Problem with Dusk till Dawn Photocell
Distorted Vision
http://www.greenbrook.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=PEC4000-C
I fitted them according to the manufacturers instructions and they
function perfectly until the switch they are on in the porch is
switched off or the MCB on the consumer unit is tripped for example.
Simply flicking the switches back on won't reset the photocells. Has
anyone any idea why they are doing this?
I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
Many thanks!
brass monkey
"Distorted Vision" <r.p...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:45a5370d-8751-4c47...@r18g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
Could it be the type where if you switch it off then back on the light stays
on?
In which case you need to leave it off for a few mins before switching back
on.
Harry Bloomfield
Some, by design, if you turn them off then back on within ten seconds -
will remain on until reset by being left off for a longer period.
--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk
Matty F
<harry.m1...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> Some, by design, if you turn them off then back on within ten seconds -
> will remain on until reset by being left off for a longer period.
Why do the manufacturers design them that way? It's an unwanted
"feature" as far as I am concerned. If there is a power cut for less
than ten seconds then floodlights may stay on indefinitely. Not very
good for an unoccupied building with sensor lights.
And at my home, visitors trying to turn lights on or off sometimes
flick the sensor switch off for a few seconds.
If I could buy sensor lights without that feature I would do so, but
it seems they all have it.
Harry Bloomfield
> Why do the manufacturers design them that way? It's an unwanted
> "feature" as far as I am concerned. If there is a power cut for less
> than ten seconds then floodlights may stay on indefinitely. Not very
> good for an unoccupied building with sensor lights.
They will stay on only until they are manually reset, or until the next
dusk to dawn transition.
> And at my home, visitors trying to turn lights on or off sometimes
> flick the sensor switch off for a few seconds.
We have four, three on the same circuit - which makes it easy to turn
them all on in an emergency. The switch/es are all out the way in the
airing cupboard.
spamlet
"Distorted Vision" <r.p...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:45a5370d-8751-4c47...@r18g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
Though it looks like the name of the make has changed since we bought ours -
thought ours began with a Z.
We have 5 outdoor cfls (maybe 40 watt the lot) running off one of these, and
it has been running flawlessly for several years - and probably saved a
fortune in the individually switched tungstens that it replaced. There were
a couple of models though, and we found the first that we tried was not
really sensitive enough, but the company happily exchanged it for the next
model up.
We did try smaller individual cells of the type that are just a block with a
small hole in, but these were found not to turn completely off and tended to
make the (then) tungsten lights flash on and off) after they had been fitted
for a few months. No such problem with this dome top type.
If someone does happen to turn off the switch indoors during the night, you
can go outside and shine a torch on the censor for a bit, but really, its
easier just to put the switch out of the way.
S
The Medway Handyman
> On Apr 17, 9:30 am, Harry Bloomfield
> <harry.m1...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Some, by design, if you turn them off then back on within ten
>> seconds - will remain on until reset by being left off for a longer
>> period.
>
> Why do the manufacturers design them that way? It's an unwanted
> "feature" as far as I am concerned. If there is a power cut for less
> than ten seconds then floodlights may stay on indefinitely. Not very
> good for an unoccupied building with sensor lights.
Good. Not just me who thinks that then.
I fitted 2 for a customer in a very rural location, replacement for old
switched lights. Every evening they worked fine, but were on permanently
every morning. I went back twice to check the wiring.
On the second visit I noticed the lady's cooker clock flashing, which led me
to look at her microwave clock - also flashing.
Eventually twigged it. Every night there was a very brief power cut -
preumably as the power was changed from one supply to another? Which put
the lights into manual mode.
Had to replace them with manual lights again.
--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
Harry Bloomfield
> Good. Not just me who thinks that then.
or the vast majority of people they work fine. We have had one brief
power outage in the past four years. It stayed off of around 30
minutes, so the lights were not triggered.
Harry Bloomfield
> on 17/04/2010, The Medway Handyman supposed :
>> Good. Not just me who thinks that then.
>
> or the vast majority of people they work fine. We have had one brief power
> outage in the past four years. It stayed off of around 30 minutes, so the
> lights were not triggered.
Well bugger me!
Just 20 minutes after posting that, we suffered an outage lasting about
3 seconds :o)
ARWadsworth
"Harry Bloomfield" <harry...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:mn.8cc67da427...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk...
A surge as the plebs switch the kettle on in the first adverts of "Britain's
Got Talent"?
Adam
Harry Bloomfield
> I fitted 2 for a customer in a very rural location, replacement for old
> switched lights. Every evening they worked fine, but were on permanently
> every morning. I went back twice to check the wiring.
Thinking about this - you could always build a simple timer circuit,
which would hold the mains supply off for 20 seconds if the supply is
lost. Added in before any switches, it should entirely solve the
problem, yet still allow them to be kept on via the usual switch.
ARWadsworth
"The Medway Handyman" <davi...@no-spam-blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:Hleyn.3667$Za....@newsfe13.ams2...
That may be some sort of Economy 7 switch over fault. You should have asked
the customer to report a fault to her supplier.
Adam
The Medway Handyman
> It happens that Harry Bloomfield formulated :
>> on 17/04/2010, The Medway Handyman supposed :
>>> Good. Not just me who thinks that then.
>>
>> or the vast majority of people they work fine. We have had one brief
>> power outage in the past four years. It stayed off of around 30
>> minutes, so the lights were not triggered.
>
> Well bugger me!
>
> Just 20 minutes after posting that, we suffered an outage lasting
> about 3 seconds :o)
Sods law in action :-)
Matty F
blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> Harry Bloomfield wrote:
> > It happens that Harry Bloomfield formulated :
> >> on 17/04/2010, The Medway Handyman supposed :
> >>> Good. Not just me who thinks that then.
>
> >> or the vast majority of people they work fine. We have had one brief
> >> power outage in the past four years. It stayed off of around 30
> >> minutes, so the lights were not triggered.
>
> > Well bugger me!
>
> > Just 20 minutes after posting that, we suffered an outage lasting
> > about 3 seconds :o)
>
> Sods law in action :-)
No, it took me 20 minutes to phone his power company, so I could prove
my point!
andrew
>>> Some, by design, if you turn them off then back on within ten
>>> seconds - will remain on until reset by being left off for a longer
>>> period.
>>
>> Why do the manufacturers design them that way? It's an unwanted
>> "feature" as far as I am concerned. If there is a power cut for less
>> than ten seconds then floodlights may stay on indefinitely. Not very
>> good for an unoccupied building with sensor lights.
>
> Good. Not just me who thinks that then.
>
> I fitted 2 for a customer in a very rural location, replacement for old
> switched lights. Every evening they worked fine, but were on permanently
> every morning. I went back twice to check the wiring.
>
> On the second visit I noticed the lady's cooker clock flashing, which led
> me to look at her microwave clock - also flashing.
>
I have been using dusk to dawn sensors in a street light and then one of
those sockets that detects power to the main outlet and switches
peripherals. This enables me to power on a number of daisy chained bulkhead
fluorescent lights.
Today I came across the sensor (erl pcm1000) sold separately to retrofit to
a light fitting and shall use it to control a 70W SON but it's rated for
2kW of resistive load. I paid ~7quid.
AJH