"ceiling" pull switch for exterior use?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Or do it properly and have the remote switch on the light *and* unlock the door. Cars have been doing this for years...

[Michael Chare]

Maybe you could site the switch inside, perhaps using a pulley wheel above the soffit.

[Adrian C]

Or build the switch inside a suitable external enclosure. Plenty of those!

[neverwas]

Thanks for that. It fits with where I'd got to so far which is to (try to) fit the switch from the loft, in the space above the soffit, with the cord running through a small plastic tube to serve as a grommet.

I'd wondered about that but was unsure about the entry point for the cord. If the cord runs freely through the grommet then the enclosure probably isn't watertight; if the cord is snug in the grommet the switch might not spring back.........which I guess may be why exterior rated pull switches aren't common.

I'm grateful for all the comments and sorry to have wasted everyone's time - although I think there may be a future in Owain's idea of an illuminated walking stick, especially for when the generation which grew up with lightsabers starts to need them in numbers.

[David J]

I've been looking for the same product as you to replace a PIR type external security light by my patio that is wired directly into the upstairs lighting circuit with no switch. It's now defunct and will not be replaced, as it's not much fun having to wave your arms about to keep the lights on when having a few late beers outside!

My search was also totally fruitless, and I'm resigned to fitting a weatherproof surface-mounted mains switch at a lower level. You need something with a specification of either IP 54, IP55, or IP56.

Like this:

J

[NT]

If you get years of muck in a socket, you some leakage often happens. And sometimes switching the socket off stops it. Its a very trivial amount of course, the sort of thing that's only picked up by testing.

NT

[NT]

Yes, but rather than a pulley tie a bit of string to the right angle bit of the cord, and fix other end of string to something so the string sits at 45 degrees. Now nothing will come off the pulley, jam down the side etc.

Another possible is a pattress containing a reed switch and a relay, and a magnet on the keyring. And brass keys :)

NT

[Jon Fairbairn]

What I'd try would be an axle through the side of the box with a lever pulled by a cord on the outside operating another lever on the inside.