Security sensor/lights behaving badly.

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eracode

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#255797 30-Aug-2019 11:59

Above our garage door we have a stand-alone security light sensor that controls two separate LED lights.

It senses movement OK but when it’s time to turn the lights off, the lights flash off and back on, at about one flash per second, for about a minute. The rate of flashing slows a little then the lights go off and stay off until the next cycle. When the lights flash, the sensor makes a clicking sound.

The set-up worked fine, i.e. without the flashing, since the house was new (four years ago) but started this a few months ago.

Would appreciate advice and comments on what might be the cause of this behaviour - could be the sensor is faulty or failing? LEDs not playing nice with an OK sensor?

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surfisup1000

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#2308399 30-Aug-2019 12:02

We've had 2 sets of sensors similar to yours, fail. ie, sensor is separate to the actual lights.

I wonder if water gets into them. I'm looking for a new sensor now, bunnings ones look like absolute rubbish. Need a quality sensor, might have to visit an electrical wholesaler such as JA Russell.

eracode

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#2308402 30-Aug-2019 12:12

surfisup1000:

We've had 2 sets of sensors similar to yours, fail. ie, sensor is separate to the actual lights.

I wonder if water gets into them. I'm looking for a new sensor now, bunnings ones look like absolute rubbish. Need a quality sensor, might have to visit an electrical wholesaler such as JA Russell.

What were the symptoms when the sensor failed - just stopped sensing?

I have bought a new sensor from Bunnings on the assumption that’s what is needed - but waiting to install it hoping to get some pointers here first.

Bunnings have quite a wide range and I noticed that there are two different weather-proof rating standards. I bought one - ‘Deta’ brand made by Arlec - with IP65 for about $34. All the models with a lower IP rating were about $16.

Interesting that when I looked just now, on its website Bunnings doesn’t show the IP rating for any of the stand-alone sensors it sells.

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dt

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#2308417 30-Aug-2019 12:21

eracode: Above our garage door we have a stand-alone security light sensor that controls two separate LED lights.

It senses movement OK but when it’s time to turn the lights off, the lights flash off and back on, at about one flash per second, for about a minute. The rate of flashing slows a little then the lights go off and stay off until the next cycle. When the lights flash, the sensor makes a clicking sound.

The set-up worked fine, i.e. without the flashing, since the house was new (four years ago) but started this a few months ago.

Would appreciate advice and comments on what might be the cause of this behaviour - could be the sensor is faulty or failing? LEDs not playing nice with an OK sensor?

I've had this exact same problem before and replacing the sensor fixed it

One thing, I thought I had wired it up incorrectly because the lights wouldn't turn off! turns out I just had to wait for the timer to shut it off.. duh..

davidcole

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#2308503 30-Aug-2019 16:21

We had one that we replaced, and the replacement is doing it too....but we worked it out...the exhaust for our gas fed radiator system is setting it off because it's hot.

So could there be something hot setting it off?

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eracode

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#2308505 30-Aug-2019 16:26

davidcole:
We had one that we replaced, and the replacement is doing it too....but we worked it out...the exhaust for our gas fed radiator system is setting it off because it's hot.

So could there be something hot setting it off?

Thanks, I’ve heard about heat sources being a problem but that’s not the case here.

Was yours doing the flashing thing before it turned off?

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.