How to Add a Motion Sensor to Doorway Security Lights
A security light placed in a doorway provides illumination but must be turned on or off manually by the owner. Add a motion sensor to the security light so that it can turn itself on or off. A motion sensor can be purchased from a hobby store or select home and garden shops. Connecting the motion sensor to the light does not require special electrical skills, but does count on your having a few common household tools on hand. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Go to the fuse box and remove the fuse or trip the circuit breaker that supplies power to the electrical junction box in the wall which is connected to the security light's wiring. Place a ladder against the wall where the security wall is located. Unscrew the screws surrounding the security light so it can be removed from the wall plate it is attached to -- use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the screws.
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2
Pull the security light off the wall plate. Pull the screw tabs attaching the black and white wiring from the security light and the electrical junction box out of the hole through the center of the wall plate. Twist each of the screw tabs counterclockwise to remove them.
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3
Wind the exposed end of the black wire attached to the motion sensor around the twisted pair of black wires. Screw the screw tab onto the twisted threesome of black wires.
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4
Unwind the pair of white wires that are twisted around each other. Separate the wires. Unscrew the two contacts on the back of the motion sensor with a Phillips jeweler's screwdriver. Wrap the exposed end of the white wire from the electrical junction box around one of the screws. Wrap the exposed end of the white wire from the security light around the other screw. Tighten the screws.
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5
Screw the motion sensor to the wall next to the wall plate with wood screws using the Phillips screwdriver. Screw the security light back on the wall plate using the screws removed earlier and the Phillips screwdriver. Restore the electrical power to the electrical junction box.
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