Adding outdoor lighting to existing line

alid_2007

19 years ago

Hello,

I'm hoping someone here can straighten me out on a simple DIY electrical problem (without lecturing me on not having a licensed electrician do the work!) ;-) . I searched the forums and the FAQ, but did not see this question posted anywhere.

I have a moderate degree of electrical wiring knowledge, having completely wired a new house in the past, however it's been 7-8 years ago. Note here: there were no electrical inspections involved, and I am not licensed.

My setup: I have a separate 20amp breaker which holds a single mercury vapor light in my yard. Nothing else is on this circuit. I am attempting to add TWO additional victorian lamp posts to this line. I've also wired sensors in these lamp posts so that they are "dusk-to-dawn" lights.

What I did was run cable FROM the mercury vapor light to the first lamp post, and so this connection at the post contains a black to black connection, a white to white connection, a ground wire connection, and a connection (black to black - if I remember correctly, but now that I think about it, it may be white to white) which runs the wires from the lamp to the sensor. The connections ALSO attach to cable leading to the SECOND lamp post. Oh, and I installed an outdoor electrical outlet between the mercury vapor and the 1st lamp post.

At the 2nd lamp post there are connections from the first lamp post as desribed above (black to black etc).

My problem is none of the lights work. I've covered the sensors to fool them into thinking it is night time, and the lamps do not come on at dark either.

Can someone tell me where I made my mistake?

Thanks for any advice!!

AliD

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Comments (6)

normel
19 years ago
When you say "none of the lights work" do you include the existing MV light? If it works and the new ones don't, try wiring them without the sensor in place. If they work then, check the wiring diagram on the sensor to make sure it is connected properly.
If nothing works, including the MV light, check the breaker or look for a tripped GFCI.
davidandkasie
19 years ago
did you install the photocell properly? if you wire it backwards it won't work.

does the outlet work? is it GFCI? if it is it could be tripped. the line FROMthe MV light should go to the LINE connections on the GFCI, and the line TO the posts should be on teh load side.
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cobraguy
19 years ago
Do the new lights need to be on the load side of the GFCI? I'm curious for my own benefit. And if a sensor or light is wired so the circuit is not compatible with a GFCI, it might immediately trip. Again, this is just for my own benefit. I'm not suggesting anything is right or wrong with the way it's been done.

Where does the feed for the 2nd light post originate? From the sensor or the junction prior to the 1st light?

Is the sensor wired in "series" AFTER the first post light? If so, is that correct? If after, wouldn't it have to be switching a neutral to work?

These were just questions that came to mind when reading the OP. Please forgive me if they should be obvious answers.
alid_2007
Original Author
19 years ago
Correct. none of the lights work including the MV. Neither the breaker nor the GFCI is tripped.

The outlet is wired BETWEEN the MV and the first post. So, it is actually coming FROM the breaker (thru the MV) and going to the post. (The way the electrician set up the breaker is that he put an outlet on the electric pole, directly under the breaker box. So the MV was wired from that electrical box.)

The electrical outlet *I* installed is a different one - it is wired from the MV light - between there and the post.
Does that make sense?

I assume I installed the photocells properly, since I wired it black to black, and white to white. You've made me wonder though - I have a sensor on each light. Should I NOT have those, and just have the ONE from the MV? I should probably remove the sensors on the posts and see if that makes the lights work. ??

You guys have lost me concerning the "load" questions. What is the load? Is that the hot wires?
DavidR
19 years ago
My guess is that you have the lights wired in series rather than in parallel. However, it's almost impossible to tell without looking.

I suggest that you get yourself a copy of Wiring Simplified and read it cover to cover. Pay special attention to the chapter on basic electrical circuits. That should help you understand what you did wrong - probably faster than we could analyze the situation from afar.
normel
19 years ago
If nothing is now working, check your connections at the MV light where you tapped in to power the post lights. Make sure all the connections are tight (twist the wires, then twist on the wirenut).