Outside security lights

coffeehound

Ganga said:

Ectophile said:

Ganga said:

The biggest problem i found with changing the halogen bulbs was getting the light open ,every one has had the screw on the front rust up making it a pig of a job to do whilst up a ladder.

Next time you need to open the lamp, put some grease on the screw threads before screwing it back together again.

I think i did but the next time i needed to unscrew it was several years later and the weather had removed the lubricant and allowed it to rust.

I suppose that's a downside of halogens - they get b. hot

FaceHead

Thanks for the thoughts so far.

So good LED ones exist, but we don't know where to get them. Halogen ones use a lot more power, but given it's only on a number of seconds or minutes each day, the couple of pounds a year to run a halogen one is immaterial to spending 10's of pounds each year to replace and unreliable one (and the agro of replacement). 

Looking at halogen ones, they seem to be fairly hard to come by, and also have shocking reviews too. Like this one in B&Q 

https://www.diy.com/departments/elro-gloss-black-halogen-pir-outdoor-security-light-400w/1466025_BQ.prd

daveyjp

Amazon have a wider selection.  

Money_Grabber13579

I’d have thought that anything made by Philips should be pretty reliable. They might be a bit more expensive (£20-30, or perhaps more depending on how bright you want to go) but I’ve always found Philips bulbs to be very reliable. Whilst not security lights and my experience being limited to indoor bulbs, I did replace 50 halogen bulbs with Philips LED bulbs and aside from one being faulty when I purchased it, all are still working 5 years later.

searchlight123

i used to sell outdoor security lights and the least issues we had with a competitively priced brand was with Saxby. most cheap ones scrimp on the PIR sensor (to turn it on when it detects movement / heat). the Saxby ones stood the test of time well. i use 30w ones to illuminate in front of my garage and rear garden and have been up for years. available from many independent electrical wholesalers (they will all serve members of the public) or decent electrical shops. expect to pay around £30 for the 30w ones (equivalent to around 300w), they also do 10w, 20w and 50w, both with and without PIR.

one other handy feature is the PIR ones can be easily overridden at the switch or plug it's connected to, by flicking them on and off, so you can leave them on for however long you want.

markin

If it is so cheap it glows when off expect it to be dead in a year or 2.

fenwick458

I'd avoid Amazon, it's all Chinese rubbish no guarantee whatsoever 
I fit Ansell Calinor range they are getting a lot better have had to replace very few. guarantee is 2 years.
LAP from Screwfix are just about the worst I can think of 
the problem with that light from B&Q is the build of the fitting, 100% not designed for the environment in which it's supposed to be used. They make the brackets so thin they flex in the wind and then the paint just flakes off, then it'll rust and eventually snap. the screw to remove the front glass will just rust and stick in there, and as it'll be made from a soft metal there's no chance of ever removing it once it's been outside for a year without chewing the head off it. the plastic will go brittle and snap if you try and adjust the angle of the PIR after a year, the PIR will fill with water, none of the adjustments will be easy to use, they are just an absolute disaster from start to finish

J_B

Surprised that nobody has suggested a separate PIR and 'ordinary' outdoorlights.

Would that be an idea?

Chickereeeee

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned that PIRs are generally a pain for neighbours, flashing on and off, particularly during windy periods, all night. Triggered by foxes, cats, moving branches and passers by. Please position the carefully, if you mustnhave them!

A separate PIR sensor may make it easier to avoid false alerts, as well.

knightstyle

I moved recently and one of my first jobs was to install a light on the drive and a new wall light by the front door. Both controlled by a time clock and a photocel wired in series.  Timeclock on at 3PM off at 10.30PM  So the lights come on when it gets dark and off at 10.30 unless I use the time clock override switch to stay on later.
No annoying lights coming on and off all night when a cat or something goes past.