Xmas fairy lights

[gareth evans]

Sometime in the past couple of years (Sorry, don't remember, all posts deleted after being read) I got help in this NG and learnt about the way that bulbs fail becoming a short circuit and so keep the series string still illuminated albeit at a brighter output due to the higher voltage now across them.

So, thank-you to those who helped at that time.

Now, after 2 years, have finally responded to the nagging from SWMBO and have repaired the fairy lights that she bought in the first year we were married

47 years ago.

But, although I've a good stock of the LES Pifco lamps, I'm down to my last fuse bulb. So, I'm thinking that if a failure happens again, then I must get hold of 200mA fuses to go into the

13A mains plug. Are such things available?

Failing that, there is the option of fitting a mains-safe in-line fuse holder, should such a thing be available (and not like those used for 12V CB rigs which would be risky at 240V)

NB. There has to be a suitable fuse in the circuit because as each bulb fails becoming a short circuit, then it increases the chances of more bulbs failing because of the higher voltage across them, with the likelihood of there being a complete short circuit across the mains with the risk of a fire catching among the dried pine branches of the tree; especially when some ill-advised people leave a 13A fuse in the mains plug.

[newshound]

Have you tried eBay? Large range of fuse bulbs, I was pleased to find one for a Chinese? set at least ten years old.

[Martin Brown]

Your best bet is find a clone of the lamps on eBay a surprising number of retro bulbs are available on there about £6-10 for half a dozen.

Trouble with a very low current fuse is that it necessarily has to run hot most of the time. An in circuit bulb is a much better bet.

You want a slow blow fuse in the plug if you go down that route since the inrush current when all the bulbs are cold can be quite high for an instant until the filaments warm up. I probably wouldn't want to go below a 500mA mains fuse but you can buy 400mA & 250mA ones.

A fast blow fuse might react quickly enough to blow when you first plug the lights in.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Martin Brown pretended :

Though not designed to fit in place of the fuse in a 13amp plug, so the only safe option is a fuse in a suitable box, making it rather an expensive fix. Fuse lamps are available on ebay, but a better and safer option these days, is LED.

Just wait until after Christmas, then all the left over stock will be on sale rediculously cheap - but now, ready for next year and throw the old troublesome set away. You can expect the LED set to last almost forever, without needing spares - if you are careful with them. More lights, much brighter, what's not to like?

[Martin Brown]

I think the lowest you can easily go in a mains plug BS1362 is 3A red.

But 7A!, 2A and 1A fuses to BS1362 if you look hard enough:

A 1A rated mains fuse might just be good enough to prevent cascade failure.

They are typically dimmer than fairy lights but they are certainly a lot safer than the old classical mains voltage chain.

I still haven't been able to find an acceptably bright replacement for my outdoor lights which is now down to 3 out 4 working 48v strings of real 4W coloured glass filament bulbs. The remaining fault probably due to corrosion somewhere out of sight has eluded me.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Martin Brown wrote on 12/12/2021 :

Not that I have noticed, in fact I would suggest the opposite - a smaller, much brighter point source.

Not quite the same, but I have just swapped a 12v 16w QH spot in our fibre optic tree, for a 5w LED. The result is much brighter than the QH was.

[williamwright]

Christmas

Bill

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

williamwright laid this down on his screen :

Bah, humbug..

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

totly

[gareth evans]

On the tree at the moment, we have 3 LED sets and 3 (of various manufacturers) fairy light sets.

The real warmth and brilliance is with the fairy lights.

As to ebay, as suggested by other posters, plenty of the plug-in variety of fairy lights, and, indeed, I have a couple of sets, but the LES***** ones do not offer fuse bulbs.

BTDTGTTS, but thanks for the suggestions.

***** Liliputian Edison Screw

[gareth evans]

AKA Crapmas, the Christians having hijacked the traditional northern hemisphere celebration of the rebirth of the Winter Sun.

In response to the challenges of the religionists as to why do we normal people (They call us, "atheists", but I tend not to use that term because to say that there are no gods, I'd have to define what is a god) continue to celebrate Christmas is twofold.

Firstly the meme resulting from having their religion forced on us over the centuries under pain of torture and death, and, secondly, to riposte that they themselves have a Good Friday, where the name of Friday is in deference to the Norse god variously Frigg or Freya.

[williamwright]

You've got a bee in your bonnet.

Bill

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Actually I pensioned my old lights off, not because of the shortage of fuse bulbs, but because of the poor insulation, IE only one layer and the holders seemed to be soldered in leaving the plastic, which became brittle with age to allow metal things to get in them. Being as the whole chain has the mains on it, then they could be lethal. Later filament sets had two layers of insulation and a kind of rubbery plastic holder that was far more rugged. Nowadays, they all run from low voltages it seems via an effects box and a wall wart and are of course LED. Going back to the old school ones. If you want to take the risk. I would suggest adding at least two more lights into the chain, or even a mains bulb, which will glow a bit, and then as the bulbs blow the filament lamp will just get brighter. So even if they all went short. all you would get would be a very bright ordinary bulb. It goes without saying that this should be made properly so you don't get anywhere near the contacts or joins.

Brian

[gareth evans]

... and that bee is normalcy

[Brian]

While I appreciate you may wish to repair your old lights as you?ve had them since being married etc, plus ( like me) I suspect you like to repair things etc, I would be concerned about the safety of a set of lights that old. With the best will in the world, Christmas tree lights are not made to the most exacting standards. The plasticiser in the insulation may well have ?dried out?, possibly in places you can?t see, bad joints ( as you know solder joints deteriorate with time) go ?high?, meaning heat, ?.the last thing you want is a fire.

Throw in the fact a new set of led lights will cost little more than a few new special bulbs ?. You can keep the old ones for old times sake.