Internal motion sensors.

RolyBirkin · 8 Oct 2015

I recently fitted a motion sensor switch in my front hallway, replacing the on/off switch. This has been working perfectly for months now, so decided to replace the three light switches in the stairwell,(3 storey house). During the day the lights do not come on as they are adjusted for darkness. However, they continually turn on and off during the nighttime. Could anyone shed any light on my problem, (pun fully intended)!
The switches were purchased from e bay and were sent from China direct. Not that I am suggesting that there is anything inherently wrong with anything made in China, as most things are made there these days, but perhaps they are not compatible with wiring more than one switch in series?

ban-all-sheds · 8 Oct 2015

1) It's impossible for anybody to even try and suggest what might be wrong without more info on what the switches are, and how they are wired (photos and diagrams). And they won't be in series.

2) There is a difference between buying something from a UK company (who has it made in China) or a UK supplier (who imports from China), and buying things yourself direct from there. With the latter there is nobody anywhere in the chain subject to UK regulations or within the reach of UK enforcement bodies, or with any expertise to police safety and compliance. It may be a trifle invidious to brand all direct-from-China products sold on eBay or Amazon as nasty and dangerous tat not to be touched with a bargepole, but there is enough which is (including fake brands) to make it the only sensible policy.

PBC_1966 · 8 Oct 2015

ban-all-sheds said:
It may be a trifle invidious to brand all direct-from-China products sold on eBay or Amazon as nasty and dangerous tat not to be touched with a bargepole, but there is enough which is (including fake brands) to make it the only sensible policy.

I really don't think that point can be emphasized enough. Buying electrical fittings for your home direct from China is just asking for trouble in my opinion. And beware certain eBay sellers who give a location as somewhere in the U.K., U.S.A. or wherever but who in fact are based in China and ship everything directly from China.

RolyBirkin · 8 Oct 2015

Point taken about safety and compliance. I have considered replacing them with units sourced in the UK.
There are only two connections on the sensor, as on the light switch that it replaces and I have just substituted one for the other, I haven't swapped about any wires. As the sensor in the hallway has been working perfectly now for months, I had assumed that the product was fine. It seems very odd that the problem only manifests when it is dark (Although this did not happen with just the one sensor). That would lead me to think that it would more likely be a problem with the sensor as opposed to the wiring, or perhaps more pertinently, with there being more than one sensor.
I will endeavour to upload a pic or two to enable you to understand better the situation.
Thanks for your replies thus far.

PBC_1966 · 8 Oct 2015

RolyBirkin said:
This has been working perfectly for months now, so decided to replace the three light switches in the stairwell,(3 storey house).

Are we talking about separate lights each with its own individual switch, or a light or lights controlled by 2-way switching?

RolyBirkin · 8 Oct 2015

There are four lights in total, and four switches. The switches that have been replaced were the pneumatic type. So all lights come on together.

PBC_1966 · 8 Oct 2015

Ah, time-delay pneumatic switches operating all lights simultaneously. The switches will all be wired in parallel, meaning that the lights go out only when each and every switch which has been pushed has completed its cycle.

If the sensors you're using are the types which have only a 2-wire connection (no neutral), then you may well have problems. Some of them simply will not work properly when wired in parallel and will end up giving you just the sort of problems you're experiencing as one interacts with another. You could verify that each sensor itself is working properly by disconnecting the others and testing each one on its own in turn.

RolyBirkin · 9 Oct 2015

I have attached a couple of pics of two of the switches and one showing the adjustment for timer and light level.

PBC_1966 · 9 Oct 2015

It looks as though you have neutrals present at each switch location, in which case it would be easy to install motion sensors with a 3-wire connection (live, switched live, neutral) and suitable for parallel connection. Again, I would suggest you verify the current sensors individually by disconnecting the others and checking each one in turn. If they all work fine then, it's a problem with the sensor design not permitting parallel operation.

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

Internal motion sensors.

RolyBirkin

ban-all-sheds

PBC_1966

RolyBirkin

PBC_1966

RolyBirkin

PBC_1966

RolyBirkin

Attachments

PBC_1966

DIYnot Local

Similar threads