Lighting the patio

[David J]

I had a PIR-controlled, mains-powered patio light fixed to the rear wall of my house, about 10 feet from the ground, which eventually failed. I have now removed the defunct light unit and poked the insulated cable ends back into the metal conduit that runs down the outside wall.

I would like the replacement unit not to be controlled by a PIR switch (which keeps turning the light off!) but by an external weatherproof switch. Ideally the light switch would be reachable from the ground, but I suppose a cord-pull would do the trick. I do not really want to add an additional weather-proof switch to the external wall.

The origin of the supply is the fused upstairs lighting ring main located in the loft.

Nothing fancy needed - or solar powered!

Is there such a device on the market?

DJ

[Owain]

If you have an accessible switch *somewhere* for the light, many of the PIR lights have an over-ride mode which puts the light permanently on, controlled by a on-off-on switching pattern of the supply to the light.

Owain

[John Rumm]

So reading the requirements:

You seem to have a dichotomy!

So stick your external waterproof switch where you do want it...

You need a switch wire either from the point the light is fed from the circuit in the loft, or from the light position itself.

A simple outside switch would do:

you don't want to do any extra wiring, then you would need to look at remote control switch gear - but this will be expensive.

[Arfa Daily]

My outside floods are also fed from the lighting ring in the loft. I just put in a switch drop to a point high up on a wall in the upstairs hall, so the lights are switched on from inside the house ...

Arfa

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:33:25 +0100 someone who may be "Arfa Daily" wrote this:-

I suspect very strongly that you don't have a lighting ring circuit.

[Arfa Daily]

Yeah, yeah. There always has to be one, doesn't there ? (Sloppily considered) figure of speech. I knew what I meant. You knew what I meant. The OP knew what I meant. Probably just about anybody else on here knew what I meant. But just in case

" My outside floods are also fed from the > lighting

I just put in a switch drop to a point high up on a wall in the upstairs hall, so the lights are switched on from inside the house ... "

OK ? Happy now we're all clear on that ?

Arfa

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:31:27 +0100 someone who may be "Arfa Daily" wrote this:-

Yawn.

Possibly, but there was one poster here who claimed that his lighting circuits were wired as rings. Can't be bothered to look up who it was.

[Bob Mannix]

True

True

True

Possibly - a newbie reading might have assumed lighting circuits were meant to be rings like the power circuit and worried unnecessarily. Of no importance to the thread itself but you never know who's reading.

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:09:33 +0100 someone who may be "Bob Mannix" wrote this:-

That's what I wanted to say.

[Arfa Daily]

Yawn indeed. Go back to sleep, my friend ...

Arfa

[dpydotsmw]

Talking about Bruce Lee: =93You know when he's fighting Chuck Norris in Enter the Dragon?=94 =93No?=94 =93You not seen that?=94 =93No?=94 =93Have you not, I can=92t... that is a classic.=94 =93No, I=92ve not seen him fight Chuck Norris in ENTER the Dragon, I=92ve seen him fight Chuck Norris in WAY OF the Dragon.=94 =93Ah, that=92s what I meant, that's what I meant.=94 =93Is it? Why did you say have you seen him fight Chuck Norris in Enter the Dragon? He fight=92s Bob Wall in both, but Norris is only in Way of the Dragon.=94 =93Yeah, I know, so when he=92s fighting Chuck Norris-=94 =93In what?=94 =93In Way of the Dragon.=94 =93Correct. At last.=94

[Arfa Daily]

Talking about Bruce Lee: ?You know when he's fighting Chuck Norris in Enter the Dragon?? ?No?? ?You not seen that?? ?No?? ?Have you not, I can?t... that is a classic.? ?No, I?ve not seen him fight Chuck Norris in ENTER the Dragon, I?ve seen him fight Chuck Norris in WAY OF the Dragon.? ?Ah, that?s what I meant, that's what I meant.? ?Is it? Why did you say have you seen him fight Chuck Norris in Enter the Dragon? He fight?s Bob Wall in both, but Norris is only in Way of the Dragon.? ?Yeah, I know, so when he?s fighting Chuck Norris-? ?In what?? ?In Way of the Dragon.? ?Correct. At last.?

LOL !! Nice one ... !

Arfa

[David J]

Thanks guys for all the comments.

Regarding the dichotomy, I could have made myelf slightly clearer above. I was really looking for a light unit that incorporated a weatherproof switch to be wall mounted.

Clearly the problem would then be that I wouldn't be able to reach the switch. But I was wondering if any existed with a chain/cord pull switch - rather like those used in a bathroom.

It looks like its a problem awaiting a solution...

DJ