Frequently Asked Questions : AA Christmas

General Questions:

Are your lights made in America?
No, there are no Christmas lights that we (or any of our competitors) carry that are Made in the USA. We wish that everything we sold was made here in the states, but it's just not the case.

How do I contact you?
In the header is our phone number (931) 836-1212, we are in the office Mon-Fri 9:00 - 5:00 CST. The best way to contact us is via email, which can be found on our Contact Page.
Do you have sales or specials?
Yes, we sometimes give coupon codes for certain products, categories, or quantities. You enter the code when you are checking out and can only use one code at a time.

Why do you not respond to my voicemail?
We get a ton of voicemails every day, most of them are questions that are easily answered on the site. We do not respond to these if the site answers them for you. We sometimes get people placing orders on the voicemail and we 9 times out of 10 don't respond to these. If you want to place an order, do it online. In the time it takes for someone to leave all their info in a voice message you could easily be finished with 75% of an online order. It may sound like we are lazy, but we have a safe site and trust it. We want our customers to have the same confidence.

Do you have a Catalog?
No, All American Christmas Company does not publish a catalog. We have designed our Web Site to provide this information to you. In most cases you can print off the information on the items you are interested in and this will give you a hard copy if you need one.
We make changes to site on a daily basis to try and keep it as current as possible. It would impossible to keep a printed catalog up to date with new products, products available, updating prices, and other changes that are needed in this type of business.

Is your Website secure?
Yes, we here at All American Christmas Company are very concerned about our customers security. That is why we have a secure shopping order form so that individuals may not get your credit card number. When you get to the credit card screen you enter the HTTPS pages and you finalize your order in that secure method. No need to worry! Our SSL Certificate was purchased from Godaddy.com just click the image below to view our SSL Certificate.

How much will shipping cost?
We ship via UPS and most all shipping costs are automatically calculated via our shopping cart and price depends on products weight and distance from our TN warehouse. Some items are shipped from other warehouse around the county but this doesn't affect the shipping costs. Some of our larger displays have free (or included) UPS Ground shipping. The easiest way for you to calculate your own shipping costs is to put all the items you want to purchase in the shopping cart, go to checkout and you can actually enter your shipping information and get our shipping costs before you have to put any payment information into the system.

How will it take for items to be shipped to me?
We do our best to process all orders received before NOON Central Standard Time that same business day. For the shipping schedule and delivery times please visit our Shipping Page. Click Here

Do Christmas lights have lead in them?!
Yes, on the bottom of C7 and C9 bulbs there is some on the small tip that makes the electric connection in the socket. It can also be inside the bulbs and wiring, but Steve Broyles (owner) has been working with these lights for 25+ years and he has never had a problem. To quote Steve, "As long as you don't EAT the lights and wire you'll be fine!"

How do I calculate amps?
Calculating amps is pretty simple and just requires some basic math. You need to be able to do this so you can be sure you aren't going to overload your wires and for you to get and idea of how much power you're going to need for your projects. You need to know of course how many bulbs you're getting and how many watts the bulbs are.

(Bulb Wattage) x (Number of Bulbs) = Total Wattage
(Total Wattage) / 110 (Volts) = Amps
Example; Standard SPT-1 Wire handles 7 amps, so you do not want to exceed this, lets say you have 100 C7 bulbs that are 5 watts a piece, your calculations should look like this

5 Bulb Wattage x 100 Bulbs = 500 Watts
500 Watts /110 Volts = 4.55 Amps

How many lights should I use for Trees or Buildings?

How many lamps to use on your Christmas Tree.

Miniature Lights
4 ft. Tree - 100 Lights
5 ft. Tree - 150 Lights
6 ft. Tree - 200 Lights
7 ft. Tree - 200 plus 50 lights for each ft. above 6 ft.

Candelabra Base C-7
3 ft. Tree - 25 Lights
4 ft. Tree - 50 Lights
5 ft. Tree - 75 Lights
6 ft. Tree - 100 Lights
7 ft. Tree - 125 Lights
8 ft. Tree - 150 Lights
10 ft. Tree - 200 Lights
Add 25 lights to each additional foot

Intermediate Base C-9
Maximum Lighting - Multiply Height x Width x 3
Minimum Lighting - Multiply Height x Width x 3 divide by 2

What types and styles of Christmas Trees do you carry?
Please view our tree description page to learn more about what we carry here.

C7 & C9 Bulbs FAQ

What are some of the differences between C7 and C9 bulbs?
Click here to view our C-7 or C-9 bulbs description/installation page

What is the Difference between SPT-1 and SPT-2? 7 amp and 10 amp?
Most of the time when we refer to SPT-1 (or 7 amp) we are talking about the standard wire, sockets, and plugs we sell. SPT-2 has thicker insulation on the wire and can handle more electricity. When you purchase SPT-1 wire you MUST get SPT-1 plugs and sockets, same goes for SPT-2. SPT-2 wire will allow you to use more bulbs on one string (Approx. 40% more bulbs).

How Do I Calculate Amps for my Christmas Lights?
To calculate your amperage your may view our Amp Calculation Table page. LED lights are by far the most efficient light product we carry. More data will be displayed as we receive it.

