I have regular lights on the front and back porches. I want to change them to floodlights with motion detectors. Since the electricity is already there, will this be a difficult task? What kind of problems should I expect?
Txs.
Should be fairly simple and straightforward. Just make sure you check and double-che ck that the power is turned off before you switch out the lights. Wiring should be simple black to black wire (power) and white to white (nuetral) and then a ground wire, probably green. Use wire connectors versus electric tape…Tape gets old and brittle, especially in warmer climates. Just follow directions that accompany the new lights.
good luck
it is all the same thing, you just swap them out. You might want to get a light that also has a photo cell sensor that turns it off in the daylight.
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Comment by Bandett — November 14, 2008 @ 7:21 am
Should be fairly simple and straightforward. Just make sure you check and double-che ck that the power is turned off before you switch out the lights. Wiring should be simple black to black wire (power) and white to white (nuetral) and then a ground wire, probably green. Use wire connectors versus electric tape…Tape gets old and brittle, especially in warmer climates. Just follow directions that accompany the new lights.
good luck
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Comment by stretch — November 14, 2008 @ 7:23 am
It’s easy to swap them out. You’ll just need to set the time when it is active and it’s sensitivity.
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Comment by DIYpro — November 14, 2008 @ 7:40 am
I prefer the floods with a photocell so they come on at dusk and go off at dawn. The bulbs seem to last longer because they’re not cycling on and off all night when cats, rabbits, etc., run into the path of the motion detector. I’m currently using CFL floods and it’s working out great. They work well unless you live in an area where it stays below freezing for long periods. They don’t work as well there because it takes too long to heat the gas in the bulbs to where they work. As the previous guy said, be sure the power is off. Remove the old fixture. Some of the new fixtures come with their own mount. Refer to the instructions. It’s not hard to secure the mount. Put the wires through the gasket that comes with the new fixture, then wire black to black and white to white. If the fixture comes with a green or bare ground, wire it to the bare ground in the box. Line everything up and screw it down nice and tight to prevent water from getting inside. I just leave the switch controlling the outside light “on” all the time and let the photocell do the rest. It’s a gread DIY project.
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Comment by Jim S — November 14, 2008 @ 8:19 am