Christmas and Holiday LED Lights - FAQ's

CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY LED LIGHTS – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The following are some questions and answers we get for common inquiries. If you have other questions you would like answered please let us know by contacting us and we will add them to the list.

Q: There are so many different types of LED light strings, how do I know which is which?

A: Here is a quick breakdown for the different types of LED lights we offer, in no particular order.

• The C6 LED style light is a smaller version of the larger C7 and C9 style traditional incandescent lights. The faceted bulb provides good diffusion of the light while consuming very little energy.  The C6 is generally 1” in length and ½” in diameter.  The C7 and C9 LED bulbs are a similar shape at the C6 however their sizes are bigger with the C7 around 1.25" in length by .75" in diameter, while the C9 is about 2.5" in length by approx 1.125" in diameter.  
• The M5 LED style replaces the tradition mini light or mini-ice, but unlike those lights the LED version does not break easily.  The M5 mini-ice is faceted for good light diffusion.  It is generally around ¾” in length and 3/8” in diameter.
• The 5MM Conical or Wide Angle LED bulb is a very intense focused light but can be seen from all angles. The 5MM LED bulb is approximately the size of a pencil eraser head.
• The G12 Globe or raspberry style LED light is a round faceted bulb that evenly diffuses the light. This is a good light for wrapping around trees or shrubs because of its rounded shape. It measures approximately ½” in diameter.
• C7 and C9 LED's are also available individually as retrofits.  This allows you to use them on you older incandescent lights strings.  The C7 has a mini base (E12) similar to the standard candelabara base and the C9 has a bigger bigger intermediate base (E17).

Q: What is the maximum number of LED light strings that can be connected together?

A: For UL sets, the maximum wattage is 210 watts.  If the average LED light string only uses 4-5 watts, that means you can connect 40 or more strings together on a single outlet.

Q: Is there a quick way to figure out how many lights I will need for my tree?

A: This is only a ballpark idea, because everyone has their own opinion of how a tree should look, but you can use this as a guide. For subtle tree lighting, plan to use 50 lights for every foot of tree. For moderate lighting, plan on 100 lights for every foot of tree and to create dazzling lighting, use 200 lights for every foot of tree. If you're using large tree lights like C7 or C9, rather than the mini lights, you will probably want to use fewer lights.

Q: What is the power consumption of LED light strands?

A: Typically, our LED light strings typically consume less than 2-4 watts for each single string.

Q: Which LED is the brightest?

A: Brightness varies with L.E.D. color and increases every year with advances in L.E.D. technology. Current model year strings will likely be brighter than the previous years. In addition, for 2004 and onwards, we offer a line of extremely bright grade light strings (which use very expensive L.E.D.s) specifically for commercial installations. These strings are rarely sold in stores.

Q: Can I connect my old incandescent lights to an L.E.D string.

A: NO, as a general rule.  L.E.D. lights draw considerable less power than traditional incandescent strings. Connecting them together can reduce the life of the LEDs and may pose a safety hazard.  However, if you do have old C7 or C9 strings you can remove the bulbs and replace them with L.E.D.s that have the same base.

Q: I'd like a different color combination. Can I interchange different color L.E.D.s?

A: The answer is NO, but it does not matter with our LED strings as they are not interchangeable anyway.  But we will explain why not. Each color of L.E.D. requires a different amount of power in order to work at its highest efficiency. Most replaceable bulb sets are supplied with a red L.E.D. (which is the least expensive). If you replace a lost or defective blue L.E.D. with a red replacement L.E.D., it will soon burn out because the socket for the blue is wired with a much higher power than that for the red. If you were to place, a blue L.E.D. in a socket designed for a red L.E.D. then it would hardly light. IN OUR SETS, EVERY SOCKET IS SPECIFICALLY WIRED FOR THE COLOR OF L.E.D. THAT IS INSERTED AND PERMANENTLY AFFIXED SO THAT THE BEST PERFORMANCE IS GUARANTEED. This is why our strings of lights have been designed with Non-Replaceable bulbs.

Q: Can I replace the bulb?

A: The lights we sell use a patented manufacturing process includes the injecting of plastic material over the connection of the L.E.D. and the copper wire. The husk or socket that normally holds the bulb is actually a one-piece injection on our set. This means that the L.E.D. cannot be removed from the socket and therefore no replacement L.E.D. (s) will ever be needed.

Q: Can I find your product without lead in the wires? What are the hazards?

A: Our lights use a standard wire containing trace amounts of lead. This is the same wire that every other light string manufacturer uses that we know of. The manufacturer chooses wire suppliers that claim the lowest lead content but still meets all insulation safety standards. Decorative light strings sold in the State of California require a label alerting consumers to the lead contained in the wire insulation. This warning is printed on all products, regardless of where they are sold. The potential hazard is controversial because the actual amount of lead is minute, but do recommend washing your hands.