How many watts are C7 and C9 bulbs?
Your standard C7 bulb is 5 watts and stand C9 bulb is 7 watts, though we do offer a 7 watt C7 and 10 watt C9 that are used for large commercial decorating.

Do your spools of wire or stringers come with lights?
No, they do not.

How many stringers can you plug end to end?
For a C7 or C9 25 foot stringer you are limited to the number of strings you can plug together because of the fused plugs. In most case 3 are all you plug end to end because of the fused plug.

What are opaque bulbs?
Opaque are painted glass bulbs, they give a soft glow with vibrant colors.

Mini Light FAQ

What does NEC mean?
NEC stands for NO END CONNECTOR, this means that sets stating they are NEC do not have both a male and female plug on each end of the string, just the male plug so you can power the sets. This means you cannot plug this set end to end. All Mini Lights sets have end connectors unless noted in description. Here's a video with a comparison.

How many sets of mini lights can you plug end to end?
Our sets (except for the Connect 6 sets) allow for 3 sets to be plugged end to end, and more than this and you can have bulb failure or even entire string failure.

How Do I Calculate Amps for my Christmas Lights?
To calculate your amperage your may view our Amp Calculation Table page. LED lights are by far the most efficient light product we carry. More data will be displayed as we receive it.

Will sets rated as Indoor only work outside?
Though we cannot guarantee the sets if they are used outside, we know for a fact that customers have used indoor rated sets outdoors with big success.

Why are my 4 inch sets not spaced 4 inches apart?
Sometimes manufacturers say their sets are 4 inch spaced, but the wires in between bulbs are cut every 4 inches and then the bulb sockets are installed. The wire going into the socket are counted as part of the spacing from the manufacturer, we in turn list them that way on our website. it can be a headache not getting the bulbs exactly spaced how you need, just please take this into consideration when making your purchase.

What's the Battery Powered Mini Lights battery life?
Approximately 10 hours of constant use, these sets are not made for continuous use. We recommend trying our Battery Powered LED Sets, they used 2 AA batteries and will run constantly for 26 or more hours.

What are Connect 6 Lights?
Commercial Connect 6 lights have end connectors that allow you to plug 6 mini light sets end to end. This allows you to cover more of an area without having to worry about having enough extension cords.

How do you repair mini light strings?
Mini light are wired in series and, in a nutshell, if a bulb is removed or the connection is broken then that section of wire will go out. New mini light strings have shunted bulbs so if a bulb burns out the connection wont be lost, but if you have a section lights go out it's not because all those bulbs are no good it's just one bulb in that section has a bad connection. If you don't want to purchase our Commercial Mini Light Repair Box you can go through a unlit section and make sure all bulbs have a good connection.

What Stackable Plugs?
Stackable plugs allows you to "Stack" the plugs of you lights onto one another. To view a page with picture descriptions of a stackable plug click here.

What are Multifunction Lights?
Multifunction lights are mini lights have a controller that controls how the lights are lit. Some functions of the lights are Combination, In Waves, Sequential, Slo-Glo, Chasing/Flash, Slow Fade, Twinkle/Flash, Steady On.

Will mini light strings still work if a bulb burns out?
With our strings of mini lights they are all built with the "Shunted" Bulbs design. This is a term for a electrical design that allows the power to pass through the bulb even in the even the bulb has burned out.

Mini lights are wired in sections. A 50 light string of lights is a single section. A 100 light string is two sections. A 150 light string is 3 sections. And so on.

Apart from a bulb simply burning out there are other reasons that could cause a string to fail. Often fuses are blown. This occurs if there is a short or a overload of too many strings hooked together. The number one reason for string to have a failure is that a broken connection has occurred. This can happen from several reasons. The bulb is loose causing a broken connection because the wires that come out of the base of the mini light lose connection with the side of the socket. These will create the string to quit or cause a section to stop working. Another cause of string failure is if the bulbs have reached their life and have started to burn out and not been replaced causes a voltage change in the string. This voltage change due to the reduced number of working bulbs will cause the remaining bulbs to be subject to rapid burn out in effect destroying the complete string.

Mini lights sockets have a locking design that is to aid in keeping the bulbs tight. This design can be an internal or a external design. Regardless of the design of the lamp lock an external object such as a wall or tree branch can cause the mini light itself to be knocked loose. So installation method is very important in the design of you decoration plan.

LED Light FAQ

What are LED Lights?
LED (or Light Emitting Diode) lights are the future of all lighting. These lights sets may cost more up front but the benefits outweigh the hefty price tag. LED light strings pull less power, more sets to be plugged end to end, their colors don't fade, and the lights have an incredible bulb life! For more info on Commercial LED lights click here and Standard LED Lights click here

What's the Difference between Half Wave and Full Wave Rectifiers?
You see things about these sets being Half or Full wave, basically it boils down to two main differences; Price and Power. In a nut shell these "rectifiers" control the amount and type of power flowing to your LED bulbs. Half wave is a cheaper way of getting power, and it seems like the industry is moving away from this type of construction. These sets have a slight flicker, some people are more sensitive to this than others, and usually these bulbs aren't AS bright as Full Wave. Half Wave do have the advantage of a slight lower cost.

