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I’ve got a wooden fence…. how do I hang Christmas lights on it? I get this question from time to time and I’m happy to report that there is a clip designed specifically for this application – and it has a zippy name… Surface Mount Clip.  Surface Mount Clips next to a Quarter for Scale Each clip is set in a little “S” and technically, you’d need to use one for each C7 or C9 bulb that you want to snap into attention along your fence or flat surface. You run the wire on each side of the bulb socket under a side of the S and a little lip catches it and holds it in place. If you have a terribly irregular surface that may affect how snugly the wire is held. The socket is positioned so that the bulb is perpendicular to the flat surface of the clip. So passers-by will see and neat and orderly row of lights all pointing right at them. (They’ll all be envious – I’m just sayin’.) I hope you are planning your Christmas light display now – don’t forget how you are going to install your lights. Merry Christmas, Shellie Gardner
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 Frosted White Christmas Lights on Green Wire Whether the economy isn’t all that it could be, there are earthquakes in Oklahoma or snow in September, it seems like people love Christmas lights no matter what adversities come along. Sales of incandescent lights are strong and LED Christmas light sales are increasing as folks take advantage of the energy savings. Ultimately, the choice between LED and incandescent is more about what you like as much as what is economical. Malls, shopping centers and business all over the country are COVERING trees with multiple colors of LED Christmas lights – I know because customers are calling to find out how they can duplicate this amazing look. I’ve seen it accomplished with both M5 (mini ice) and G12 (razzberry) LED lenses and a wide range of density. If you choose to duplicate this look, order a few lights in the colors and lens styles that appeal to you and purchase some samples to see how far they go depending on how tightly you wind them and if the colors are really what you had in mind. Commercial installers are starting to use more LED C7 and C9 bulbs but transparent white (or clear) bulbs installed in custom cut spools are still our most popular choice for home installation. Mini lights sales are doing well – supported with year long sales in lights meant for crafts and home projects. Mini lights with 1/4 inch clips molded into their bases are in high demand by people who set up wire fram yard sculptures. If you haven’t started thinking about lights, time is flying by. So what will it be this year? Traditional or LED? Multi, Clear or Teal? It’s good to have choices Merry Christmas, Shellie Gardner If you have an entire set of mini lights go out, more than likely, you’ve blown a fuse. This happens when you run too many mini lights sets in series. Check your mini lights specifications to see what the manufacturer recommends for maximum number of lights in series, follow those guidelines, replace your fuses and hopefully, you’ll be back in business. The other alternative problem might be an unseated bulb. So, if your fuses are fine, look for a damaged bulb base or unseated bulb. (Whatever you do, don’t take out all the bulbs and reseat them – that’s just a recipe for disaster.) Here is a quick video on where to find and how to replace the fuse in your set of mini lights. Have a Merry Christmas and don’t run too many light sets together!! Shellie Gardner
I’ve just posted an article about SPT-1 and SPT-2 spools and cords. It discusses the difference between SPT-1 and SPT-2 cords. You can find it here: What is the difference between SPT-1 and SPT-2 Christmas Light Cord Basically, the difference between these two types of wire is the thickness of the insulation. Unless otherwise designated, commonly available spools of stringer wire are 18 AWG – that means they are rated at 10 amps. For a full discussion of the differences see the article above. Best regards, Shellie Gardner This is a question that I see on a fairly regular basis. This is an interesting question and depending on the lights you are considering the answer could be yes .. or no. The answer is dependent on how the lights you are looking at are wired and connected together – whether they are in series or parallel. More often than not, people ask this question regarding string lights – mini lights. These lights are run in series and are at constant current. Since the traditional incandescent lights have a much higher resistance than LED sets, they pull alot more current – which runs through both types of sets simultaneously. As a result, you just can’t run then in series with the newer LED sets. More than likely, you’d either pop the fuse of the LED set or ruin the LED set. So part of the answer to the question is… “No”, you can’t run traditional incandescent and LED string lights in series in the same electrical run. But what about C7 or C9 bulbs? This is the second most common way folks ask about combining incandescent and LED lighting. Eighteen gauge C7 and C9 Christmas light cord is wired in parallel – so all the bulbs have constant voltage and variable current – each bulb only pulls the current that it “needs” – determined by its resistance. This is the reason you can cut them to fit and skip sockets where you want to. So, in this instance, the answer is “Yes”. In parallel wired C7 and C9 stringers, you can mix incandescent and LED bulbs to your heart’s content… beyond the electrical specifications, taste and Christmas light decorum are your