45 Year Old Electrical Timer for Tenement Lighting

Aldoo · Jul 16, 2017

Good day,

I have an approximately 45 year old timer which controls the lighting in my tenement block (please see link below)

https://postimg.org/image/40q7v5r0b/

I have recently got an electrician to change all the lights to LED's. It looks fabulous, so good I would prefer if the lights were to stay on all day and night (its quite a dark stairwell even during the day).

My question is, is it possible to override this old Horstmann (kmk2 or very similar) timer to stay on. I know there are options of adding a sun or motion detector, effectively bypassing the old timer, but the unit currently has an OFF / ON switch which bypasses the timer and turns on for a period of approximately 12 hours if i switch it on. Near the OFF / ON switch there is a 'Clamp Screw', which presumably can be moved to force it to stay on? The electricity is paid by the council and ive been told is not an issue. I don't want to bodge it and for example get an elastic band to hold it at the ON position (which im sure would work).

Any ideas would be hugely welcome as it may end up costing £150 to sort out a PIR, and with it all the chasing up of landlords to pay there fair share.

I thank you kindly,

Alan

Andy™ · Jul 16, 2017

probably easier to fit an over ride switch adj to the timer. maybe use a fish key switch to avoid tampering

binky · Jul 16, 2017

should be able to take out the on-off knobs, or move very close together say at midday.

Shame your electrican didn't out in lighting controls at the lights, you can get motion, lux and corridor dim (ie dim to 10% rather than off) depending on what the fittings are. I would recommend some off time, LED drivers and the LEDs last a lot longer with some 'down time'.

ProDave · Jul 16, 2017

That's one of those clockwork "solar" time switches that varies the on off times according to the date, and you buy them geared for the latitude of your location.

You don't get much adjustment over the on off times, so I think a fish key operated override is your best option.

poni · Jul 16, 2017

try this web site http://www.streetlightonline.co.uk/Catalogues/HorstmannKYQRange.pdf

Aldoo · Jul 16, 2017

Aldoo said:
Thank you all incredibly. Very kind of you all to help me with this. Its just a shame 'One bad apple spoils the barrel', I try my hardest get the job done as professionally as a non professional can and it only takes one person in the block to sour the issue, probably why nothing ever gets done and most tenement blocks are dumps, because the person who takes responsibility stands to loose the most, so no one does anything! Anyhow, you are legends!