Photocell porch light

Hi,

I put one of these outside my mother's front door a while ago:

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has a photocell, but she's not very happy with it because it comes on too early for her liking and stays on too late. I've tried explaining that it only has a 16w bulb in it, so the extra time is probably costing her about ten pence a year, but she still frets about it. To my mind she doesn't have enough to do, but enough complaining about my mother!

The problem with the lamp is that the photocell is set to be triggered when there is still a fair bit of light around, and it's not adjustable (in any way that I can see). There's no easy and neat way to put a switch in, so I'm now in the market for another photocell porch light with an adjustable light sensor (or one that doesn't come on until you can't see your hand in front of your face). Any ideas?

Reply to
Martin Pentreath
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Buy one with a PIR so it only comes on when someone is there.

Reply to
dennis

OK, I think I've solved my own problem - planning to wire the existing light to one of these:

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photocell seems much more adjustable, so I should be able to set it so that the light is off even when its own internal photocell is telling it to be on

Reply to
Martin Pentreath

Yes.

I solved it in the following way.

Use a photoswitch and a timeswitch together.

I set my timeswitch to come on at 1600 and off at midnight.

For most of the year, the lights come on when dusk falls based on the photoswitch and off at midnight based on the timer. In the darkest days of winter, it doesn't come on before 1600 even if it's a very dull day.

The other advantage is that you could make the timer accessible and alterable to suit the female whim.

Reply to
Andy Hall

|Hi, | |I put one of these outside my mother's front door a while ago: |

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||It has a photocell, but she's not very happy with it because it comes |on too early for her liking and stays on too late. I've tried |explaining that it only has a 16w bulb in it, so the extra time is |probably costing her about ten pence a year, but she still frets about |it. To my mind she doesn't have enough to do, but enough complaining |about my mother! | |The problem with the lamp is that the photocell is set to be triggered |when there is still a fair bit of light around, and it's not adjustable |(in any way that I can see). There's no easy and neat way to put a |switch in, so I'm now in the market for another photocell porch light |with an adjustable light sensor (or one that doesn't come on until you |can't see your hand in front of your face). Any ideas?

Put a gray filter, or a bit of translucent film/material in front of the photocell.

Reply to
Dave Fawthrop

Isn't that a bit back to front?- it's coming on too early, not too late! What is needed is a magnifying glass in front of the lens to trick the photocell into thinking its brighter than it is ;->

Andy

Reply to
Andy McKenzie

Wrong way round, that will make it come on even earlier and stay on later.

Reply to
tinnews

|> |Hi, |> | |> |I put one of these outside my mother's front door a while ago: |> |

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|> | |> |It has a photocell, but she's not very happy with it because it comes |> |on too early for her liking and stays on too late. I've tried |> |explaining that it only has a 16w bulb in it, so the extra time is |> |probably costing her about ten pence a year, but she still frets about |> |it. To my mind she doesn't have enough to do, but enough complaining |> |about my mother! |> | |> |The problem with the lamp is that the photocell is set to be triggered |> |when there is still a fair bit of light around, and it's not adjustable |> |(in any way that I can see). There's no easy and neat way to put a |> |switch in, so I'm now in the market for another photocell porch light |> |with an adjustable light sensor (or one that doesn't come on until you |> |can't see your hand in front of your face). Any ideas? |>

|> Put a gray filter, or a bit of translucent film/material in front of the |> photocell. | |Isn't that a bit back to front?- it's coming on too early, not too late! |What is needed is a magnifying glass in front of the lens to trick the |photocell into thinking its brighter than it is ;->

You said

|> |it comes |> |on too early

in the evening

|> |for her liking and stays on too late.

in the morning.

If so the trigger is set at too *high* a light level, therefore a filter should reduce the light getting to the photocell and improve the problem.

Reply to
Dave Fawthrop

I think I would go with Andy and say that the filter will make it come on earlier and stay on later. What I did with mine was to position some cooking foil just on the wall just behind the sensor so it gets more light. This makes it come on later and go off sooner.

Reply to
dennis

message|news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

wrote:|>

*Its* *coming* *on* *too* *early* *triggerred* *by* *falling* *light* *level*. Block the light with a filter and it will come on even earlier.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

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