Household Repairs Note. Repairs to Christmas tree light strings, if not made properly, can start a fire.

Cord broken. Remove 1/2" of insulation from each end of broken wire. Bend wires around each other, twist tight and always solder them together. Cover with cellophane electrical tape.

Cord pulled out of socket. This happens on series strings, especially those using miniature bulbs. Pull plastic socket cover away from metal socket. You will find that one wire is soldered to the outside of the screw shell, the other into a small hole in the end of the socket. If wire attached to screw shell is loose, simply hold it in place over the solder blob and heat with a soldering iron. If wire in end of socket has broken, as is more often the case, carefully drill out the hole in the socket a little. Cut end of broken wire cleanly and remove 1/8" of insulation. Twist strands tight, then melt a tiny bit of solder on to the strands. Insert the wire in the socket hole and with the point of your soldering iron heat the edge of the metal around the hole until wire is secure. Make sure bare ends of wires do not touch. Then replace plastic cover. For safety, fill hole in the back of the plastic cover with plastic rubber.




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November 20, 2008