biggest considerations when mixing bulb colors and styles. Happy Lighting, Shellie Gardner It’s the time of year where new lights are arriving daily so it’s fun to add new products to our lineup. Here is a video about our LED twinkle bulbs. The come in C7 or C9 and in Warm or Pure white. We suggest you use about 10 percent of these bulbs to accent your lighting display. The flash randomly – not synchronously. Shellie Gardner Hello! I was just wondering if Battery Operated Mini Lights White Wire Product#: BL-154BATCLRW is the best product to use for wreaths? Look forward to hearing from you. Jennifer Hi Jennifer, Those are almost better tailored to short term events but yes, they do work for wreaths. The only issue to consider is the time they stay lit per set of batteries and how often you’d have to switch them out and the associated expense. Rechargeable batteries don’t always have the same brightness as traditional batteries so you’d need to be careful not to assume that they would be effective replacements in battery operated lights. On the incandescent sets you mention, the batteries will last 4-7 hours per battery pack so you’d need to change the 2 C batteries out almost every day or two. If you went with a battery operated LED set with 20 bulbs spaced 6 inches apart, then you’d have to change them every 3-5 days. They take 3 AA batteries that last about 18-24 hours per set. For a smaller wreath, our microdrop lights are rated to last over 125 hours per charge. They have 18 lights that are 3 inches apart. They are really bright. If you didn’t need very many sets, those could be your best wire-less option. Frankly, if there is any way that you can run a cord, that is the absolute best option you’d have for a wreath. Hope that helps, Shellie Gardner Today, I’m going to start a new project that should make this blog alot better I was going to post them on Facebook but since some of the answers have become involved, it seems to make sense to post the questions and answers here then submit links to them on Facebook – which is automatically loaded onto our twitter feed. I hope this is useful – be sure to submit your questions to our contact page if you would like to see the answer appear here. Best regards, Shellie Gardner As my family and I vacation here in St Augustine, Florida – I see lights everywhere even thought we’re no where near Christmas and it makes me glad that there are solutions for lighting restaurants and patios that are easy and cost effective.
Over at Christmas Light Source, we just rolled out a new product line that normally we save only for our corporate clients but decided that there might be a residential user or two might want the same impact for their parties, and backyard weddings that restaurants use to highlight their dining patios and wine and beer gardens.
These lights have a base that is slightly larger than a standard bulb and the cord you can purchase for these is a hefty 14 AWG wire. These bulbs are not compatible with traditional C7 (candelabra) or C9 (intermediate) cords. These lights look great hanging around the perimeter of a backyard deck, along a fenceline or criss-crossed between buildings – like your home and a detached garage. Barns that are used for parties would also look great with these lights strung back and forth and they would definitely be bright enough to light up the night for a good country and western band and some great barbeque – isn’t that why you have a barn? Like all lighting products these sets are susceptible to UV degradation and wind damage – the bulbs are glass. So be sure to order extra bulbs and pan to replace the wire based on your environment every so often. Best regards as always, Have you ever asked yourself: Is there a better way to hang a large, heavy ornament on my tree? I had a customer call looking for tree clips and she had such a great idea for them that I had to pass along her hot tip! Tree clips are normally used to secure Christmas lights to tree branches – especially to live trees that you don’t want to damage when you remove the lights. Or when you use LED lights and don’t want to damage the lights when you take them down. You just give them a little twist and you get a secure hold. They keep you from having to use wire ties that are hard to remove – often requiring clippers that dig into the tree and can cut light wires.  Tree Clip Well, back to my customer with the innovative solution. She was finding that her really heavy ornaments were just sliding off her Christmas tree limbs. When she saw the tree clips online, she thought that might be just the thing to solve her problem. And they were! Just a simple twist and her heavier ornaments didn’t fall off the tree – she said it was nice to not have to worry about her cat knocking the ornaments off, as well. Naturally, not all ornaments will fit over the little ball on the end of the clip but for large or heavy balls and figurines, they work great. I have some kid-made Christmas tree decorations that are heavier than your garden-variety glass balls and I love them. This solution will be a great alternative this year to twist ties. I’ve been working with these clips for 5 years and now, in addition to the best available way to attach light sets to trees, now they have a second great function as ornament hangers! Hope this tip helps as you think forward to the upcoming Christmas Season. I love my customers and I really enjoy it when they find innovative uses for products! Best regards, Shellie Gardner |
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Christmas Lights Advice
Tips, Tricks and Articles about Christmas Lights
