Motion detector on an outside light.
Motion detector lights are excellent additions to any home's outside lighting scheme. They not only provide an extra added layer of security, but they also help you manage your electric bill, as they only come on at night and only when triggered by motion. But, because motion detectors feature three wires, inexperienced handymen may have a problem making the correct wiring connections. If you notice that your motion detector light isn't functioning properly, it may be because whoever wired it didn't do the job correctly. Luckily, fixing the problem isn't that difficult to do with the right instructions.
Instructions
1. Turn off the power to the motion detector light by toggling off the circuit breaker that powers it.
2. Remove the light bulbs from the light. Be sure to wait until the bulbs are cool to the touch before removing them if they were previously on. This is especially the case if it is a halogen light, as they can cause severe skin burns when hot.
3. Remove the bolts that secure the light fixture to the wall box and carefully pull the fixture away from the wall.
4. Test the wires inside with a touch-type voltage tester before you touch any of the wires. Press the button on the tester and touch the tip of it to each wire to make sure the circuit is dead. If the tester beeps or lights up, then the circuit is still live. Try additional breakers until you find the correct one.
5. Disconnect the wires in the box that are connected to the fixture and the motion detector. This will enable the fixture to be pulled clear from the box.
6. Identify the wires you are working with. Separate the fixture wires from the motion detector wires. Make sure the wall box has a black feed wire, a white neutral wire and a ground wire.
7. Check all of the wires to make sure the ends are in good shape. If necessary, use the wire strippers to cut away any bad areas and strip about 3/4-inch of new insulation from the end of the wire(s).
8. Connect the red wire from the motion sensor to the black wire from the light fixture. Secure them together with a wire connector and wrap the connection with electrical tape.
9. Connect the ground wire from the light fixture with the ground wire in the wall box. Secure them together with a wire connector and wrap the connection with electrical tape.
10. Connect the white wire from the motion sensor to both the white wire from the light fixture and the white wire from the wall box. Secure them together with a wire connector and wrap the connection with electrical tape.
11. Connect the black wire from the motion sensor to the black wire from the wall box. Secure them together with a wire connector and wrap the connection with electrical tape.
12. Stuff the wires neatly inside the wall box and secure the fixture to the box using the bolts you removed earlier.
13. Install the light bulbs and restore the power to the circuit.
Tags: wire from, connection with, connection with electrical, connector wrap, connector wrap connection, electrical tape, from light