motion light to existing power box (1 Viewer)

[nuclearlemon]

so, i have a "motion" light that i want on the driveway side of the house. it's a plastic light, two wire (white/black, no neutral). Mount it to the soffet, run 12/2 romex (entire circuit of house is on a 20amp breaker) and figure i can just splice it in with a box in the attic where ceiling fan/light is wired in.

not.

hook everything up, go to install bulbs, one lights up bright, as soon as i put the other in, both dim and flicker. pull one, other is bright. and it only works on test, not with motion. then, go in to get a beer and the kitchen light is dimly lit, even with wall switch off. goes off when chain on light is pulled.

still can't get motion light to work off motion. unhook light. first two electricians called are no shows, third one quotes $773!!!! fawk u! don't need a light that bad....

why is there back feed? would finding a way to hook up a neutral help? how would i hook up that neutral? are all electricians rapists (quote to add a 220 outlet 4' from breaker box = $907, quote for six outlet strip seven feet from box and OUTSIDE wall = 867!)?

 

[cruiserpilot]

Do you have an external outlet with a GFI? I would recommend just make the light like a plug in with a two prong plug. Thats what I did, you don't want to mess up your house wiring or cause a fire if you don't know what you're doing.
That being said, go to a proper electrical wholesale store and ask them, some of them will be very helpful, and will set you up.

 

[45Kevin]

You could run conduit from the motion/light to the basement where your panel is. If you mount it alonh the soffit until it gets to the end a of a wall and then run it down beside a drain pipe it would not notice that bad.

You can then run n a 14/2 (with ground) wire or three seperate wires (black white green) inside the conduit.

As a professional wrencher surely you can find an electrician that needs some work done on a vehicle, and then trade time for time.

 

[nuclearlemon]

Do you have an external outlet with a GFI?.

nope, no outdoor outlets. could maybe make it a plug style tho...there is an outlet at the other end of the attic

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

so, i have a "motion" light that i want on the driveway side of the house. it's a plastic light, two wire (white/black, no neutral). Mount it to the soffet, run 12/2 romex (entire circuit of house is on a 20amp breaker) and figure i can just splice it in with a box in the attic where ceiling fan/light is wired in.

not.

hook everything up, go to install bulbs, one lights up bright, as soon as i put the other in, both dim and flicker. pull one, other is bright. and it only works on test, not with motion. then, go in to get a beer and the kitchen light is dimly lit, even with wall switch off. goes off when chain on light is pulled.

still can't get motion light to work off motion. unhook light. first two electricians called are no shows, third one quotes $773!!!! fawk u! don't need a light that bad....

why is there back feed? would finding a way to hook up a neutral help? how would i hook up that neutral? are all electricians rapists (quote to add a 220 outlet 4' from breaker box = $907, quote for six outlet strip seven feet from box and OUTSIDE wall = 867!)?

two wire (white/black, no neutral) - Never seen that, what do you call the white wire?

entire circuit of house is on a 20amp breaker - really?

i can just splice it in with a box in the attic where ceiling fan/light is wired in. - there is your problem

why is there back feed? - when you wired into the j-box you wired the motion detector in line

would finding a way to hook up a neutral help? - dont think you know what a neutral is because without one nothing but possible a 220v circuit could work.

third one quotes $773 - For $773 what was the scope of work or repair needed?

re all electricians rapists (quote to add a 220 outlet 4' from breaker box = $907, quote for six outlet strip seven feet from box and OUTSIDE wall = 867!)? - My guess is there are some details left out. If not, I would also consider the cost excessive and look else where.

 

[nuclearlemon]

two wire (white/black, no neutral) - Never seen that, what do you call the white wire?

sorry, meant to say no ground, and yes, entire house minus 2-110 outlets and the stove (which is 220v) are on one outlet....fire up the microwave and watch all the lights dim :0

is there an easy spot to wire into? or do i need to go to the box?

 

[nuclearlemon]

re all electricians rapists (quote to add a 220 outlet 4' from breaker box = $907, quote for six outlet strip seven feet from box and OUTSIDE wall = 867!)? - My guess is there are some details left out. If not, I would also consider the cost excessive and look else where.

can't think of what details would be left out. if i punch through the wall where i want the outlets, i'm in the hallway to the cellar. the breaker box is just outside the door of that hallway. the breaker box is literally four feet max away from where i want the 220 outlet. the run that i had from the motion light to the box in the attic for the ceiling fan was less than four foot...although that didn't work so well for me

research on this particular company shows that i'm not the only one who thinks they're stupid high on pricing. problem is, first electrician didn't even get back to me (after 3 attempts to contact them), second one was two weeks out, then called to cancel and said it would be at least three more weeks before he could come take a look...wtf, are electricians that in demand?!

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

sorry, meant to say no ground, and yes, entire house minus 2-110 outlets and the stove (which is 220v) are on one outlet....fire up the microwave and watch all the lights dim :0

is there an easy spot to wire into? or do i need to go to the box?

there is always an easy spot....back to the fan light box you tapped first....how many wires present in that junction box? Olden days, guys would run power to the light fixture, and then bypass the hot leg via a 2 wire cable to the switch and back. Later construction would run 120 to the switch, and then 120 switched up to the fixture. Pics might help. I got busy finally after about a year and a half, but I promise, I can beat almost every other licensed electricians pricing. I even gots liability insurance, and a pig backie to haul my gear......SO.....where are you at? for $773, I'd be able to get your light workin....and I'm outside of Fresno!

