outside motion detection lights

[albert]

I have one motion detection on the side of my house, and one of the bulbs is out. Would that make isthe other one stay on all the time? If not what could possibly be the problem

[Unquestionably Confused]

Unlikely, I would think. Perhaps the reason that particular bulb went out and the problem with the sensor stems from a power surge?

Easy way to check... replace the burned out bulb and see if that cures it? I assume that you have already attempted to reset the sensor? Flipping it off and then on again in the interval called for in the instructions?

[Ed Pawlowski]

From me experience, no. Could there have been a power glitch? It could have knocked the one bulb out and put the sensor out of sync. If you turn them off then on, they stay on. Turn the switch or breaker off, wait a minute, then put it back on.

[trader_4]

+1

Many of them have that feature, where if you turn it off, then on again withing a couple secs, it goes into permanent on mode. That's possible. I don't see any logical way one bulb being out would result in permanent on. Like you say, try resetting it.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Same with one in my garage.

[gfretwell]

You can try the reset method discussed here but if the light is on during the day too (and never resets), the detector is bad.

I have about 20 of them around here and I go through at least 1-2 a year for various problems. Stuck on, is a common one. If that bulb burned out in a way that the standoffs shorted, it probably took the driver in the motion detector with it.

[micky]

A power failure of the right length could appear to the floodlight as you switching the wall switch off and on, to set it to always on. Retaliate with the wall swtich

Older models didn't know about resetting at dawn. Also models sold at "surplus" stores, which sometimes truly sell surplus (which may have been sitting in a warehouse for years) and perhaps cheaper models.

I just bought a new porch light with motion detector and 3 settings, 2 minutes, 6 minutes, and every night 6 hours. Unfortunately, afaict so far, it always acts like it's set for 6 hours.

And the floodlight in the back goes on properly from the motion detector, buit turns off the moment I stop moving.

And the floodlight on the side went on when the wind blew.

If we can send a man to the moon, why can't we make a flood light that lasts forever.

[Jerry.Tan]

Flood lights are not what they claim. I bought one, plugged it in, and not even one drop of water came out of it, much less a FLOOD. :)

[gfretwell]

They make better motion detectors but they are not at Home Depot and the head is more than $20. (closer to $50)

[FrozenNorth]

We can't send man to the moon.

[albert]

I didn't turn the breaker off because it is hard wired, but I did put black electrical tape over the sensor and that didn't turn it off

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, You mean there is no breaker to remove the power from the unit? You have to remove power and wait few seconds, then apply power again to initialize the unit.

[gfretwell]

If it is latched on, covering it up makes it eternal night and it will never reset on it's own. The normal reset is daylight for several minutes. Some have a small sensor on the bottom for this, others have it in the detector face itself behind the white cover. The only real way to reset it is to trip the breaker that controls that circuit, count to 20 and turn it back on.

[Jerry.Tan]

If there's no breaker, the OP better call the fire dept. BEFORE the fire starts.

Of course we all know there has to be one somewhere on that circuit.

I NEVER installed a motion detector without a switch on the wall. Sometimes I wanted to shut it off.

Actually, I got rid of my last motion light a year ago. I have never found any of them to work flawlessly, and many are just a constant problem. I had one on my barn, because at night the space between the garage and the barn was dark, and has steps, which I tripped on far too many times. The motion light was supposed to light up before I got to the steps. Well, it did not always light, no matter how I adjusted it.

I just put another light on the side of tha garage, aimed down that walkway by the steps. Put an exterior switch on the outside front of the garage, which I just flip on now when I go there. Problem solved!

That stupid motion light would constantly go on and off, from damn near everything. Wind moving tree branches, falling rain or snow, a wild rabbit, one of my barn cats, my livestock getting nearby, and more.... Yet, many times when I walked there and WANTED it to turn on, it didn't. And that was the 3rd fixture I put there....

I think that light wasted quite a lot of electricity. I rewired the fixture to eliminate the motion part (direct to bulb), and just use the switch in the barn when I need that light now.

I dont forsee myself ever buying another motion light. On my house, I have a LED porch light, uses 6 watts. I just leave it on at night now. leaving on the 6w light all night uses less than that 100w motion light used when it was always going on and off.

I also heard that those motion lights do not work well if the bulb uses too little power. The LOAD needs to be a certain minimum wattage. 6W is probably too little. I'm not sure how true that is.`

[gfretwell]

There are 2 basic styles, heads with a relay or one with a triac. The relay units will run any kind of load within the upper spec. The triac type, not so much. A CFL is likely to just sit there flashing. They will usually be marked "incandescent only" and you may see a minimum bulb size buried in the instructions. Usually the outdoor type with the big sensor head (like Heath/Zenith) are relay type and the "in the box" occupancy detectors are triac but YMMV. They are cost cutting everything whenever they can get away with it. A relay costs a quarter and a triac is a penny.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Did you have one with sensor sensitivity and turn off delay adjustment feature? One here just works fine after I adjusted them. I use LED bulbs. It needs enough load if Triac is used.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Then you did not fix the problem. Hard wired means yhou have to turnt he breaker off. The tape just makes it think it is dark outside and has to stay on.

Take the tape off. Switch the breaker off. Then after a minute switch it back on. Problem should be solved.