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Outdoor security light malfunction. (lights stay on)

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 5:46 pm
by diy2009
Hi All,
Firstly apologies, if someone has already answered a similar question. I have a double security light fitted above my front door, which is powered by the mains and seems to be connected to the alarm system. The unit has an arrangement where the sensor sits between the two lights, and turns on when sombody approaches and goes off after about one minute in normal operation.

Last week the light unit malfunctioned and the lights stayed on permanently. I tried resetting the system by tripping the appropriate trip switch, but this did not solve the problem. The only solution was to take out the bulbs.

My question is, what is the most likely problem? Can I try to fix the unit, or would I be better off just replacing the whole thing? A guy at our local B&Q told me that the recent spell of bad weather may have caused the switch inside the unit to corrod and it may be worth reconditioning the switch to get it to work again.

Would this be worth doing?
Many thanks.

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:23 pm
by sparx
hi, ignore the untrained dipstick at that place!
you can't repair/service such units, if water has got in the printed circuit board will be shot.
They are relatively cheap to replace, you can also first try switching ON/OFF/ON quickly to see if it will reset.
Leaving it off at mains as you have tried sometimes fixes it but if not it's probably time for a replacement,
regards Sparx