 

[nuclearlemon]

there is always an easy spot....back to the fan light box you tapped first....how many wires present in that junction box? Olden days, guys would run power to the light fixture, and then bypass the hot leg via a 2 wire cable to the switch and back. Later construction would run 120 to the switch, and then 120 switched up to the fixture. Pics might help. I got busy finally after about a year and a half, but I promise, I can beat almost every other licensed electricians pricing. I even gots liability insurance, and a pig backie to haul my gear......SO.....where are you at? for $773, I'd be able to get your light workin....and I'm outside of Fresno!

i'm in denver, so you'd have a bit of a haul to the jobsite

box appears to be just a junction box. it's where the hot/nuetral and ground for the kitchen fan/lamp meet the hot/neutral/ground from the breaker box.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

okay then. (it'd be close, but I think my quote still stands what can I say, I'm cheap) back to the box. With a volt ohm meter, measure for 120 volts at the neutral and hot in the fan box. to be sure of polarity, measure from ground across each of the other 2 wires. ground to neutral will show minimal to zero volts(maybe even up to 8 depending on your existing grounding, utility condition and sensitivity of the meter. the hot leg will show 114-126ish across either neutral or ground. Once you know you have 120 and which wires are which(it SHOULD have been as simple as white to white, black to black, but I have seen some strange wiring practices in my time) SO- we've got our hot an neutral wires sussed out in the fan box; then a 12/2 romex, tapped white to neutral, black to hot, ground to bare metal ground of box and preferably to the bare ground wire from the panel to fan box>run to where motion light is to be and set a round box flush to exterior siding for to house the circuit. terminate the ground to the metal box at motion light location OR cap it off with a wire nut if the round box is non metallic and there is no provision for grounding the motion light fixture. NEXT most motion lights I've seen have the 2 wires from each of the light heads and 3 wires for the sensor-again, YMMV> read destruction sheets. SO, we take a hot wire from each light head( the wire with continuity to the center tab at the base of the socket- the screw shell of the socket must always be terminated to the grounded conductor(read as neutral). now we have 2 hot wires going to the lights, and they must wire nut to the switched wire from the motion sensor(usually red). THEN the 2 neutral wires to the light heads will tie together to the white wire going to the sensor AND the incoming white(neutral) wire. The left over (black) wire from the sensor ties to the black wire of the romex feeder. I'm sure you had everything done right- it's NOT rocket science BUT everything must be in its place. if you have 120 volts available at the location where the motion light is to be mounted, and you have the fixture wired correctly per destructions or based upon this description, you should have a functional light. HINT I am ALWAYS suspect of mass produced compact electronics>IOW your light may be defective. HTH sorry for the uber basic run thru....

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

okay then. (it'd be close, but I think my quote still stands what can I say, I'm cheap) back to the box. With a volt ohm meter, measure for 120 volts at the neutral and hot in the fan box. to be sure of polarity, measure from ground across each of the other 2 wires. ground to neutral will show minimal to zero volts(maybe even up to 8 depending on your existing grounding, utility condition and sensitivity of the meter. the hot leg will show 114-126ish across either neutral or ground. Once you know you have 120 and which wires are which(it SHOULD have been as simple as white to white, black to black, but I have seen some strange wiring practices in my time) SO- we've got our hot an neutral wires sussed out in the fan box; then a 12/2 romex, tapped white to neutral, black to hot, ground to bare metal ground of box and preferably to the bare ground wire from the panel to fan box>run to where motion light is to be and set a round box flush to exterior siding for to house the circuit. terminate the ground to the metal box at motion light location OR cap it off with a wire nut if the round box is non metallic and there is no provision for grounding the motion light fixture. NEXT most motion lights I've seen have the 2 wires from each of the light heads and 3 wires for the sensor-again, YMMV> read destruction sheets. SO, we take a hot wire from each light head( the wire with continuity to the center tab at the base of the socket- the screw shell of the socket must always be terminated to the grounded conductor(read as neutral). now we have 2 hot wires going to the lights, and they must wire nut to the switched wire from the motion sensor(usually red). THEN the 2 neutral wires to the light heads will tie together to the white wire going to the sensor AND the incoming white(neutral) wire. The left over (black) wire from the sensor ties to the black wire of the romex feeder. I'm sure you had everything done right- it's NOT rocket science BUT everything must be in its place. if you have 120 volts available at the location where the motion light is to be mounted, and you have the fixture wired correctly per destructions or based upon this description, you should have a functional light. HINT I am ALWAYS suspect of mass produced compact electronics>IOW your light may be defective. HTH sorry for the uber basic run thru....

based upon your OG post, I'm checking the light fixture to make certain a wire that is supposed to be a hot got turned into a neutral or vice versa> feeding thru the filliment of one bulb to the other and no activity in auto mode...

 

[fledglingme]

didn't read thru all of this thread, but- it sounds like you taped into a switch leg....in which case the loads are in series, and not parrell. in switch legs, the white is power all the time and the black is the switched leg- at least this is the way it's supposed to be, by nec code, in the case of a home hobbyist all bets are off.( clear as mud right?)

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

didn't read thru all of this thread, but- it sounds like you taped into a switch leg....in which case the loads are in series, and not parrell. in switch legs, the white is power all the time and the black is the switched leg- at least this is the way it's supposed to be, by nec code, in the case of a home hobbyist all bets are off.( clear as mud right?)

this is why we check polarity.




and in this eventuality, the white/black set going to the switch from the fan box are both hot legs(or should be)one constant, one switched....this set up will look like this: coming from the panel into the fan box there will be a hot, neutral, and ground. from here, the neutral ties directly to the neutral of the fan/light and ends there; then the hot from panel(black) will tie to the white wire going to the switch>as per noted NEC code for dead end switching>the black wire coming back from the switch will then tie to the fixtures black wire. again, pics of the fan box as it had been hooked up would clear the way...