Installed a new post light last week, and could not get the lights to turn off. Replaced photo cell three times. Voltage was correct and line and load was correct. Finally found the problem. Any guesses to what happened.

The sun never rose that day? What?!

Here are some guesses:

<OL TYPE=1>

[*] Did not turn off Power before Connecting Photocell (AKA - Wired it "Hot"),


[*] Did not have the "Light Limiter" slider up far enough (the metallic gizmo which slides over the PC's lens),


[*] Forgot to remove the "Tape" from the Lens after testing it - or (see #4)


[*] Did not remove the protective covering from the lens - if used,


[*] Bad, or non-existent "Neutral" connection to "Common Wire" of Photocell,


[*] Load Current exceeded the max. ratings of the Photocell, forcing it into an Arced closed situation,


[*] Left it in the "Test" mode, or some slider switch setting which relates to motion / light levels, or switch overide,


[*] Photocell was getting hit from something while in operation - like a Tree's Branches blowing in the wind were hitting the Photocell,


[*] Photocell was designed to turn loads "off" when dark, or something in this realm,


[*] Photocell was marked incorrectly - like intended to be used in conjunction with another component, or it was really a motion sensing - "off" or "on" device, or Line/Load incorrectly marked (grasping at straws here)


[*] Lighting Fixture(s) Posessed by a Demon, and Demon has no tolerance for Photo Controlled Apparatii.
</OL>

Any of these come close?

Scott35

I had a bitch of a time with photocells a little while back on street lights, had the right voltage, but the buggers wouldn't work when plugged in.

Problem: nuetral tap 3 poles down dropping the nuetral out, when a load was applied.

Dnk.....

How long are you waiting? The photocells I have will start out "on" and it takes a few minutes before it finally figures out the sun is up. It also seems to take full sun to turn it off.

Some PC controls have a jumper wire to select operating mode, as well. By cutting or not cutting the wire, you select "Dark=Load OFF" or "Dark=Load ON"

The piece of black tape you left over the "eye"?

other possibtly is the photo cell socket bypassing the photocell circuit

or other possiblty is the photocell is line up wrong way where the eyes is not getting correct light source

or other possiblty is the line - load bypassing the photoeye circuit

Does the post light have a ballast? If so did you conect the photo cell to the socket to photo cell. Had an apperntice do that once. Would not shut off.

Light is shinning to close to photocell causing it to think its sun. this has happened to me.

The photo cell had a plastic disconnect for quick repalcement of the bad cell. The neutral on this plug was bad. it was on the pole side of the photo cell not the photocell side, so no matter how many I replaced it still didn't work. You guys had some good guesses there. I tested the splices but never on the plastic connector. I felt so stupid because I called the maufaturer and chewed them out for the poor quality of there product, but it was jsut the connector.
Thanks for all the posts.

NJ Wireman and E 57

Have seen that too, on fault finding that the lamp was too close to the lightcell, hence 24 hr lights.

Black tape left on. Done it once myself. While checking a SL cct i was called out to a substaion fault and forget about the black tape. 2 weeks later ??

If the cells are reversed wired load side to line side the lights come on , go off for 4 minutes and go back on and so on.

The one we use here have a bimetallic strip and a heater resistor in them.

Could be an FM problem.
"Freakin magic"

My guess was going to be different color coding leading to miswiring.