PV Gap

Edgar Said:

how do you work the switch that controls an outdoor home sensor light?

We Answered:

Mine has to be turned off first. Wait 10 seconds, and flip on, then off, then on and leave it. Also, mine only works at night. It has a light sensor.

Sarah Said:

What are alternatives to outdoor/indoor holiday lighting?

We Answered:

possibly candles and bamboo torches in less you leave in a cold and nasty weather state if so battery run lights target has some for 7.99

Francis Said:

Home electrical outdoor light problem, voltage readings (neutral=120, hot=10)?

We Answered:

In a perfect world, all white wires would be neutral . This is often not the case. Sometimes a person connects a white to hot accidentally.You may use a white wire as a hot and you are supposed to mark it a black with a wrap of electrical tape. Sometimes the tape comes off or wasn't used at all. I dont believe that you have a short between the hot and neutral or you would be constantly blowing your breaker. That said I do think it is a good idea to back trace your wiring to see if the white wire was hooked into the hot side. Check outlets to make sure the hot is black connected to the copper screw/small slot on outlet. Check wires to see if an accidental swap was made.
Hope this helps, Mark


******UPDATE-- If the Black is feeding both switches, we will assume that this is your hot feed (it is hot??) Now you have yellow and blue. One of these runs the hot to basement light and the other runs hot to exterior. If your ext. light has black and white, where did these wires come from?( they are neither yellow or blue) and at what point did they change color? Did someone get confused and wire incorrectly somewhere after the switch and before the light?
Mark

Bradley Said:

hi i live in a older home with older wiring and i was going to install a outdoor light both wires are black?

We Answered:

If the home is old enough, the wiring was usually done with a method called knob & tube, where the hot wire and the neutral were run separately from each other. Each wire would have really thick stiff black insulation. By the 40's and 50's, BX tubing became popular, where the two wires would be run together inside a flexible metal sheath. These may or may not be colored differently. By the late 60s/70s NM cable because popular. This is what's used today: two or three conductors plus a bare ground inside a plastic sheath.

The fact that both your wires are black does not mean there is a problem. Although you could theoretically reverse them when wiring to a simple light fixture without a problem, it is best that you find out which one is hot and which one is neutral. That way you can wire the hot one to the black wire in the new fixture, and the neutral one to the white wire in the new fixture. Doing this will adhere to building code, and will allow future remodelers to know which wire is the hot lead. To find out which one is the hot lead, purchase a small pen tester for about ten bucks at home depot like the one shown in the links below:

Hold the tip against both wires, one at a time, with the light switch on. The wire that makes the pen beep is the hot wire. The other one is neutral. Next, remove the fuse, or open the breaker for the outdoor light so that you can be absolutely sure that when you work on it you have nothing live. Don't rely on the switch, because sometimes the circuit is wired with a "hot neutral". meaning there is voltage at the light even with the switch off. If you're not sure which fuse or breaker to pull, then pull the main breaker so that the whole house is off. Wire the new fixture so that the fixture's black (or brown) wire connects to the "hot" wire you found coming out of the house. Wire the fixture's white (or blue) wire to the neutral wire coming from the house. When using wire nuts, strip the insulation off each pair equally, twist on the wire nut and keep twisting until the insulation starts to twist too. If there is a bare copper wire coming out of the house along with the two black wires, twist it to the bare copper wire coming from the new fixture. Twist it good, then attach it to the metal electrical box using a screw that is usually found in the box. If the electrical box is plastic, just twist the bare wires together.

Rosemary Said:

What is the best type of outdoor security lighting for a home.?

We Answered:

Most thieves do not like to be in the "spotlight". If one is going to rob you, they will do it no matter what you have. You may want to light the yard area with an all night light and use the motion detector type nearer the house. This would deter someone from walking across the property to see what you have to offer.