Hi there,
I want to have PIR-activated lights in my hall and landing. In the
past, I have used PIRs which are specially designed to replace an
ordinary wall light switch, screwed directly into the switch housing.
Trouble is, they cost at least £25 each, and they don't last long. So
now I am thinking of buying two of those rectangular wall-mounted
lights with built-in PIR, designed for exterior use, like they sell at
B&Q. I plan to remove the wall light switch, and use the wires inside
to feed the lamp, fixing the lamp over the switch housing. Can anyone
see any problem with doing this?

Thank you

Allen

In article ,
(Allen) writes:

Hi there,
I want to have PIR-activated lights in my hall and landing. In the
past, I have used PIRs which are specially designed to replace an
ordinary wall light switch, screwed directly into the switch housing.
Trouble is, they cost at least £25 each, and they don't last long. So
now I am thinking of buying two of those rectangular wall-mounted
lights with built-in PIR, designed for exterior use, like they sell at
B&Q. I plan to remove the wall light switch, and use the wires inside
to feed the lamp, fixing the lamp over the switch housing. Can anyone
see any problem with doing this?

You won't normally have a live and neutral connection there, but a
live and switched live connection. It would be easy to modify the
loop-in connections (on the ceiling where existing light is
presumably) to change the cable to the switch to be a permanent
live and neutral supply.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Allen wrote:
Hi there,
I want to have PIR-activated lights in my hall and landing. In the
past, I have used PIRs which are specially designed to replace an
ordinary wall light switch, screwed directly into the switch housing.
Trouble is, they cost at least £25 each, and they don't last long. So
now I am thinking of buying two of those rectangular wall-mounted
lights with built-in PIR, designed for exterior use, like they sell at
B&Q. I plan to remove the wall light switch, and use the wires inside
to feed the lamp, fixing the lamp over the switch housing. Can anyone
see any problem with doing this?

It will look extremely naff and amateurish...

"Allen" wrote in message
...
So
now I am thinking of buying two of those rectangular wall-mounted
lights with built-in PIR, designed for exterior use, like they sell at
B&Q.

Just fitted one of these for a friend today (12.99 at Screwfix). Nice unit -
perfect
for the end of a garage, but I wouldn't fit this inside a house.

Why not buy a standalone PIR and wire this in to switch the lights?
These can be bought from Screwfix too (I have no connection with Screwfix,
apart from
being a reasonably happy customer).

I always try and fit a standalone PIR just so that I can keep the light and
what triggers
it as separate units. The slight hope is that Bob the Burgler doesn't see
that the light has
been triggered by a device and hence it may be the precursor to the
householder coming to
investigate the noise...

Mungo

now I am thinking of buying two of those rectangular wall-mounted
lights with built-in PIR, designed for exterior use, like they sell at
B&Q. I plan to remove the wall light switch, and use the wires inside
to feed the lamp, fixing the lamp over the switch housing. Can anyone
see any problem with doing this?

Ugly ugly.

On Tue, 9 Dec 2003 17:36:53 -0000, "Suz"
wrote:

now I am thinking of buying two of those rectangular wall-mounted
lights with built-in PIR, designed for exterior use, like they sell at
B&Q. I plan to remove the wall light switch, and use the wires inside
to feed the lamp, fixing the lamp over the switch housing. Can anyone
see any problem with doing this?

Ugly ugly.

OK, OK! You have a point.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I'm still looking for a cheap and
effective and long-lasting solution. I don't really want to alter the
wiring from the ceiling rose to the light switch like someone
suggested - although it was a much appreciated suggestion.

I have a vague idea that someone once told me that if you use those
PIR wall-ligh switches (designed exactly for this purpose i.e., not
designed for security lights) they will last longer if you use low
energy bulbs - even though the instructions say DON'T use low energy
bulbs..

Can anyone verify that?

Allen

Why not buy a standalone PIR and wire this in to switch the lights?
These can be bought from Screwfix too (I have no connection with Screwfix,
apart from
being a reasonably happy customer).

I always try and fit a standalone PIR just so that I can keep the light and
what triggers
it as separate units.

Thanks for this suggestion. I did look into this idea once before, but
I'm fairly sure that all the ones I looked at weren't suitable for
some reason. I can't remember why though. Could you give more details
like what you wired it to? Wiring from the wall swithch? Wiring from
the ceiling rose?

Thanks

Allen

Hi Allen,

"Allen" wrote in message
...
Could you give more details
like what you wired it to? Wiring from the wall swithch?

Now I'm presuming it ain't multi-way switching, so at the ceiling rose there
is a
"drop" which sends permanent-live down to the switch and switched live
back up from the switch.
So you take a three-core-plus-earth cable from the ceiling rose which has
the blue
core as Neutral (I try and wrap a bit of black tape over the blue cable so
that the
next person knows I am using this as a neutral), the red core as
permanent-live and
the yellow core will be switched live which will go to the live side of your
lightbulb.

Live, Neutral, Switched Live and Earth: three cores plus earth to the PIR.

Mungo.


P.S. If you'd like to visually discriminate between the switch working the
incandescent
lamp and the PIR causing the light to be illuminated you may care to use
Google to
search in this newsgroup for an idea I broached about using a "power diode".
Great idea (if I may say so): works a treat in my house! :-)

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 15:31:50 +0000 (UTC), "Mungo Henning"
wrote:

Hi Allen,

"Allen" wrote in message
...
Could you give more details
like what you wired it to? Wiring from the wall swithch?

Now I'm presuming it ain't multi-way switching, so at the ceiling rose there
is a
"drop" which sends permanent-live down to the switch and switched live
back up from the switch.
So you take a three-core-plus-earth cable from the ceiling rose which has
the blue
core as Neutral (I try and wrap a bit of black tape over the blue cable so
that the
next person knows I am using this as a neutral), the red core as
permanent-live and
the yellow core will be switched live which will go to the live side of your
lightbulb.

Live, Neutral, Switched Live and Earth: three cores plus earth to the PIR.

Mungo.


P.S. If you'd like to visually discriminate between the switch working the
incandescent
lamp and the PIR causing the light to be illuminated you may care to use
Google to
search in this newsgroup for an idea I broached about using a "power diode".
Great idea (if I may say so): works a treat in my house! :-)


Mungo,
Thanks for those directions. It does sound a bit complicated and I'm
not at all sure whether the existing lights are one-way or two-way
switched. But perhaps I'll try to figure it out. I'm not an
electrician, though I have done a fair bit of DIY wiring..

Allen

"Allen" wrote in message
...
Thanks for those directions. It does sound a bit complicated and I'm
not at all sure whether the existing lights are one-way or two-way
switched.

One-way switched is what I described - the light only has one existing
switch to work it.
Two-way (or three, or four) means that the light can be switched on or off
by two (or more)
switches - slightly more complicated wiring for it.

But perhaps I'll try to figure it out. I'm not an
electrician, though I have done a fair bit of DIY wiring..

It should be fine to do. Start it at daybreak to give yourself a few hours
of natural light... :-)

Mungo