Good dusk till dawn/photocell floodlight brand

[Miguel_92]

Hi. I'm looking for a floodlight that will come on as soon as it's dark and go off when it's daylight. What a good website to order them from? As i've been told the ones on Amazon are crap and don't last very long. Thanks.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

It can be a bit of a swings & roundabouts or six of one half a dozen of the other sort of question..

I've know some decent cheap products last years and more expensive items fail prematurely...

My basic rule is.. Never buy any lamp with a built in sensor device..
far better to have separate lamps / sensors..

then if the sensor does throw a wobber, you don't have to replace a whole lamp!
(generally lights will have a much longer working lifespan than any type of sensor)..

Also.. where possible buy stuff from a local supplier so if it fails within 12months you can physically take it back without any faff of having to return stuff via the post!

If you are only after a simple Dusk/Dawn sensor..
i.e. stays on in the dark without needing to detect any movement..

a simple photocell switch may do?
https://www.toolstation.com/electro...g_q=daylight+sensor?searchstr=daylight sensor

Just wire it up to any style of light that you prefer.

 

[Miguel_92]

It can be a bit of a swings & roundabouts or six of one half a dozen of the other sort of question..

I've know some decent cheap products last years and more expensive items fail prematurely...

My basic rule is.. Never buy any lamp with a built in sensor device..
far better to have separate lamps / sensors..

then if the sensor does throw a wobber, you don't have to replace a whole lamp!
(generally lights will have a much longer working lifespan than any type of sensor)..

Also.. where possible buy stuff from a local supplier so if it fails within 12months you can physically take it back without any faff of having to return stuff via the post!

If you are only after a simple Dusk/Dawn sensor..
i.e. stays on in the dark without needing to detect any movement..

a simple photocell switch may do?
https://www.toolstation.com/electronic-ip44-photocell-kit/p62528?_br_psugg_q=daylight+sensor?searchstr=daylight sensor

Just wire it up to any style of light that you prefer.

Thank you for the reply. I already had a PIR light but took it down/sent it back due to it starting to get water inside the lamp itself. As i am not an expert can they be fitted to PIR lights? Or would i need to buy a floodlight without sensors (that i can just turn on at the switch and have it on for hours) then do it like that? Thanks.

 

[Sharpend]

You will be best with a stand alone dusk to dawn sensor and a separate floodlight. The light is wired through sensor so will work as you require.

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

am not an expert can they be fitted to PIR lights?

Hi, to connect a photocell to a Light with a PIR would be pointless, since most mains PIRs have an inbuilt photocell. The "normal" use for a photocell is to turn (some) lights on when it's dark and off when it gets light, unlike a time switch, a photocell never needs adjusting.

Special Location is suggesting that you buy a photocell and connect it to any light of your choice. If you do that, please do not connect it to a floodlight unless you are in the middle of nowhere, reason being is it may be nice for you, but it will not be nice for your neighbours. Where I live, joining onto a neighbours back garden there is a house that used to have a PIR / floodlight and even we could see it when it comes on, it's too bright, and points too high. (I suspect the light no longer works)

You could of course, as Special Location also suggested, have a separate PIR and a light. The "problem" is nowadays there is no guarantee as to which PIR is reliable.

(Sharpend types faster than me)

 

[Miguel_92]

At the location in question i have 3 wires coming out of the wall from the house. I've used https://www.toolstation.com/junction-box-ip66/p89709 a box like that to put the wires in with a terminal inside it. Then i obviously fed the wires from the light i had into that. So how would i wire a floodlight/separate cell with that setup? Or is it impossible?

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

3 wires from the wall? Do you mean 1 cable which has 3 wires, or do you mean you have 3 cables?

Assuming you mean 1 cable, 3 wires.

The photo cell has 3 connections. Live, Neutral & Switched live. In daylight the switched live is "dead" when it's dark the Switched Live becomes Live

You connect any lights across Neutral and Switched Live.

Photo cells do not require an earth, but your light probably does, so connect the light earth to your incoming earth.

Do remember to put the photocell ABOVE the light, and be careful where you point your flood light.

 

[Miguel_92]

I had a very old and rusted halogen light originally which was on an angle. So i did some research and i took it off the wall so it could be replaced. When i took it down it had 3 very short wires for the earth, neutral and live (the old colours for those wires) coming out of the house. So i had to put a junction box over those wires, stick a terminal inside it and plug the wires from the lamp into said terminal. Just wondering how i can possibly fit a photocell with a lamp with that setup.

 

[Murdoch]

Look for products with 3 year warranties …..

