A: What you are describing is indeed "flicker" and is caused by the frequency of the electricity input.

Adding rectifiers to the line takes care of most of the flicker.

Read more about the math behind flicker here at this blog post.

What causes flicker in Christmas lights?

I hope this answers your question!!

A: These lights would not be a suitable solution for your lighting project.

1. Our light strings are ultra low wattage/current and cannot be cut. Folks who have done this see an unexpectedly short life span in their lights as a result. Note, cutting the strings does void the warranty.

This advice applies to all mini lights strings - LED or incandescent.

2. No Christmas light string is tailored to permanent outdoor installation. We warrant all of our products for 90 days of normal seasonal use because beyond that the lifespan is highly dependent on the installation environment.

3. LED lights are most visible "close up" and their perceived brightness is dependent on the amount of ambient lighting and distance from the LEDs. Many times traditional incandescent lights "throw" more light.

The best next step for you might be to purchase and trial one or two sets of the lights you are considering to determine if the performance of the lights strings meets your expectations remembering that any light string may not meet your expected lifespan expectations in this installation and would require regular replacement as squirrels, people and the sun take their toll.

You might also look at at the C7 LED bulbs and cords - they can be cut to length and terminated in a plug with an electrician's oversight. We carry cords with a wide variety of spacing. Keep in mind that installation would be trickier because 18 AWG wire has a max run length of 250 feet. If you choose incandescent lights, you'd have to work with an electrician to determine maximum breaker/electrical service requires.

You might also consider spotlighting as an option to illuminate your work rather than light strings.

Best regards

A: Hello Bob,

These light strings are not manufactured to work with dimmer switches.

We do have dimmable C7 bulbs that might be a better option. They install in traditional C7 18-AWG stringer wire.

You can see these dimmable bulbs at

http://www.christmas-light-source.com/C7-Deluxe-Dimmable-Bulbs_c_465.html

You can retrofit these into your own stringer wire or purchase the cords separately here:

http://www.christmas-light-source.com/C7-Cords-and-Spools_c_115.html

A: Hi Rob,

These light strings are manufactured so that you can't remove the LEDs. Unlike traditional mini lights, there is nothing to come out of the socket or come loose.

If one LED should happen to go out, it will not affect the operation of the rest of the string unless it is out due to damage to the wiring.

We find that power surges on your electrical line is the number one thing likely to take out an LED.

The wiring is also susceptible to UV degradation, exposure to the elements, squirrels and neighborhood children. (We offer a 90 day of normal seasonal use warranty on all of our products.)

We suggest that you use a surge protector when plugging in your LED lighting products.

We do have LED string sets that have replaceable LEDs. They are listed in the same categories as our uni-body construction sets and have the word replaceable in their description. The lens on each light unscrews at a seam at the middle of the light base and you can use one of two provided replacement diodes to switch out for the non-functioning LED.

Hope that helps.