birdog1960 Posted November 26, 2013 Posted November 26, 2013 so, we put up the tree early. seems lots of other folks are eager for the season, too. and about 1/5 of the lights were out. the tree's about 5 years old but it's a big one and i don't want the trouble or expense of replacing it or taking it down and putting up another.. so, i'm in target looking for replacement bulbs and find this http://lightkeeperpro.com. and no, i've got no interest in the company and am skeptical by nature, but for $20 vs the cost of a new tree, i bought it. and in 20 minutes, i've got 4/5 of the bad lights back on. moved the remaining dark boughs to a less visible side by adjusting the tree and it's just fine. if i were more obsessive compulsive, i'd map the remaining bad strings with the beeping voltage detector but the wife's happy so i'm done. pretty neat fix for a common and annoying problem. plus, i'm not filling up the landfill with a huge tree and lights. if you find yourself in the same situation, i highly recommend it.
UConn James Posted November 26, 2013 Posted November 26, 2013 A few years ago, a string on ours went out and I filled it in with a small string of the same style bulb. Two years ago, three strings were out, so I filled them in again, but when it came time to take it apart, I decided to cut off all the lights and wiring so I could just independently string light cords around it... and not have to throw away a $250 tree. It took ~ 3-4 hours as I recall. Those suckers really put that together so it wouldn't fall apart. The lights were looped, woven and clipped every which way. But it's done and now I can change the light color if I want, too. (I don't. This house is a warm-white-light/traditional bulb place!)
ExiledInIllinois Posted November 26, 2013 Posted November 26, 2013 When these pre-lit trees first came out... I knew this day would come. What is easy @ the start is always harder down the line, of course if you don't want to fork out more cash. You'd think they'd wire those trees with a road map/wiring schematic. birdog, did you draw it all down when you mapped it out? Maybe you can finish the other 20% next year? Glad you found a work around! Be pretty cool if there was some way to USB it into a computer program and take you right to the bad bulbs... If that is even possible... Data port... ??
birdog1960 Posted November 26, 2013 Author Posted November 26, 2013 (edited) When these pre-lit trees first came out... I knew this day would come. What is easy @ the start is always harder down the line, of course if you don't want to fork out more cash. You'd think they'd wire those trees with a road map/wiring schematic. birdog, did you draw it all down when you mapped it out? Maybe you can finish the other 20% next year? Glad you found a work around! Be pretty cool if there was some way to USB it into a computer program and take you right to the bad bulbs... If that is even possible... Data port... ?? when i take the tree apart, i'll give the remaining two sections a closer look. the gun has a beeping voltage detector that you can run the lines with and see where the "block" is. but when the tree is together, it's difficult because there are so many other lines nearby causing interference. pretty cool how this worked for the 4/5th of the strings, though. supposedly, a burnt out shunt is the cause of 90+% of string failure. the filament goes and theres a shunt at the bottom of the bulb that's supposed to conduct electricity along the string but often doesn't. the gun plugs into any socket along the string and fuses any bad shunt via a piezo shock it produces. i suspect you could build one yourself from a grill lighter. i think the lighting mechanism is the same thing. Edited November 26, 2013 by birdog1960
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