How to Install an Outdoor Motion-Sensor Light
Adding outdoor lighting to your property improves the look of your home after dark, and more importantly, it increases the safety and security of your property. Using motion-sensor lights saves energy, and it also means that when the lights turn on, you'll know that someone is on your property. If your home was built in the last twenty years, you probably have lighting fixtures installed on the outside of your house already. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Exterior-rated lightbulb
- Wire cutters
- Screwdriver
- Wire strippers
- Ladder
- Outdoor motion-sensor light
- Cordless drill
Instructions
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Shut the power. Make sure to let everyone in the house know not to turn it back on until they know it's safe to do so.
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Locate a fixture where you want to add a light, and place your ladder beneath it. Grab a screwdriver and voltage tester then climb up.
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Remove the bulbs and screws from the fixture.
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Test the circuit of the fixture with the voltage tester by inserting the end of the tester into the socket of the bulb. Make sure the tip touches the wires and make sure to test all the wires.
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Remove the nut cap and expose the wires once you are certain there is no power.
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Untwist the wires to remove the fixture from the wall. Cut the wires if necessary-if you need to cut them you'll also need to strip some insulation so you can reattach them to the new fixture.
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Climb down the ladder and inspect your new light fixture. Read the manufacturer's instructions for assembly then do a trial run so that you don't have to figure it all out while you're on top of the ladder.
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Grab the light fixture and a cordless drill then get up the ladder again. Mount the light into the light box then drill the screws in place.
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Connect the wires. Make sure to connect the colors correctly-white to white, black to black and so on. If there is grounding wire, attach it to the light box.
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Twist the wires together then screw a nut cap in place to cover them.
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Attach any additions such as a protective waterproof place according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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Insert a new lightbulb, and then adjust the light settings using the switch underneath the unit. Set it to "test"-this will keep the light on permanently so you can make sure it's working.
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Test your new light by turning the power on. If it doesn't work, turn the power off then repeat the above steps to check your work. Don't forget to use the voltage tester when you expose the wires.
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Once the light is working correctly, reset the motion-sensor switch then attach the face plate.
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Seal the unit with weatherproof caulk (this should be silicone-based for best results), after first making sure the area is completely dry.
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Aim the light sensor toward the ground at an angle of approximately 45 degrees.
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Check the motion sensor once night falls to make sure it detects motion in the appropriate area. You may also need to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor.
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Tips & Warnings
If there are no outdoor lighting fixtures on your property, you'll need to contact an electrician to do some rewiring. It's not recommended that you attempt to do this yourself.
Consult a professional electrician if you are uncertain about any stage of the installation or if you experience any problems while installing the fixture.
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Comments
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when you set the light sensor to test then turn on the power the light comes on. why does the lights stay on? The lights shoud come on then shut off then you shoud be able to walk in to the sensor detecion area and the lights come on, then you can adjust the sensor to come on where you would like them to. Then set the sensor to 1,5 or 20 minutes. Then you r set. At dusk you shoud try the motion sensor light out and make sure the lights are adjusted to your likeing. This why your not out there at night trying to adjust the settings and the sensor. There are motion sensor lights that have this feature and others that don't.
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msew
Jan 16, 2008
Regarding the first (4) steps: There's a safer way to shut off the power to a given fixture: Go to your circuit breaker box(usually located in the garage or basement) and determine which circuit breaker the fixture is running on. More this breaker from the ON to OFF position. When you've found the correct breaker, you should have no power at fixture. You can verify this with the light bulb inside fixture or a voltage indicator. The reason why this is safer is a given fixture may be controlled by 2 or more switches. Flipping the circuit breaker will insure no power is flowing to fixture. -
msew
Jan 16, 2008
Regarding the first (4) steps: There's a safer way to shut off the power to a given fixture: Go to your circuit breaker box(usually located in the garage or basement) and determine which circuit breaker the fixture is running on. More this breaker from the ON to OFF position. When you've found the correct breaker, you should have no power at fixture. You can verify this with the light bulb inside fixture or a voltage indicator. The reason why this is safer is a given fixture may be controlled by 2 or more switches. Flipping the circuit breaker will insure no power is flowing to fixture.