Q: Do the L.E.D. products have a Limited Lifetime Guarantee?

A: If the L.E.D.'s in this set fail within one year from the date of purchase, contact us for an exchange. If the L.E.D.'s in this set fail after the first year from the date of purchase, ship it prepaid with proof of purchase to the address below. They will replace the set with a comparable set or refund the purchase. This guarantee excludes damage resulting from accident, alteration or misuse of the product. The guarantee specifically excludes electrical wiring.

Q: I bought a string of blue L.E.D. Lights. When lit up, the color varies. Why does this happen? And why are some colors more expensive than others.

A: WARNING: THIS IS A LONG EXPLANATION:

L.E.D. chips will emit only a specific color regardless of the coloration of the plastic shell surrounding them. Color differences between L.E.D. lamps are normal and will be the most noticeable in the yellow and blue. A typical "blue" L.E.D. lamp will emit a measured color between 450 and 490 NM (nanometers). However, the greatest number of L.E.D. lamps will fall inside the 460-470 NM range. In order to keep the product cost reasonable for customers, the manufacture does everything possible to minimize waste.

Take Blue L.E.D. lamps for example. They are more expensive because there is approximately a 25% waste factor, and the base material required to manufacture the lamps is a synthetic sapphire. If the manufacturer only used blue L.E.D. lamps that were close enough in color that the human eye couldn't tell the difference, the waste factor would be much greater and the cost of the light sets would be much higher then they already are. This is another reason why you may see color variations. To keep the cost down and minimize waste, we run all of the blue L.E.D. lamps through special machines that read their lit color and sorts them according to color parameters programmed into the machine. We batch the lamps into four specific colors.

The longest wavelengths (480-490 NM) shift a bit toward green, and they are the ones you describe as teal blue. The two middle ranges (470-480 NM and 460-470 NM) are the most common and comprise the majority of the light sets. Your eye will have difficulty telling the difference between these colors if we use only one grouping of color in each light set.
The shortest wavelengths (450-460 NM) start to shift toward violet.
Unfortunately, as a manufacturer, we must decide between manufacturing efficiency (lower product cost) and perfect uniformity (higher product cost). In order to make the products as affordable as possible for consumers, we are forced to put up with some non-uniformity of color between light sets.

A: L.E.D. chips will emit only a specific color regardless of the coloration of the plastic shell surrounding them. Color differences between L.E.D. lamps are normal and will be the most noticeable in the yellow and blue. A typical "blue" L.E.D. lamp will emit a measured color between 450 and 490 NM (nanometers). However, the greatest number of L.E.D. lamps will fall inside the 460-470 NM range. In order to keep the product cost reasonable for our customers, we do everything possible to minimize waste.
Blue L.E.D. lamps are very expensive because there is approximately a 25% waste factor, and the base material required to manufacture the lamps is a synthetic sapphire. If we only used blue L.E.D. lamps that were close enough in color that the human eye couldn't tell the difference, the waste factor would be much greater and the cost of the light sets would be much higher then they already are.
To keep the cost down and minimize waste, we run all of the blue L.E.D. lamps through special machines that read their lit color and sorts them according to color parameters programmed into the machine. We batch the lamps into four specific colors.
The longest wavelengths (480-490 NM) shift a bit toward green, and they are the ones you describe as teal blue.
The two middle ranges (470-480 NM and 460-470 NM) are the most common and comprise the majority of the light sets. Your eye will have difficulty telling the difference between these colors if we use only one grouping of color in each light set.
The shortest wavelengths (450-460 NM) start to shift toward violet.
Unfortunately, as a manufacturer, we must decide between manufacturing efficiency (lower product cost) and perfect uniformity (higher product cost). In order to make the products as affordable as possible for consumers, we are forced to put up with some non-uniformity of color between light sets.

Q: What is the difference between Warm White and Pure White?

A: Warm White L.E.D.s tend to be more yellowish, they are often compared to traditional incandescent candlelight color. Pure White L.E.D.s have more of a bluish tint and are more of a brighter white.

Q: Why is there such a price discrepancy between the LED lights sold on this site and the ones I see in some of the big department and home improvement stores?

A:  In a word -- QUALITY.  We have had many people tell us that they have bought those lights in the past and they last no longer than the incandescent ones they have bought.  We are a small company and we take good care of our customers, but frankly don't have the resources to deal with defective merchandise and returns from our customers, so we try to sell the highest quality merchandise that we can get.  

Q:  I have some questions that you did not answer.  How can I contact you?

A:  You can contact us by CLICKING HERE, or going directly to the contact us menu item on our website www.e3living.com.  We will be happy to answer any question you might have.