How to connect a new light to an existing one - help?!

[johnwatters7]

Hi all, just looking for a little help.

Just moved into a new house and it has an outdoor lantern by the front door which has a motion sensor and comes on when it detects movement at night. It does not have a switch, it is simply hard wired into the mains

I've just purchased a new lantern to go on the other side of the door so it's symmetrical. Unfortunately this one does not have a motion sensor on it.

Can I simply connect the new light to the existing light using a mains cable (live, neutral and earth) running along the wall on the outside of the house? If so, could I run this from the connection point on the existing light where the mains cable is connected, creating a parallel circuit?

I'm hoping that by doing so, both lights will come on simultaneously when motion is detected.

All help much appreciated.

 

[securespark]

As long as the PIR is rated to switch both lamps, yes you can. Just connect the new fitting to the same terminals as those which the lamp on the existing fitting are connected to.

You may need to fit lower wattage lamps to fall within the switching capacity of the PIR. This may entail fitting cfl's.

If this is the case, make sure the PIR is happy to switch these.