LESLIE: Robert in Colorado has a wiring question. What can we help you with?
ROBERT: Hi, I love your show.
LESLIE: Thanks so much, Robert.
ROBERT: Well, I have three lights outside that’s operated by my switch inside. It turns on my porch light and two lights that are on each side of my garage entry and I’d like to put a photoelectric cell on there so we can go out in the afternoon and come home with the lights on. And not sure which one I should open up and how to wire it up.
TOM: So you have three lights?
ROBERT: Three lights. Uh-huh.
TOM: Well, what you’re going to have to do is figure out – you have one switch that turns on those three lights or three separate switches?
ROBERT: Just one switch.
TOM: Alright, so what you have to do is you have to put the photoelectric switch between the switch and lights, essentially.
ROBERT: OK.
TOM: So that it will – and then the switch would have to be on all the time and now it’s running off of the photoelectric so that when you – when it gets dark it comes on.
ROBERT: Right.
TOM: Or do you want a motion detector so that when you walk up to it it comes on? There’s really two different sensors.
ROBERT: OK.
TOM: Now an easier thing to do might be, if you’re having trouble figuring out how to do that, is to replace the light fixtures themselves and that – because many of them today have photoelectric sensors built right into them and, frankly, the cost is so low on these now that it’s kind of less expensive than doing all the wiring.
ROBERT: Ah, good idea. Alright, I’ll check it out.
TOM: Yeah, I just put a new one in my back porch because the old one had gone away and I think it only cost me about 50 bucks.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
ROBERT: Wow.
LESLIE: And there’s so many nice fixtures available, too.
TOM: Exactly.
ROBERT: Alright. Well, I’ll head out for my store and check them out. Thanks for your help.
Leave a Reply