 

[Miguel_92]

Managed to find a photo i took last year after taking the old halogen one down. As i said the earth is a bit corroded (but still works) and these are the wires i used in conjunction with a box to use a PIR lamp i've just taken down. The wires are very short as well with barely any give in them.

 

[Sharpend]

That’s not a problem, it is often better to fit a Junction box then feed out to lights etc, this way the original cables are not going to be too stressed through over manipulation, as the light will disconnect separately.

You could put a slightly larger adapt box and fit one of these into it? https://www.toolstation.com/remote-fix-miniature-photocell-ip20/p29434?

Then just wire your light into box.

 

[Miguel_92]

That’s not a problem, it is often better to fit a Junction box then feed out to lights etc, this way the original cables are not going to be too stressed through over manipulation, as the light will disconnect separately.

You could put a slightly larger adapt box and fit one of these into it? https://www.toolstation.com/remote-fix-miniature-photocell-ip20/p29434?

Then just wire your light into box.

Thanks for the reply. I am a numpty regarding this kind of thing, because i've read online that the cell needs to be near the lamp and would it work stuffed inside the junction box? As i said i am dumb to this kind of thing hugely lol so apologies if induce a brain bleed. Would i also need wire nuts too? With a bigger junction box? Wonder if everything would fit in this https://www.toolstation.com/junction-box-ip55/p60297

 

[Sharpend]

That box would probably be large enough, the sensor fits into the 20mm knock out on the top side of box, the small control box would fit inside this box. Connections made not with wire nuts but Wagos. You will need 4 wagos of 2 and 3 connection ways. I’ll find a link

 

[Miguel_92]

That box would probably be large enough, the sensor fits into the 20mm knock out on the top side of box, the small control box would fit inside this box. Connections made not with wire nuts but Wagos. You will need 4 wagos of 2 and 3 connection ways. I’ll find a link

Ahhhh ok. So i knock out a hole and it will just stick out of the top while the unit goes inside the box. I have 3 wagos which have 3 connections at the moment. https://www.screwfix.com/p/ip65-32a...of-outdoor-adaptable-box-93-x-55-x-93mm/15488 that is like the junction box i have outside now

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

because i've read online that the cell needs to be near the lamp and would it work stuffed inside the junction box?

FYI

No, the photocell must be ABOVE the lamp. The reason is:

Photocell is mounted near lamp.
It gets dark, lamp comes on. (As it is supposed to)
It's now light (As the lamp has just now come on)
The photocell turns the lamp off (As it is supposed to)
It gets dark, lamp comes on. (As it is supposed to)
It's now light (As the lamp has just now come on)
The photocell turns the lamp off (As it is supposed to)
It gets dark, lamp comes on. (As it is supposed to)
It's now light (As the lamp has just now come on)
The photocell turns the lamp off (As it is supposed to)

..........................You get the idea? (Yes, it really does happen)

TBH I would not use that photo cell, reason being it has to be rainproof as does the box it is mounted in. It can not "just poke through" a box as rain will "just run past it" I can not see a thread on that sensor (It's tech listing says it's a PIR which it isn't) for a way to secure it, also I guess it will be too big for a small box (On the lid of a box, maybe, but top or side, no)

I also would suggest you use as big a box as possible (Within reason.) as the bigger it is, the easier you can move/fit your cables. But that is just me. (I would use a wiska box)

 

[Sharpend]

I believe that these have a screw thread on them and come with a lock nut to fix then firmly, I also suspect that the rather large black material around the sensor may be a waterproof seal???

 

[Fleeting]

I believe that these have a screw thread on them and come with a lock nut to fix then firmly, I also suspect that the rather large black material around the sensor may be a waterproof seal???

Yes they are 20mm threaded as you say so a threaded entry would be best like with a Wiska box.

 

[Miguel_92]

Thanks for all the replies. I am not sure i'll be able to fit a photocell to a lamp, because the lamp will go over a backdoor and the junction box is quite far away. It would only work i think if i put the lamp sideways, because having it facing down over the current location of the junction box wouldn't light up the area that's required to light up. Also, the wires coming out of the house barely have any give in them at all so i am not sure how i'll achieve it.

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

Who said the lamp has to have a photo cell next to it, or that a light needs to be sideways?

I can only suggest you read everything again, or that you give up and get someone in to do it for you.

 

[Sharpend]

Take a pic from outside showing the wires/box and location in relation to the door.
As you have a junction box you can run a cable from that to the light at any given distance providing you fix cable to wall.