Please reply if you have had problems with Photocell E127584.

[bob haller]

i had a photocell on my pole light. perodically it would burn out for no ap parent reason.

till one day it was just getting dark and i witenesed its death.......

the pole lighht turned on. the incandescent bulb burned out in one of those brilliant sun bright displays.

i went and got another bulb but it didnt light

so i went and got a new pole light sensor from inventory. they were hard to find so i bought several at a time.....

changed the light sensor and all was well.

conclusion..... the brilliant light was from high current that wiped out t he sensor. about this time CFLs came out. that light sensor must be over 10 / 15 years old......... the plastic sensor window has discolored turned m ilky white. i am going to restore my vans headlights, i will try a bit on t he sensor

if the OP is using incandescent bulbs you might try a LED bulb.

longer life may be your reward.

[Fred McKenzie]

LED and CFL bulbs won't work in my mercury vapor lamp. After 15 years, I noticed that the light was coming on when it got a little overcast. Replacing the photocell with an exact replacement returned it to normal operation.

About the same time, a photocell did the same thing on another lamp. I had added a small photocell to a lamp that used CFL bulbs. Even though they use less power, there is still some heat involved with CFL and LED bulbs. I believe it is this heat that makes the photocells go bad, and use of incandescent bulbs would only accelerate the process.

For that lamp, I made a bigger hole and mounted an external photocell. When/if the mercury vapor lamp's photocell goes bad again, I will use the external replacement on it too. Its mounting hole happens to be the right size for the external photocell.

Fred

[bob haller]

i would replace your existing fixture with ab LED one, they use almost no power and are pretty bright

[Pat]

Depending on the bulb type, you can convert your existing fixture to LED. That's what I did for a metal halide flag pole light. I just removed the old ballast completely and wired incoming power to the bulb socket and bought an LED bulb. The old metal halides lasted from

18 to 24 months and were expensive to replace. The LED bulb only was $10 and hasn't failed yet. It is not quite as bright, but it is bright enough. No one even noticed I made the change (11 owners at a condo association). I used a cool white bulb so even the color temp is similar.

[Fred McKenzie]

Pat-

My mercury vapor security light has been in continuous use since it was installed in 2000. The first bulb lasted less than a year. Its replacement is still going strong. The photocell replacement was the only other repair needed.

Converting it to LED seems like a good idea considering savings in electricity, but I have two concerns:

1. I have not had an LED bulb failure in the short time they have been in use. Although individual LED elements may last a long time, the associated electronics may not. My experience with CFL bulbs is that on average, their electronics fail long before the fluorescent tube wears out. Time will tell.
2. Many of my LED bulbs generate radio interference. I have had to test each to select ones that do not. The security light is near my Ham Radio antennas. It uses a 100 Watt mercury vapor lamp. I have not found a 100 Watt equivalent LED bulb that does not interfere.

Fred

[bob haller]

?nxtg=15e0a500519-DFDED47900FC01CF&utm_campaign=refTracker&utm_source=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.aol.com%2Faol%2Fsearch&utm_medium=gotoDotJsp&flv=1

This was a quick search,100 watt equivalent use under 20 watts of power..

i have saved big bucks on electric here, have converted near all lights to led

[Fred McKenzie]

Bob-

Thanks for the link. I know they are out there! The trouble is that they cost a lot to try, only to find out they ruin radio reception.

I think I will try the CREE and Phillips bulbs. Some of theirs have been the best for 60 Watt equivalent.

Walmart has their own LED bulbs that are sometimes cheaper than name-brands. Their 60 Watt equivalent (Non Dimmable) seems OK, but their 100 Watt equivalent does not.

Fred

[bob haller]

if it messes with radio reception just return it within a few days, stores expect a percentage of returns.

years ago i bought a wireless motion light controller only to find out it interfered with my favorite radio show bruce williams. i was very disappointed, the controller worked very well, but wiped out 1410 kqv completely

[John]

Yes I have a problem with photocell E127584 on my outdoor lamp fixture.

What is a replacement for this one?

[gijoe]

how would i go about ordering two of the replacements from you ?

[pgmerkle]

Purchased an LED outdoor lamp from Costco earlier in 2015 and installed it. Was working great but burned out the photocell and I'm trying to replace that switch. Hard to find one that has a curved body like the E127584. I can see that the thing is rated only 32W, which is woefully inadequate. Fo rtunately, it didn't burn out beyond the unit itself. Lasted about 8 month s.

[Fred McKenzie]

PG-

Take a look at the "Utilitech Swivel Photo Control" sold by Lowes.

When a photocell is mounted internal to the light, heat may shorten its life. This photocell mounts externally, possibly in the same hole as the original. If it would fit your light, it might solve your curved body problem.

Fred

[stevenhomolac]

I purchased my home from William Lyons in San Diego and these outdoor light s came with the home. After a period of time, the lights were staying on l ater and later in the morning and lately, they are still on at noon until t he sun starts to hit the photocell. The photocell works, as I can place my thumb over the cell and the light will come on, and as well, I can shine a light on the cell and it will shut off. I called the company that made th e light, and of course the clueless customer service person stated that the y had never had a problem with the photocell. I bought a replacement at ho me depot, but it did not work for the 13 watt fluorescent bulb. I've tried cleaning the lens on the cell but it doesn't help. Last resort, I tried pl astic buffing agent to get more light through the lens. We'll see. It's h ard to fathom that these are energy efficient when they stay on all day. T hey're not supposed to work that way.

Steve-San Diego

[Gordon Shumway]

Hey, Clueless,

Did you look at the date the OP made the request?

[Robert Green]

Yes, I have had problems with Photocell E127584 MESSAGES coming back from the dead, specifically this one from 2012!

[CRNG]

On Fri, 29 Jan 2016 20:07:37 -0500, "Robert Green" wrote in

Aren't Google Groupers wonderful!

[northside632]

Outdoor lights installed in 2011. First one failed in 2014 and replaced it and it failed now. I will probably use timer switches now.

[Fred McKenzie]

Timer switches can fail too. I think my failures were heat related, with the photocell mounted close to a hot light. I replaced one with an externally mounted photocell, and it seems to be holding up.

See . It is also available at Lowes as part number ALR-TL-115-BP-LOWES.

Fred

[Richard Banville]

I have had an outside light for 5 Years. All of a sudden the light quit working. I put a meter on it and there was power going to the photo cell, when I would cover the photocell I could hear a clicking sound but there was no power going to the light bulb.

[bob haller]

My pole light photocell failed often. one day i saw a bulb burn out with that white hot incandescent burn out.

i replaced the bulb, and the photcell was dead.

i thought about adding a relay, but then changed to led bulbs. cut power cost:) ended having to replace bulbs, when the led finally dies i probably wouldnt ever have to replace the light sensor,

however my light sensors glass window must not be glass, must be plastic, its getting cloudy and in any low light situation, it turns the pole light o

so i will replace the sensor again