What reasons for outdoor chrismtas led string lights not to work, even if electric signal detected?

[lozcozard]

I have 80m outdoor LED lights which worked last year. This year they wont come on. Thing is, if I use a electricity detector pen, it shows electric IS flowing through the whole thing. I can't imagine ALL the LEDs have gone? And they are ones that are supposed to keep the circuit working even if one fails.

So I just wondered if anyone knows what reason could the bulbs not be working even though electric is flowing through it?

Thanks

 

[AndyPRK]

your pen is detecting the live connection.

Therefore I would suspect you have a failed neutral connection near the plug or first LED

 

[davelx]

Those pens detect the presence of a voltage above a given level, not the flow of current.

 

[flameport]

I have 80m outdoor LED lights which worked last year. This year they wont come on.

Most of the LEDs will have water ingress which has resulted in corrosion and rust. There will be multiple breaks in the wires, and any repair attempt will end in failure as they will be ultra fine aluminium or some other alloy which is impossible to solder, join or even strip properly.

Most of these LED light sets are made to be used once so you have to buy new ones every year. Cheap tat intended to fail and any repair will be more than buying a new set.

 

[ericmark]

All the LED lights I have for Christmas are extra low voltage, if they were lighting my non-contact volts detector I would be worried the power supply was faulty and would stop using them.

I think the first bar on my non-contact volts detector starts at around 80 volts to earth, but not actually tested.

 

[SUNRAY]

Most of the LEDs will have water ingress which has resulted in corrosion and rust. There will be multiple breaks in the wires, and any repair attempt will end in failure as they will be ultra fine aluminium or some other alloy which is impossible to solder, join or even strip properly.

A bit of a generalisation there although I don't dispute there are some of that ilk.

Most of these LED light sets are made to be used once so you have to buy new ones every year.

Some of my outdoor LED lights are 15 years old and still working trouble free.

Cheap tat intended to fail and any repair will be more than buying a new set.

The biggest problem I see with them is the poor stowage and tangling requiring lot's of handling and pulling to ready them for next use.

 

[JohnW2]

A bit of a generalisation there although I don't dispute there are some of that ilk.

Indeed - and generalisations are almost always less than always correct.

Some of my outdoor LED lights are 15 years old and still working trouble free.

Same here - and I have at least some (very cheap) sets which have been 'exposed to the elements' continuously for several years and still work fine.