Are your retro fit LED bulbs as bright as normal C7 or C9 bulbs?
Well this is very subjective, all LED bulbs are very much directional. Depending on the viewing angle the brightness will vary tremendously. The way most LED bulbs are constructed the light is diffused by a plastic casing, which is usually faceted to give you the most light diffusion. The smaller this casing (or bulb style) is, the brighter the bulb will appear. Typically C6 are brighter than C7 and C7 are brighter than C9. So like it was said this is very subjective and all depends on how you use and view these bulbs.

Can you replace the bulbs in LED light sets?
Most of the time, No. Most premium and commercial led light sets have molded bulbs and sockets that are permanently attached to one another. This keeps the electronics of the bulbs itself from corrosion. Some sets are beginning to be made with removable bulbs, but the majority of sets don't have this feature yet.

Can you customize LED light sets?
Most of the time, No. The construction of all your premium and commercial LED sets do not allow for customization. Since most don't have removable bulbs it's impossible to mix and match colors or bulb styles. We do sell retro fit bulbs that fit into your standard C7 and C9 sockets, those type of strings are easily customizable.

Do LED lights burn out?
LED sets are very reliable and as this technology advances the lights will become more and more reliable. LEDs can burn out and sometimes the brightness can fade, but this is a very rare occurrence. They have a very low failure rate and and if one bulb does burn out the rest will stay lit.

How many LED light sets can I connect together?
The premium plug LED sets have a UL tag that says 3 [ because they are rated as a mini light ] . We have conducted test over the last few years and have tested up to 15 sets end to end for a period of 18 months. These are turned off and on each day and there have been no problems. We have not felt any heat in the wire at all. This 15 sets in this test run puts out the same light as a single set. So we do not believe there is a problem going up to 15 sets. We have had customers tell us they have hooked over 30 sets end to end! The sets that are listed as a commercial required a special power adapter. The rating on these say 125 sets behind one power adapter. I personally would not recommend this many. In my opinion this is just to long a of a single run on this wire. The power adapter converts the standard line AC voltage to a DC current and this is why they have this rating.

Can LED light sets (or bulbs) be used on a fader or a dimmer controller?
From our in house test we've learned that you can fade a Premium LED set but not completely. It will fade out but since there is always a small amount of electricity flowing to the sets or bulbs then they will light, so yes you can fade or dim them but you can not fade them completely out.

Rope Light FAQ

How do you repair a section of Rope Light that has burned out?
The way to repair sections of rope light is to cut out the defective section. This is done by locating the beginning and end of the defective section, in most cases on a 2 wire rope light [ steady burn ] this is a 18" section, a lot of the manufacturers have the cut locations marked on the rope light. Make sure the plug is unplugged before making the cut. Then by using the splice kits and a new piece of rope light you make the repair. In some cases it is better to replace more than one section if the splice is in a bend or area that is harder to work with.

Another method is to just over lay on top of or beside the defective section a new section of rope light that has a power cord and just run this cord to the power source.

Do you cut Rope Light to meet my needs?
No, we only sell it in rolls of 150 feet.

What is the spacing you can cut rope light?
Generally 2 wire rope light can be cut every 18", 3 wire can be cut every 36", and 5 wire is cut every 72".

Clips and Accessories FAQ

What are Quick Connect Plugs?
Quick Connect Plugs are plugs that you can simply slide onto the end of piece of wire, or can convert to fit anywhere on the wire. A great way to get some extra power to your lights, but Quick Connect come in handy for more than just lights. Click here for more Info.

How do you customize Quick Connect Plugs?
Click here for a step by step guide.

What's the difference between SPT1 and SPT2?
The difference in Spt1 and Spt2 wire is the insulation or outside coating. Both the Spt1 and Spt2 is an 18 gauge wire stranded copper. The difference is just the thickness of the insulation. This has allow the rating services to give it a higher amperage rating, the heavier Spt2 wire also will hold up longer to the UV deterioration that will works on the insulation after a few years. When using this wire and if purchasing our quick connect male or female plugs or replacement C7 or C9 sockets. Always make sure that you match these items to the wire style you are purchasing. Both the Spt1 and the Spt2 does require the use of the correct sized socket or plug.

How do I measure a Sculpture Clip?
The Sculpture Clip has one standard end. This is the end that hold the mini light. In all or our clips this is the same size and has been designed to accepted the Standard mini light socket. The other end of the Clip is designed to snap on to the metal frame of your Christmas Display. The easiest way to measure the size of your metal frame is to use a measuring tool called a caliper. But if do not have one of these around the house you can take an adjustable wrench most of use refer to as a crescent wrench. Tighten the jaws around the sides of the metal rod and use a ruler and measure the opening. This will tell you the diameter of the metal rod. In most cases the metal rod will be just a little smaller that the clip size you need. If you want to secure the clips and mini light string to frame more securely you can use electrical tape along the frame to secure the wire so it is not pulled off and to keep the clips from sliding around the rod itself.