How many different Christmas bulbs are there

[Steve B]

We got 32 boxes of Christmas "stuff". Don't ask.

I got to get the lights going this year. I am amazed that there are so many different bases, and looking at the filaments, so many different filament configurations.

Where can I get info on all these so that next year, if there is one, I can get some of these fixed? I have so many reversed and out of place now, I wonder if I will ever get some of the strings going.

I have a tester that has a beeper sensor. It helps. It also has a bulb tester on it.

Did I mention I love Christmas. I didn't ............. I wonder why.

Steve

[gfretwell]

There are basically 3 types of the old style. C-9 "outside" lights, C-7 candelabra and the mini candelabra C-4 that had 7 bulbs in series on the string. Newer strings use a series bulb that is not standardized or so it seems., The bulbs seem to be in several different voltages or wattage and when you get the wrong one it won't work. Usually you just throw the string away once you lose the spares shipped with that string.

[hrhofmann]

Steve:

I have a big jar full of scrapped bulbs, I also have a small battery- operated tester that you push the bulbs into to see if they light. Once the spare bulbs are all tested ok, and I locate a bad bulb on the string I am repairing, I remove the bad bulb and then rem,ove it from the plastic socket. I then take a random bulb from the scrapped ones, and insert it into the plastic base and then plug that into the string. If I am lucky, the bulb lights normally. If I get one that runs at either a higher or lower voltage/current, then it is dim or overly bright. Then remove it and try a different bulb in the same socket. Sometimes I can try a replacement bulb before I put it into the plastic socket by spreading the wire leads from the bulb a little bit and putting the bulb into the socket so that the two wires touch the side of the socket and the bulb lights up. Of course, I am retired and so have enough time to do this without sacrificing my family life.

Sometimes I even comment on how to remove paint from stained.leaded glass.

[Art Todesco]

You also need one of these:

really work well at "fixing" series bulbs where the shunt doesn't short out. I built my own tester/fixer a bunch of years ago, but this unit is now my 1st grab. Of course, I have nothing to do with the company, except that I am a satisfied customer. I do use my home built tester for the real hard cases as it has probes for finding an open in the string.