I have a 70w sodium light outside which switches on with a photocell. Whilst this is handy I dont require it on after about midnight so am thinking of sticking it on a timer, I can recall reading somewhere though that lamps of this type cannot be switched by timer plugs, am I right ?
Timer plugs are generally fine, as are most mechanical timers. It's the sort of self-powered electronic timer (or PIR) lightswitch that doesn't have a neutral connection but relies on a trickle of current through the lamp that causes the problems.
Timers are fine - use a mechanical one to be sure no problem.
NT
On 14 Nov 2006 02:29:22 -0800 someone who may be "Staffbull" wrote this:-
Why use a plug-in timer? Why not wire it in to a time clock properly?
How about feeding the output of the photocell through a timer and then to the sodium light? I recently used a single channel central heating programmer this way with an on time of 6 am so that the light comes on at 6 if it is dark and set the off time to midnight. The photocell still turns the light off in daylight and this way there was no need to bugger about with the timer as daylight hours alter.
Adam
On 14 Nov 2006 10:43:44 -0800 someone who may be "Staffbull" wrote this:-
I have no idea what a timed outlet is. However, there are single gang time clocks, which can be put in the fixed wiring at a suitable point (such as somewhere along a cable feeding an outside sodium light).
I think you mean before the photocell, or the timer would stop when it got light!
I have just setup a similar system here using my alarm system (Menvier TS2500) - it has various outputs, and time switches, you can set the zones as just a signal input - I have a light sensor connected to one of the zones, and have various outputs set to come on at 07:00 and go off at 00:00, but only when it is dark :-)
Sparks...
In article , Staffbull writes
If you're on a budget then the plug-in option is a no brainer, they sell in such volume that the cost is guaranteed to be under a tenner. On your first question, even electronic timers (particularly high current ones) are likely to have relays so no problem with weird loads.
Cheers, I've got one of them floating around somewhere, its a digital type
Definately after the photocell in this case.
The CH programmer that is used as the timer has its own permanent power supply (the same supply as the photo cell) and has a pair of voltage free contacts that are used to power the light when the timer is on. Is was purposely done this way as triggering the photocell from the timer would have meant the sodium tried to fire (for a few minutes) when the timer called for on even in day light. Using this setup I do not have to alter the on time on the programmer (except when the clock go back/forward) and the light only comes on when it is dark, a problem that I cannot overcome feeding the photocell from the timer
The photocell is one of these
Adam
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