Fitting PIR floodlight

[amfisted]

Hi All

I intend to fit a mains-powered PIR floodlight on the front wall of our bungalow to replace a solar unit which has been generally reliable but never very bright. I have a PIR light on the back of the house which is connected via a 13 amp plug to a socket in the kitchen, but I want the new one to be wired in permanently.

I plan to wire the light into a junction box on the lighting circuit, and to fit a 3 pole isolation switch between the junction box and the light unit for maintenance purposes. I don't intend to have a manual wall switch for this light, so it will be permanently live (unless I switch it off via the isolation switch).

Couple of questions: what size cable should I use from the junction box through the switch to the light? Would it be circuit cable or flex?

Secondly, can someone recommend a budget voltage tester? I always isolate at the CU, but the other day I discovered an anomaly in the labelling of the circuits, which brought home to me the importance of not only isolating a circuit but testing it before doing any work.

Thanks in advance.

 

[flameport]

Couple of questions: what size cable should I use from the junction box through the switch to the light? Would it be circuit cable or flex?

1mm² 3 core black flex, as most floodlights have cable glands designed for round flex, rather than flat cable. T&E cable is not recommended for use outside either.

fit a 3 pole isolation switch between the junction box and the light

A double pole switch - you are only switching L&N.

Secondly, can someone recommend a budget voltage tester?

Uni-T UT15B is probably the cheapest that's actually usable.

 

[motorbiking]

Also be careful that your floodlights don't disturb your neighbours creating a statutory nuisance.

 

[amfisted]

Many thanks for the replies.

Double pole switch...right. I was admonished on here a few years ago for not using cable suitable for outside use, so thanks for that also, and I'll check out the Uni-T UT15B.

I've experienced the sharp end of the nuisance of floodlights in built up areas. When we lived in our previous home, a neighbour at the back had a badly adjusted halogen light which was on constantly, and which lit up our bedroom all night. Even the thickest curtains wouldn't obscure it completely. I went and had a word but he was less than helpful and the problem persisted. Before I was able to take the matter further, he either turned it off or the bulb blew, presumably from the rigours of 24/ 7 use.

 

[amfisted]

I had to extend the lighting circuit because there was no slack, and joining the two ends in the junction box stretched it to the limit. I added an additional metre or so using a junction box, then added a second junction box about 400mm further on, where I joined the additional length of cable to the other end of the existing circuit cable along with the floodlight flex.

I've put in a DP switch as advised (there are two earth terminals on the switch, not marked In or Out, so presumably it doesn't matter which earth goes into which terminal ) then extended the flex through the wall, connected the floodlight and powered up the circuit. Had a helluva time getting the light to behave as I want it to, and the method for bypassing the PIR then reactivating it (on and off within 3 or more than 5 seconds) just didn't seem to work. So I turned off the DP switch for about half an hour, then back on again and now it seems to work OK. Slightly off putting that the LED continues to give off a faint glow even when the light is off, but according to online comment this is typical of LEDs.

Before I put the loft boarding back over the circuit cable, is there anything above that I should have done differently?

 

[winston1]

No necessity to use junction boxes. Power can usually be picked up at a ceiling rose.

 

[amfisted]

It was only for convenience, really. Nearest rose was under a loft board which for reasons too boring to elaborate on, would have been difficult to lift. But noted.