floodlights won't stop flashing; any ideas?

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brantmacga

brantmacga

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Location
Georgia
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Former Child
I replaced two floodlights that quit working after being pressure washed.

HO says they blink at night. I went back and lowered the sensitivity; I covered the photocell w/ tape and turned them on. They worked okay but it was during the daytime.

I asked her to check again last night and she says we have the same problem.

The two floodlights are a different brand also from different stores. They are connected to the same switch; connections are tight.

Any thoughts?
 
I was on a job where the lights blinked. Found that the stainless steel pool filter reflected the flood light back to the Photo cell. Could reflection be your problem?
 
bobsherwood said:
Could reflection be your problem?
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I looked for that but couldn't find anything it might be reflecting off. And the previous floodlights gave her no problems. I realize though the sensor probably isn't aimed exactly as it was before.


The only related possibility would be some other light source aiming back at the sensor. They are both on the same side of the house, just opposite corners.
 
brantmacga said:
I replaced two floodlights that quit working after being pressure washed.

HO says they blink at night. I went back and lowered the sensitivity; I covered the photocell w/ tape and turned them on. They worked okay but it was during the daytime.

I asked her to check again last night and she says we have the same problem.

The two floodlights are a different brand also from different stores. They are connected to the same switch; connections are tight.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

If the bulbs went bad after a pressure wash my money is on the pressure washer damaged the motion sensor too.
 
qcroanoke said:
If the bulbs went bad after a pressure wash my money is on the pressure washer damaged the motion sensor too.
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The fixture is what I replaced (including the motion sensor).


The bulbs are those from the previous fixture.



I don't suppose it could be the bulb though?
 
brantmacga said:
The fixture is what I replaced (including the motion sensor).


The bulbs are those from the previous fixture.



I don't suppose it could be the bulb though?
Click to expand...

Ohhhh! Ok (I assumed you meant the bulbs only when you said floodlights)
In that case check to see if you may have wired the motion sensors backwards.
I know if you reverse line and load on a photocell the fixture will cycle on and off I'm not sure what a motion sensor will do when wired backwards.
Any I have ever seen black is line red is load.
 
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Additional thoughts:

Do the two bulbs in each fixture blink on and off together, but the two fixtures independently?

The control may be set to 'test' and the customer may be accidentally triggering them herself.

If they're on a manual switch, she may be triggering the 'find me' function; read instructions.

Each fixture may be fooling the other into thinling it's daytime; re-aim sensors (and the bulbs?)
 
Check to make sure the black wire of the photocell is what powers it, and the red is hooked to the switch leg. Some manufacturers photocells will blink if the black & red wires are switched.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Are the bulbs CFL. I have had problems with CFL on the motion lights that have 2 stage lighting.
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That's what I was going to mention. I've had that happen too. It doesn't happen on all fixtures, but on some of them it's consistent whenever a CFL goes in. Not exactly sure why, but most likely it has to do with harmonics coming off of the CFL messing with the motion sensor circuitry.
 
Pierre C Belarge said:
If you have the time, you may want to take a peek at these yourself at night.
Maybe the lights were already flashing before the pressure wash, and she did not notice...
Click to expand...

I agree you cant be sure what the home owner is seeing and describing to you as accurate. You have put the light in test mode and they work but ime sure your not out there for any lenght of time staring at these lights. you will have to go out at night with the home owner and let them show you whats happening. Hopefully it doesnt happen every blue moon . bring some new bulbs it cant hurt. If it continues to happen maybe bypass the sensor if you can and tie directly to the floods and see if it contiues if so its probbably not the lights. I have had these type of jobs before. You think this is a peace of cake job put the lights up get paid and go home . Then get a call from the customer and they say the lights arent working correctly. Do your best to satisfy the customer. of coarse its a loosing proposition monitarally but you may get additional work in the future good karma
 
I got them fixed.

I went out there after dark, thinking that was the only way I'd get them operating correctly.


Here's what I found;

Two motion fixtures on the rear of the house (both new; i installed last week) about 30' apart.

When the switch was turned on at night, one would come on, and then the other a couple of seconds later. The first would go off, then the second, and the cycle just repeated. They were strobing non-stop.

The first fixture was next to an oversized gutter; the light was reflecting off the gutter back into the motion sensor. When the first one came on, one lamp was reflecting off the gutter behind the other one, and it would come on. It was a non-stop cycle.

I had to put electrical tape over the photocell of each fixture to make it stop, and also adjust the motion sensors so that no light was able to reflect back into the front.

The customer is going to paint the area of the gutters around the floodlight w/ a matte black paint. I did mention putting the bulb shrouds that some fixtures come with to stop the rear facing reflection, but I couldn't be sure it would work. I'm not even sure the matte black paint is going to work, but the HO is going to try it anyway.

Thanks for the replies
 
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