How To Check Christmas Lights With A Multimeter

In some cases a faulty power plug is the main culprit for the absence of the current in the string of lights and identifying this problem early can save you a lot of time.

How to check christmas lights with a multimeter.

Check online or at your local hardware store for mid to high range multimeters which are more likely to have this feature than inexpensive models. A decent mid range multimeter will likely cost between 50 100 usd. After the setup is correctly followed a forward voltage drop will be displayed. The joy of a beautifully lit home can quickly turn to frustration when a burned out bulb or two render an entire string of lights dark.

But this doesn t always happen. For this one requires a multimeter and of course the led to be tested. On the male plug touch the remaining multimeter probe into one of the prongs. The unit of resistance is ohm symbol ω.

Christmas lights are wired to stay lit even if one of the bulbs burns out. Sometimes a couple of bulbs or the entire light string doesn t light up when you plug the cord into a power outlet. Place the probes of your digital multimeter at both ends of the power plug. When this happens use a non contact voltage detector to determine exactly which light bulb is faulty.

You will end up having two probes plugged in the multimeter. How does it work. Only measure resistance with circuit de energised you and your dmm don t like volts applied. In one of the female socket insert one of your multimeter probes.

Set up the multimeter to measure the resistance in your christmas tree lights by following the manufacturer s instructions. To test led lights you will need a multimeter with a diode setting. If your christmas lights are fine the next step includes checking the power plug.