Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

I have a duplex switch wired up and the top switch controls a light that is
now a motion flloodlight, I want to convert this to an "always on". The
bottom switch controls a ceiling light that I still want to be able to
switch.

I unhooked all the wires from the duplex and have 1 red, 1 white, 2 black, 1
small black (overhead light). What kind of switch, switch/outlet, single
pole, 3-way switch can I buy to make what I want to do work?

The top switch (that controls the floodlight) I guess is a 3-way switch
because another switch in the garage controls the same light.

Thanks in advance for any help.


P.S. Posts that say "don't switch the switch" or "put tape over the switch"
aren't really helpful. Thanks for playing anyway.

Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

According to Patrick Gillette :

P.S. Posts that say "don't switch the switch" or "put tape over the switch"
aren't really helpful. Thanks for playing anyway.

"Don't switch the switch" is actually the _right_ solution here, because you
need to be able to switch the motion detector off in order to reset it
when it goes into "manual mode".

"Manual mode" is where you can use a switch to force the light on
continuously (or off) and ignore the motion detector. Motion detectors
usually go into "manual mode" when they see short duration power glitches,
because it can't tell the difference between a short power failure and
a deliberate enabling of manual mode.

So, if you don't have a switch, and you have a power glitch, the only
way to get it back into "automatic" is to fiddle around with the branch
breaker[*][+]. Nor is there any way to turn it off and keep it off
without killing the branch circuit.

Check the instructions on the motion detector, you'll probably see stuff
like mine says: "turn light switch off for 30+ seconds to restore manual
mode".

You should have figured this (and the wiring rearrangement) all out
before pulling the wiring apart. Unless you've made a diagram of what
was connected to what, and _confirm_ whether it's a three way switching
arrangement on the motion detector circuit, there's nothing we can do. If
you've not made a diagram, and you needed to ask here, you're in a real
jackpot, and you'll need an electrician with test equipment to make
sense out of what you got and need to do.

Heck, does anybody make duplex switches with three way elements? I've
never seen one. Just two two-way switches.
[*] Are any clocks on that circuit? VCRs? ;-)

[+] I have a similar situation. The detached garage flood is a motion
detector, and the only switch for it is in the garage. When we have a
power glitch (or lots of waving branches) in the middle of a raging
snowstorm the flood goes on and stays on. To reset it, either I go out
in the storm in the middle of the night and diddle the switch, or I go
down in the basement to shut off the subpanel feed to the garage.

I'm usually so tired that I either leave it on, or go down in the
basement, shut the subpanel off and leave it off (because chances are if
I just reset it, I'll have to do it _again_), and go back to bed. Then
days later I realize that the garage is dead, and I have to go into the
basement yet _again_ to use anything in the garage. There is no
easy solution for my situation (short of burying new cable. Yuck).

Pain in the butt.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
According to Patrick Gillette :

P.S. Posts that say "don't switch the switch" or "put tape over the
switch"
aren't really helpful. Thanks for playing anyway.

"Don't switch the switch" is actually the _right_ solution here, because
you
need to be able to switch the motion detector off in order to reset it
when it goes into "manual mode".

Ok. Back to the way it was.

Heck, does anybody make duplex switches with three way elements? I've
never seen one. Just two two-way switches.

The switch says it's made by Eagle.

One of the bedrooms has lost all power. The switch at the breaker is on.
What happened now? Are they connected? They're on the same side of the house
but 2 floors up. Sometimes I hate being a new homeowner. Times like these I
realize I don't know $hit.

Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

"Don't switch the switch" is actually the _right_ solution here, because
you
need to be able to switch the motion detector off in order to reset it
when it goes into "manual mode".

Naw, I had two lights in my garage on a switch. I changed last year to a
motion sensor and wired itone always on, and it works fine. I am pretty
sure it was an Eagle. There is, as I recall, a manual mode that you got by
flipping the switch on and off quickly,or something like that, but I don't
miss having it.

As far as the OP is concerned, you can wirenut the hot to one of the
travelers at the first switch, and do the same at the second switch. Then
just wire nut the other traveler that is now orphaned. Leave the switchs
there if you like because they will not be connected to anything.

Now; what your wires represent, I can't imagine. You should have tagged
them before you took them off the switch. Now you have to play with them to
figure out what they do.

Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

According to Toller :


"Don't switch the switch" is actually the _right_ solution here, because
you
need to be able to switch the motion detector off in order to reset it
when it goes into "manual mode".

Naw, I had two lights in my garage on a switch. I changed last year to a
motion sensor and wired itone always on, and it works fine. I am pretty
sure it was an Eagle. There is, as I recall, a manual mode that you got by
flipping the switch on and off quickly,or something like that, but I don't
miss having it.

Ah, but you _do_ have manual mode. Whenever you have a power glitch.

What you'll miss is being able to conveniently turn it back to automatic.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
According to Toller :


"Don't switch the switch" is actually the _right_ solution here,
because
you
need to be able to switch the motion detector off in order to reset it
when it goes into "manual mode".

Naw, I had two lights in my garage on a switch. I changed last year to
a
motion sensor and wired itone always on, and it works fine. I am pretty
sure it was an Eagle. There is, as I recall, a manual mode that you got
by
flipping the switch on and off quickly,or something like that, but I
don't
miss having it.

Ah, but you _do_ have manual mode. Whenever you have a power glitch.

What you'll miss is being able to conveniently turn it back to automatic.
--
Actually we have had two power outages since I installed it. Didn't have to
do anything either time, it just resumed working normally; which is good
since I didn't save the instructions.

Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

According to Toller :

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...

Ah, but you _do_ have manual mode. Whenever you have a power glitch.

What you'll miss is being able to conveniently turn it back to automatic.

Actually we have had two power outages since I installed it. Didn't have to
do anything either time, it just resumed working normally; which is good
since I didn't save the instructions.

Glitch != outage.

The motion sensors I've seen/used treat a "off-on" event of under a few
seconds as a "got to manual mode, leave the lights on permanently". so,
if you have a short power hit, it'll end up in manual.

Long power offs (10 or 30 seconds depending on the unit) resets it to automatic.

You've just been lucky that you've only had long ones.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
According to Toller :

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...

Ah, but you _do_ have manual mode. Whenever you have a power glitch.

What you'll miss is being able to conveniently turn it back to
automatic.

Actually we have had two power outages since I installed it. Didn't
have to
do anything either time, it just resumed working normally; which is good
since I didn't save the instructions.

Glitch != outage.

The motion sensors I've seen/used treat a "off-on" event of under a few
seconds as a "got to manual mode, leave the lights on permanently". so,
if you have a short power hit, it'll end up in manual.

Long power offs (10 or 30 seconds depending on the unit) resets it to
automatic.

You've just been lucky that you've only had long ones.

I don't know about lucky; 3 days during basketball playoffs is not lucky,
but you might be right.
So, if it goes to manual, I have to throw the breaker for a while to reset
it?

Duplex Switch Wiring Help
 

According to Toller :

You've just been lucky that you've only had long ones.

I don't know about lucky; 3 days during basketball playoffs is not lucky,
but you might be right.

We get a short duration ( 5 seconds) power bumps every month or two. A lot
more frequently than full scale long term outages.

[We did suffer from both the recent big blackout, plus the infamous
Ice Storm. Some people (including chunks of major cities) were without power
for 6 weeks. In both cases, we were without power for about 30 hours.]

So, if it goes to manual, I have to throw the breaker for a while to reset
it?

Yes.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.