Get an electrician

[rab]

I've used the title because that's the reply,

I'm expecting. It seems more and more to be

the reply to household electrical queries.

However my question is this.

 

Our security light seems to have died.

It stopped working, I replaced the bulb,

or whatever you call those long strips of glass

with coiled wire inside and contacts on each end.

When I turned the power back on, it lit once,

went off and won't come on again.

 

Rather than faffing around with it I decided

to replace it, but therein lies the problem.

The one I have fits directly onto the wall,

so the wiring is all covered.

Most of the replacements I've looked at are

mounted on a bracket, which means there will

be a short length of cable running from the

wall to the back of the light.

 

Can I use ordinary cable for this or does it

have to be outdoor cable?

Edited September 20, 2017 by rab

[uax6]

I have seen LED replacements for that style of halogen bulbs, so it might be worth looking at finding something like that. (You did clean your fingerprints off the glass when you put it in didn't you? Any sort of grease on those bulbs kills them....).

 

The correct answer is probably yes to outdoor cable, but then define outdoor cable... HO7 is good, but expensive, but any PVC coated cable that isn't white will be ok (white will go brittle quicker). I have all sorts of different grade cables running around the garden (on all sorts of different voltages too!), some is PVC-PVC double insulated, some is PVC single outer sheath, some is HO7, some is artic and some is normal black extension lead... No problems with insulation degradation on any of it. Its usually the ends where the water gets in, so make sure that you seal it up well.

 

Andy G

[Jonboy]

To expand on the fingerprints comment the reason it kills the bulbs it it leaves a film of grease on the glass, this then heats faster than the rest of the bulb, causing it to crack or blow.

[rab]

Thanks for the responses.

As for handling the bulb, I made sure

I handled it with a cloth.

I had heard you shouldn't use bare hands,

but never knew exactly why,

so thanks for explaining that.

[Mike Bellamy]

You haven't mentioned if it is operated just by a switch or by a movement detector. When restoring power to one that comes on automatically, it will light for a few minutes to reset the sensor and then go off until it is dark and movement is detected. Perhaps it is the sensor that is at fault and not the bulb. Regarding replacement, I 'm sure the last one I bought (some time ago) had a length of cable already fitted so I just drilled through the garage wall and terminated it inside.

 

.

[rab]

You haven't mentioned if it is operated just by a switch or by a movement detector. When restoring power to one that comes on automatically, it will light for a few minutes to reset the sensor and then go off until it is dark and movement is detected. Perhaps it is the sensor that is at fault and not the bulb. Regarding replacement, I 'm sure the last one I bought (some time ago) had a length of cable already fitted so I just drilled through the garage wall and terminated it inside.

 

.

Hadn't thought of that.

I've only been looking at them on line.

I'll have a look at some 'in the flesh'.

[locomad]

My experience of these Chinese made pir lights is that the poor quality of the metals used often results in poor electrical contact.

 

With the power off clean the little brass or other metal contacts where the bulb fits in, I use an old bulb with some very fine wet and dry glued to ends, you often find a lot of white powder which covers the contact.

 

Replace the new bulb I use gloves and rotate back and two couple of times to ensure a good contact.

 

The other way is to replace it with LEDs, because they use very little power consider a battery one, I've replaced 2 about 3 years ago using some purchased from Aldi for a £5 each, I reckon overall they saved both electly and cost of replacement bulbs