

Use Outdoor Power Outlet Stakes

This is a really popular option for people who want the lights to come on at a specific time, like when the sun sets. Because of the water protective nature of the outlets, you won't have to worry about tripping the breaker like you would with traditional methods.

Christmas Light Safety

Never exceed this limit. Plugging too many light strings together can cause overheating and potentially a fire.

If one or more lights in your home have gone out and your circuit breaker isn't tripped, what could the issue be? One culprit could be a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet that has tripped. When experiencing electrical imbalances, GFCI outlets trip much quicker to protect people from electrocution.

How Do You Fix an Overloaded Circuit? The short-term solution to a circuit overload is easy – move some devices from the overloaded circuit to another general-purpose circuit. Then you can just flip the circuit breaker back on or replace the fuse.