My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda
coulda regrets.

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda
coulda regrets.


Here's a rule few people seem to follow: Do not aim the lights so they blind
people who are out for a nice walk under the stars. It's obnoxious, and the
people who aim them that way also seem to set the sensitivity so that the
lights go on when the sensor "sees" people on the other side of the street.

Some use the excuse that the lights will also blind burglars. True, but they
also blind the cops who show up when you dial 911, and neighbors whose
observations might be valuable at certain times. This is a bad thing to do.
Aim the lights DOWN diagonally so they illuminate a border immediately
around the house.

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda
coulda regrets.


If you have the option, they should be mounted off the house and aimed
towards it. You don't want to light the walk and leave dark spots right
along the house where someone could hide. You may do better with a regular
bulb rather than a spotlight.

Smitty Two wrote:
My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda
coulda regrets.

Aiming is unique to each individual installation.
Worry about that after you get thelightsup and powered.

Are you going to surface mount the boxes on exterior walls or
on the underside of soffits? Think about clear silicon under the
boxes for surface mounts.

How are you going o feedpower? Do you need a pipe nipple to go
through the wall into the attic space, and a cable clamp for the
Romex as it goes into the pipe nipple?

If there are multipe threaded holes with plugs
for the boxes and you are only using one threaded
hole, be sure to use clear silicon on the other holes
before inserting and tightenig the plugs in the unused
holes.

If mounting on 2"x stock between rafter tails, you'll need
conduit back into house ( usually attic) and a box inside.
You'll need 12 ga. black, white and green THHN (?) for
the conduit.

Where's the ON / OFF switch inside going to be so that you can
control the lights and cycle power to them to get a reset without
climbg a ladder and fiddling with the buttons / switches on the
back of the light fixture?

Just some thoughts.

"jJim McLaughlin" wrote in message
. ..
Smitty Two wrote:
My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda coulda
regrets.

Aiming is unique to each individual installation.
Worry about that after you get thelightsup and powered.


Almost. It's possible to install swiveling floodlights in such a way that
you CAN'T aim them correctly. I've seen it. Think about it before physically
mounting them.

On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:14:45 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda
coulda regrets.

The lights I have go on after a power interruption, even a one-second
one, even one during the day, and stay on forever. They are in a
place where I often don't see that they are on, even at night. I'm
told there are newer models that turn off when it gets light the next
morning. Maybe they all do by now, but I would read the box carefully
and read the instructions fully before buying or installing them.

I don't like replacing things that work, but this problem is so
annoying I've turned them off entirely, and plan to replace mine with
a better design.

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda
coulda regrets.

Don't try to save money on these. You can get them for 20 bucks or less,
but they are plasticky, don't last , and have a lot of frustrating false
postive on-cycles from wind and very small animals.
6 yrs ago, I put up three sets of Heath Zenith dual lights from Home Depot.
About 70 bucks, but absolutely reliable, great sensitivity and threshold
controls, corrosion resistant, earthtone colors, and, best of all, a
lifetime guarantee (these units tend to break down easily, if not quality
made). Suggest you also twist wires well, use good wire nuts, and electrical
tape the nuts to the wire, so that they stay tight and water resistant.
Also, I totally agree with other posters - point them and the sensor
elements so passersby way out on the street don't trigger the lights. Use
low wattage, perhaps 30-35w GE Miser reflector-back floods. No need to blind
the innocents.
Roger

On Jun 15, 12:55 pm, "Roger" sherryrogeratcomcastdotnet wrote:
"Smitty Two" wrote in message

news
My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda
coulda regrets.

Don't try to save money on these. You can get them for 20 bucks or less,
but they are plasticky, don't last , and have a lot of frustrating false
postive on-cycles from wind and very small animals.
6 yrs ago, I put up three sets of Heath Zenith dual lights from Home Depot.
About 70 bucks, but absolutely reliable, great sensitivity and threshold
controls, corrosion resistant, earthtone colors, and, best of all, a
lifetime guarantee (these units tend to break down easily, if not quality
made). Suggest you also twist wires well, use good wire nuts, and electrical
tape the nuts to the wire, so that they stay tight and water resistant.
Also, I totally agree with other posters - point them and the sensor
elements so passersby way out on the street don't trigger the lights. Use
low wattage, perhaps 30-35w GE Miser reflector-back floods. No need to blind
the innocents.
Roger

x10 makes lights you can remote control, or have them turn on interior
lights, any 3 button garage door opener even buit in will turn on X
10, one x 10 can turn on another X 10, I enter the garage and 4 X10s
turn on outside, maybe even computer controled.

In article
,
Smitty Two wrote:

My honey-do for the weekend is to install motion-activated security
lights at the front and rear of my g.f.'s house. Just some exterior
wall-mounted units with built-in sensors, I'm thinking. This seems like
somewhat of a no-brainer, but beyond aesthetic choices are there options
or do's and don'ts to consider? I want to avoid the shoulda woulda
coulda regrets.

All right you guys, thanks for all the tips and suggestions. I printed
them out and will take them with me and we'll see what happens. Maybe
this weekend will be a strategy meeting and material gathering session.

its best to mount them shining towards the home. might be easier to
use the malibu low voltage system and just put them on a timer. you
can then add some seperate motion detectors or a key fob remote if she
is out late.

best thing is have a guy around to discourage prowlers THAT BE YOU!

best thing is have a guy around to discourage prowlers THAT BE YOU!

add a dog or motion detector tied to bark device.

prawlers hate dogs

On Jun 16, 8:56 am, " wrote:
best thing is have a guy around to discourage prowlers THAT BE YOU!

add a dog or motion detector tied to bark device.

prawlers hate dogs

Consider getting ones that have a mode where you can have them come on
at dusk for 2, 4, 6 hours at 1/4 power. That provides some
illumination during early evening, makes the house look more lived in,
provides some light before the motion sensor trips, etc. And when
motion sensor trips, they then come on full brightness at any time.