Troubleshooting Low Power Outdoor Lights

TOTAL INVESTMENT:    $200
TIME:                                 3 hours
DIFFICULTY                     Easy
NET RESULT                     Bulbs do not burn out, Automatic on/off lighting

No posts for a while?  I know.  I was getting a little upset that my blog never ended up on a Google search.  I've spent the last couple of weeks researching something called SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  Like I've said in an earlier post, I'm an IT guy by trade, and I should be able to figure this out.  After plodding through everything you need to know on the topic, I'll let you know that SEO ain't easy to pull off.  I'm found on Google now, and I guess that Bing will get to me when it gets it me.  The guys in Redmond just aren't in the same league as Google yet.  I'm probably going to rename my blog to something without the word "amateur" in it, too.  If you search "Amateur Home Guru", I'm in the pack with a bunch of naughty sites instead of "home ideas" sites.  If you've got a suggestion for a new blog name or want to know more about SEO, please email me.  Well, on to the project.

I was sitting pretty with all my home mods saving tons of money.  Life was good.....  until the CFL bulbs started blowing up.  I just started replacing them at about $3 a pop and put the old ones in a box.  My savings on the electricity bill were slowly being eaten away by light bulbs.  This went on for about 2 years.  After I moved the bad bulbs into a big box, I hopped on the computer with a Maker's and Coke and did some quick searching.  I cracked a smile when I found sites proclaiming that LED LIGHTS LAST FOREVER!!!!



LED bulb in my outdoor lighting

The next day, I took a trip to Lowe's and picked up a couple of 40 watt equivalent LED bulbs.  Man these things are expensive (about $25 each).  I popped them into the light fixtures and life was good again....  for a while.  After about 6 months, my LED died.  What??????  I hopped on the computer again with a tall Maker's this time.  This was taking a while, so I went up for a refill.

I found out that low power bulbs really don't like fancy outdoor lights.  My lights dimmed the bulb most of the time to save power.  When someone walks by, they brighten up.  They're also supposed to be smart about when the sun comes up and down, too.  The incandescent bulbs actually did turn off during the day.  That never did work right with the low power bulbs, even though I tried all the settings.  They just stayed on all the time with the CFL's or LED's, daylight or dark.  It wasn't so bad, because I just used the light switch to turn them off and on.  People on the net said that these lights need a little power to run the sensor.  You guessed it, that little bit of power is enough to light up a CFL/LED, but an incandescent in the same fixture won't burn with the same amount of power.  It's also pretty much a consensus on blogs and message boards that CFL's and LED's don't like to be dimmed.  Even if the box says that "dimmable", they won't last as long if you dim them.  One more thing about these cranky bulbs is that they don't like to get hot.  See the enclosure for the bulb in the picture above?  LED bulbs will roast in there.  The silver part you see on the bulb is a giant heatsink.  The cooler they are, the longer they last.

So to sum this up:

1. No dimming
2. No daylight sensor
3. No full enclosures around the bulb (stay cool)
4. I need new light fixtures (crap)
5. No driving to Lowe's tonight, because I drank that refill

The story continues as I'm walking down the lighting aisle at Lowe's.  I can honestly say that aisle is a bit overwhelming.  I'm basically looking for a dumb light with a little class that's open on the bottom.  Lucky for me, the cheapest lights at the store fulfill all my requirements ($18 each).  I packed 4 of these guys in my shopping cart, and I picked up 2 more LED bulbs.



Front Port Light Fixture

I'm pretty saavy at electrical stuff, so I get to work.  I'm replacing the lights fixtures outside the garage and on the front porch. 

Tools:  Screwdrivers (1 flat, 1 phillips), electrical tape, needle nose pliers, wire nuts
Efffort: 2 hours

I finished the job in record time and even scraped out the spiders and dirt dobber nests.  I was feeling good about this job until I turned on the porch lights.  It was at that moment that the left light started flickering.



Front Porch Light Switch

NO!!!!!  I've done all this research, and there's no way that I did this job wrong.  After a few choice words, I decided it has to be the lightswitch.  Luckily, I have a spare in the garage.  I pick up the same tools and move inside.  While unscrewing the lightswitch, I seem to remember that this problem has showed up before.  I pulled the wires off the switch, and I saw a tiny piece of copper wire drop to the floor.  I think I've got a broken wire.  This one was pretty easy to fix.  I stripped the broken wire and reassembled the old switch.  Problem solved....   time for a bourbon.

NOW FOR THE FUN PART - AUTOMATIC ON/OFF

I'm getting a little tired of turning the outdoor lights on at night and back off in the morning.  Sometimes I forget, other times my hands are full as I'm walking out in the morning, and I'm always asking myself if I should leave the lights on when we leave the house for a few days.  I've got a bit of laziness combined with concern for home security.  I want an automatic switch.  

I head out to Lowe's, but they don't even have one.  I'll just save you the trip if you're looking at doing the same project.  I checked on Amazon.com, and this time I'm being very careful before the purchase.  The reviews on Amazon are very useful, and I read all of them before this purchase.  I decided on the "Aube by Honeywell TI033/U 7-Day Programmable Timer Switch", because it will handle low power lighting.  Some don't.  I clicked the buttons on Amazon and even ordered a white switch cover (the unit only comes in white).

This job should have taken about 15 minutes for a man with my skills, but I got stumped right out of the gate.  The timer switch has a bunch more wires than it should, and none of the colors are working for me.  What in the heck is a "line" or "load" wire???  Where is the neutral wire in the wall??? I didn't think light switches had a neutral wire!  I needed a little more Googling, a little guess work, and my voltage meter.  If you don't have a meter, you should go out and get one.  They're very helpful when working on just about any electrical job. 

Here's what I found out:

• LINE (black) = power wire that feeds the switch, all the wires in the wall were black
• LOAD (blue) = power wire from switch to light
• NEUTRAL (white) = all the neutral wires in the wall were crimped together with a ring

I used the voltmeter to find line and load, and then I tested what I thought was neutral (I guessed right).  I had to break the piece that held the neutral wires together to add the new wire from the switch.  I used a pair of needle nose pliers and a new metal ring to crimp them all back together.  NOTE: Please, please, please, turn off the power at the breaker when you're messing around with electricity.  I've been zapped by 110 and 220, and both times I should have turned the power off.  When you're at the breaker panel, take a pencil.  Mine didn't have much written in it when we moved in.  Now, I have meaningful labels.  



New Switch

Buttons to Program to Switch

Whatever you do, don't throw away the manual to the lightswitch.  I wasn't able to figure out how to program the thing, and I rarely have to read manuals.  If you're like me, you'll need readers to see the labels on the little buttons.  There's a neat setting to make all the days the same, or you can program different settings for every day.  You also have to "activate" the timer.  I messed that one up on the first try, too.  So, an hour into my 15 minute job, I was done.  Maybe someday I'll even change the beige switch to white (or paint it).

The net effect of all this work is greater longevity for my outdoor light bulbs.  Not one blowup since the upgrade.  I'm also happy every day when I see the lights pop on and off all by themselves.

Interested in more money saving tips for you home?  Click here.