Step-by-Step Guide: How to Safely Remove Lights from a Pre-Lit Christmas Tree

Did you ever plug in your pre-lit tree and discover some lights didn’t work? This is for you.

It is pretty normal for tree lights to malfunction when they’ve lived for quite some time. If your tree is quite as old as methuselah, or older, you can expect that the lights would act up as time goes on. 

But are there any steps you can take if this happens? Rather than buying a new tree, could the lights be changed to save money?

Well, yes!

Though it will depend on what kind of pre-lit Christmas tree you choose. Several artificial trees consist of lighted branches that cannot be disassembled because they are pre-wired with lights. Although some trees have lights you can remove and replace.

Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Pre-Lit Christmas Tree Lights

Below are some suggestions for removing lights from your pre-lit Christmas tree. Keep scrolling:

  • To start with, plug the tree into a power outlet. Then check that all its lights are functioning.
  • A bulb tester can be used to check each light. The bulbs are tested after being removed from the display stands and placed on the bulb tester.
  • If the bulb is functioning, it will automatically light up.
  • If a bulb does not work, you can use a spare bulb that comes with the tree or get one from a store nearby.
  • Try rotating the bulbs if a light isn’t working.
  • If none of the lights work, check the fuse at the end of the cable. You will need a small screwdriver to remove the fuse cover. Then you can replace damaged fuse.
  • Be on the lookout for strands of lights on the tree. A number of them are numbered alphabetically. So remove the unlit section’s end plug by finding the plug at its end.
  • Connect the new lights to the tree and wrap them around it. And then connect the new strand’s end to the old.