Over-sensitive or faulty motion lights

Heighway61

I have two motion lights with the one trigger at either end of a double garage. I don't know anything about them, they were put in by the builder about 15 years ago. We are in the house 11 years and I've kept them off as they come on and off repeatedly through the night without any motion. Would there be anything I could do to sort this, or would I have to replace?

colm_mcm

Can you post a picture of them? Often there are adjustment knobs on the back.

ted1

Some lights come with a diffuser/damper you are meant to put on. Sounds like it was omitted.

Heighway61

The lights are standard globe lights. This is the detector:




Just taken now in the dark.

ozmo

The two controls at the bottom - twist one for sensitivity - the other is how long the light stays on for.

Heighway61

ozmo wrote: »

The two controls at the bottom - twist one for sensitivity - the other is how long the light stays on for.

Never even looked!

Thanks, will give that a go tomorrow.

Idioteque

The PIR's I've seen in the past don't have a sensitivity option. One dial is for how long the light stays on for once activated, the other is to determine how dark it is before the light starts working.

If your problem is an overactive sensor, it's either replace or see if there is something triggering it (animals, steam from gas flue etc.)

Heighway61

Idioteque wrote: »

The PIR's I've seen in the past don't have a sensitivity option. One dial is for how long the light stays on for once activated, the other is to determine how dark it is before the light starts working.

If your problem is an overactive sensor, it's either replace or see if there is something triggering it (animals, steam from gas flue etc.)

Do you recognise the PIR in the photo? If I need to replace it.

ozmo

Heighway61 wrote: »

Do you recognise the PIR in the photo? If I need to replace it.

I've not had one go bad on me - the one I have in my garden definitely has a sensitivity setting as well as a timer setting. Check whats written on the controls you have if it matches the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyhTnscfdag&ab_channel=ElectricBluContractors


Often the issue is that they can be triggered by rising heat - so its best not to point them at a radiator or window.

You could Mask off sections of the sensor window with tape - usually this is done inside the detector (to mask off areas pets might walk) - but you could experiment and try just putting tape on all but a small area of the white window on the PIR and see if that does what you want?

These guys had success in doing just that:
https://community.arlo.com/t5/Features/Success-Mechanical-Motion-Detection-Zone-Masking/td-p/1019006/page/2

When testing - set the time to its mininum time out - makes it easier to test.

Heighway61

Don't think it has a sensitivity control. The left dial has a clock icon, presume that's for length of time on. The right dial has a sun icon to the left and a moon icon to the right so presume that's how light/dark it should be before switching on.

A bigger annoyance I was having, which for some reason I didn't mention, was that when the light did come on it flickered on and off repeatedly. This looks to have been caused by the time on/off setting set to it's lowest. A part-turn to the right looks to have fixed that.

I'll watch it tonight and see if it comes on without any motion present.

Pity there is no sensivity control, I'm almost at the garage door from the house before it comes on.

Heighway61

Pesky cat.